State and federal wildlife officers are cracking down on bear poaching in western North Carolina and eastern Georgia.

Wednesday, authorities announced a multi-agency undercover operation that's been in the works for the past four years. The investigation, which was named Operation Something Bruin, yielded 80 wildlife violators and about 980 violations stemming mostly from illegal bear hunting.

Officers with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission infiltrated poaching circles to document violations including bear baiting, illegal taking of bears, deer and other wildlife, illegal use of dogs, operation of illegal bear enclosures in North Carolina, and guiding hunts on national forest lands without the required permits.

They began ...