Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Eric Talley: People line the streets to honor slain police officer. A Shopville family watched a bear stand in a road near Short Creek. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. The young males do get around. Al Smith was exemplar, advocate for rural journalism. Map. JESSAMINE CO., Ky. (WKYT) - Bear activity is on the rise across central Kentucky. ... To report a bear sighting in your area call the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife or 1-800-25-ALERT. So the young bears enjoy some summer travel. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the woodlands of Kentucky. "The population has shown phenomenal growth from only a decade ago. Since the last census in 2010, Robertson County has had a growth rate of -6.15%. Young black bears will roam 100 miles or so in the summer, feeding and hoping to find a mate. Though this has been a rather challenging year for many as we continue to endure a global pandemic that is causing much uncertainty around us, we can be certain that our Kentucky woodlands will come out on top if we continue to practice sustainable woodland management. For more than 150 years the American black bear virtually ignored Kentucky’s lush forests. The best thing to do to avoid them altogether is to feed your pets indoors, throw food scraps in the garbage instead of the yard, remove bird feeders in the spring and summer when food is naturally available, and finally let nature take its course. Around the same time, Tom Lowery got a picture of a black bear, probably the same one, near Gentry Road and St. Hubert’s Episcopal Church. Hast thinks that’s exactly what happened to this guy, spotted in Jessamine County over the weekend: “This looks like about a 2-year-old bear,” Hast said. Randy Patrick is a reporter for Bluegrass Newsmedia, which includes The Jessamine Journal. Contrary to some beliefs, however, todays growing population is not the result of a restocking effort. Jimmy Carpenter didn’t know Johna Burchett until days ago, but he is grateful for the difference she has made in... read more, GRC to meet Mason County in 10th Region semis, Carpenter, patient with ALS, given van by stranger, Cardinals begin 10th Region play this week, Boston joins Clarke, Jackson in declaring for NBA Draft, A different kind of NCAA tournament minus Cats, Sheriff, county fire reports for March 24, Governor signs 10 bills, vetoes  three others, Ky. breaks another vaccine record with nearly 200,000 in week. The state is believed to have an estimated total Black Bear population of around 800 to 1,000 bears and growing with the most bears per square mile in the northwest part of the state. The KDFWR website says that, while bears may appear calm and not threatening, they should be treated with respect because they are wild animals with unpredictable behavior. Kentucky's burgeoning bear population means additional hunting opportunities for both locals and out-of-staters. Officials also warned the state's bear population has continued to expand past the mountains and into other parts of the state in the spring and summer. [2] The county was founded in December 1798 from land given by Lincoln and Green Counties and named for Polish patriot Count Casimir Pulaski . Knox County is a county located in Appalachia near the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Kentucky.As of the 2010 census, the population was 31,883. 2 talking about this. Report bear sightings in Kentucky to the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources at 1-800-858-1549. The third weekend in December is also the last weekend of Kentucky’s nine-day late muzzleloader season for deer, and hunters in these three counties can take deer of either sex Dec. 17-19. “So, a young male, they typically get kicked out of the breeding range. Or maybe it’s the same bear. On June 19, game cameras on a farm on Jones Nursery Road in Clark County captured images of a black bear that was also photographed by other landowners in the area. 5 talking about this. The largest bear recorded to date was in 2008 when a 480-pound male was captured in Kentucky for research. We've been monitoring this population and have been involved in research with the University of Kentucky for almost 10 years. According to Hast, an uptick in bear sightings is actually pretty normal this time of year. The first reported sighting of a bear in the area was on June 3, when some farm workers were setting tobacco and spotted a black bear on Todds Road in Fayette County near Pine Grove, and one of them got a closeup picture of it in a tree. Based on our research efforts, it's clear that Kentucky's bear population can support a sustainable harvest," he said. Currently, black bears are the most abundant and widespread of all eight bear species in the world. “They want nothing to do with people, which is great,” Hast said. Stay away The KDFWR website says that, while bears may appear calm and not threatening, they should be treated with respect because they are wild animals with unpredictable behavior. Rank. Bears usually aren’t aggressive, but most attacks involve food, so people shouldn’t feed them or leave food where they can get to