Well, one thing you could do is to buy a non-resident license and hunt along the Appalachian Trail. You could start at Max Patch in Madison County, and hunt north towards Hot Springs. That would put you into the middle of the largest bear harvest region in WNC. The only caution is that the App Trail wanders between NC and TN; the way to solve that problem is to buy licenses in both states.

Another possibility is to hit the App Trail at Poplar in Mitchell County, and hike north towards Roan Mountain. That also is wild country with a lot of bears. Or start at Carvers Gap on Roan Mountain, and hike north or south. Either of these options is easier to get to than Max Patch.