Currently, black bears are the most abundant and widespread of all eight bear species in the world. 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. (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. 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. According to ct.gov, in 2019 there were approximately 7,300 bear sightings in 150 of Connecticut’s 169 towns. Based on our research efforts, it's clear that Kentucky's bear population can support a sustainable harvest," he said. 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. “We’ve had a verified bear sighting in Jessamine County every summer since 2016,” he said. Report bear sightings in Kentucky to the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources at 1-800-858-1549. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Eric Talley: People line the streets to honor slain police officer. About the same in 2019. 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. Many of these young males end up migrating to southern Jessamine and Fayette counties by following along the river. Immigration from outside the United … 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. 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 — Young male bears instinctively disperse from their home areas and wander widely in the spring and summer. 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. 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. “So, a young male, they typically get kicked out of the breeding range. “We’ve got a really healthy bear population in our mountain counties,” Hast said. Since the last census in 2010, Robertson County has had a growth rate of -6.15%. For more than 150 years the American black bear virtually ignored Kentucky’s lush forests. “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. The young males do get around. Currently, black bears are the most abundant and widespread of all eight bear species in the world. Map. 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. 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. “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. He may be reached at 859-759-0015 or by email at randy.patrick@bluegrassnewsmedia.com. 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. In 2011 Kentucky’s bear population was estimated to number about 500. 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. "The population has shown phenomenal growth from only a decade ago. 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. “When the acorns drop this fall, they’ll want to be in a naturally wooded area which is what eastern Kentucky has,” Hast said. All rights reserved. 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. Copyright 2020 WKYT. Table. “We’ve got a really healthy bear population in our mountain counties,” Hast said. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the woodlands of Kentucky. “We’ve got a really healthy bear population in our mountain counties,” 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. Also, the mother bears chase them away to prevent them from inbreeding. The 2016 deer population estimated at 820,000 after the 2015-16 hunting season, with above one million pre-hunt in 2016. 5 talking about this. The largest bear recorded to date was in 2008 when a 480-pound male was captured in Kentucky for research. Map. Kentucky has two distinct populations of bears – the Pine Mountain population, and … 2 talking about this. In Kentucky, the return of black bears over the last 20 years is proving to be a true wildlife success story. According to Hast, an uptick in bear sightings is actually pretty normal this time of year. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. Al Smith was exemplar, advocate for rural journalism. It was wandering across a pasture and someone took a picture of it. Black bears, once rare in this part of Kentucky, have made a comeback in the past 20 years or so. 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. Bar Chart with caption "Black or African American alone, percent (Percent)" 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. “They’ll usually return back to the mountains in the fall,” Hast said. Number 2,135 - 3,815 3,815 - 6,816 6,816 - 12K 12K - 22K 22K - 53K 53K - 129K 129K - 316K 316K - 771K. In Kentucky, the return of black bears over the last 20 years is proving to be a true wildlife success story. JESSAMINE CO., Ky. (WKYT) - Bear activity is on the rise across central Kentucky. One of their daughters jokingly asked, wouldn’t it be something if it were a bear? 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. County is named for General Henry Knox.It is one of the breeding range email at @. 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