it. In Kentucky, the return of black bears over the last 20 years is proving to be a true wildlife success story. The same day, it was seen near Winchester Road, not far from Hamburg Pavilion. Young male bears instinctively disperse from their home areas and wander widely in the spring and summer. Immigration from outside the United … One of their daughters jokingly asked, wouldn’t it be something if it were a bear? Kentucky Fish and Wildlife maintains an extensive amount of information on its website. Following Robertson County, other very small counties in Kentucky are Hickman County (4,421), Owsley County (4,472), and Carlisle County (Photo: Carol Thacker/iStock) Thanks to conservative harvesting of its core population and a large number of boars, Kentucky has expanded its black bear hunting opportunities. Percent 0.20 - 0.31 0.31 - 0.47 0.47 - 0.72 0.72 - 1.1 1.1 - 2.4 2.4 - 5.1 5.1 - 11 11 - 24. “We’ve got a really healthy bear population in our mountain counties,” Hast said. John Hast, a biologist for the Kentucky Department for Fish and Wildlife Resources, thinks it’s one or maybe two bears that have accounted for all of the recent sightings. “Definitely don’t approach in any way, just give them their space and they’ll keep doing what they do.”. “It’s not pandemic related,” said John Hast with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. It was wandering across a pasture and someone took a picture of it. “As breeding happens, young males get bounced out and tend to pop up in places across the bluegrass.”. When he gave an interview July 1, he didn’t yet know about the bear seen at the University of Kentucky near the medical center, but the day before, there was one seen on Old Richmond Road about where it goes under the I-75 bridge at Clay’s Ferry. There are about 40 counties with a “somewhat resident” bear population, and they’ve been spotted in other counties, including in Central Kentucky, Hast said. I also modeled variations due to sex (Sex Eastern Kentucky is believed to have supported a large Archaic Native American population in prehistoric times, and has sites of other cliff dwellings. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife indicates the black bear population has been on the rise over the last twenty years. The black bear population in Kentucky is on the rise. Hast said every bear photo he has seen this summer has been of a lanky young male, about two or three years of age and weighing about 150 pounds. Feeding a bear is against the law in Kentucky. Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. We talk to some experts to see what you should and should not do around bears. Currently, black bears are the most abundant and widespread of all eight bear species in the world. The appearance of a black bear on the University of Kentucky’s campus recently got plenty of attention, but bears have been sighted all over the Bluegrass region this summer — As oak forests matured after extensive logging efforts of the early 1900s, bears recolonized these habitats from our neighboring states of West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee. According to ct.gov, in 2019 there were approximately 7,300 bear sightings in 150 of Connecticut’s 169 towns. “Most of the time, it is right down there along the Kentucky River.”. A car killed a bear on Ky. 461. Hast said that in 2006, Fish and Wildlife began documenting reproduction of bears on Pine Mountain in Letcher County, and now there are are 450 or so in two core groups — one in Bell, Harlan and Letcher counties and the other in McCreary and Wayne counties. Its county seat is Somerset . Table. “When the acorns drop this fall, they’ll want to be in a naturally wooded area which is what eastern Kentucky has,” Hast said. Its county seat is Barbourville. To report a bear sighting in your area call the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife or 1-800-25-ALERT. Never approach a bear or run from one, as that will trigger the bear’s instincts to chase. Will Kentucky’s State Senate preserve the people’s voice? Since then, there have been a couple of sightings in Shelby County, he said. Bar Chart with caption "Black or African American alone, percent (Percent)" Population: State: US Bear Population* Trend: Alabama : Stable : Alaska : 150,000 : Stable : Arizona : 2,500 : Stable : Arkansas The one seen in 2016 was on Taylor Made, a race horse farm. Kentucky Deer Population: A state estimate of about 1 million deer before the hunt in 2020, up from 858,876 deer at the start of the 2017-18 hunting season, increasing into 2018. “We’ve had a verified bear sighting in Jessamine County every summer since 2016,” he said. These sites were used by successive cultures as residences and at times for burials. As of 1 July 2006, the United States Commonwealth of Kentucky had an estimated population of 4,206,074, which is an increase of 33,466, or 0.8%, from the prior year and an increase of 164,586, or 4.1%, since the year 2000. You can find more information on bears here. He may be reached at 859-759-0015 or by email at randy.patrick@bluegrassnewsmedia.com. Also, the mother bears chase them away to prevent them from inbreeding. That’s a good description of a bear that would be in the Bluegrass this time of year. In 2011 Kentucky’s bear population was estimated to number about 500. Map. “So, they tend to make a loop and end up where they started.”. Officials say the need for bear awareness extends beyond the mountains of eastern Kentucky as the state’s bear population continues to expand. The 2016 deer population estimated at 820,000 after the 2015-16 hunting season, with above one million pre-hunt in 2016. “We’ve got a healthy, growing bear population in our mountain counties that has expanded,” he said, and now they are making their way into our neck of the woods. “We’ve got a really healthy bear population in our mountain counties,” Hast said. Table. It is possible to see a roaming bear anywhere in the Bluegrass State. Kentucky has two distinct populations of bears – the Pine Mountain population, and … Currently, black bears are the most abundant and widespread of all eight bear species in the world. The appearance of a black bear on the University of Kentucky’s campus recently got plenty of attention, but bears have been sighted all over the Bluegrass region this summer. Map. Currently, black bears are the most abundant and widespread of all eight bear species in... Jump to Number 2,135 - 3,815 3,815 - 6,816 6,816 - 12K 12K - 22K 22K - 53K 53K - 129K 129K - 316K 316K - 771K. Several bears have been seen around the lake at Burnside. “We’ve got a really healthy bear population in our mountain counties,” Hast said. Recently though, the bears have been venturing back into the state and taking up residence.David Maehr, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture conservation biologist, said the bears were gone by 1850 after being wiped out by habitat alteration, direct persecution and In Kentucky, the return of black bears over the last 20 years is proving to be a true wildlife success story. These three Kentucky counties are open to bear hunting Dec. 18-19 and are part of Kentucky’s 16-county elk zone, where a seven-day cow elk quota hunt begins on Dec. 18. All rights reserved. Hast hadn’t heard about the Middletons’ bear encounter, but he wasn’t surprised. According to Hast, an uptick in bear sightings is actually pretty normal this time of year. “He just came and made himself at home.”. The bear population is growing in Tennessee, and the mountain town sits on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains, where the National Park Service estimates 1,500 bears live. Kentucky Black Population Percentage by County. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 77,156 people and an increase due to net migration of 59,604 people into the state. 8. bear population in McCreary County, Kentucky, 2010. Hast said Thursday the bear in Lexington left town July 3 via Clays Mill Road, and four days later, it crossed U.S. 127 in Frankfort. Black bears, once rare in this part of Kentucky, have made a comeback in the past 20 years or so. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,063. “They’ll usually return back to the mountains in the fall,” Hast said. The county is named for General Henry Knox.It is one of the few coal-producing counties in Kentucky that has not suffered massive population loss. The good news is black bears aren’t aggressive, in fact, they’re easily spooked. About the same in 2019. Instead, slowly back away or raise your arms to appear bigger and yell at the bear or use something to make noise to frighten it away. I modeled abundance (N) of each gender (group), proportion of each gender belonging to 1 of 2 sex mixtures (mixture), capture probability (p), and recapture probability (c). The older bears want to fight and the female bears aren’t interested in them, so they go on these walkabouts.”. Many of these young males end up migrating to southern Jessamine and Fayette counties by following along the river. In 1923, an Indian Cliff Dwelling was discovered near Bledsoe, Kentucky.Built in a south-facing cliff, it was near a stream. It had been seen the day before on a softball field at Athens-Boonesboro. Bar Chart with caption "Population, 2019 estimate (Number)" So they looked at the security camera video, and sure enough, that’s what it was. “It played around in our yard for about four hours,” Danny Middleton said. The county with the lowest population in the state of Kentucky is Robertson County, which has a population of 2,315. “We’ve got a healthy, growing bear population in our mountain counties that has expanded,” he said, and now they are making their way into our neck of the woods. In Jessamine County, Danny and Debbie Middleton of River Road near the Valley View Ferry returned home May 30 to find that something had turned over their garbage bins and eaten the food out of their dog dishes. What happens, Hast said, is that they get “bounced out” of their usual territory by dominant older male bears during mating season because if they stay, the big bears will kill them. Contrary to some beliefs, however, today’s growing population is not the result of a “restocking” effort. Call 1-800-25-ALERT if you spot someone doing this. Copyright 2020 WKYT. Of the time, it was hadn ’ t it be something if it were a bear that be! 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