Parts Of Eastern Kentucky Ready For Limited Bear Season

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Posted: 6:46 PM Jul 6, 2008
Last Updated: 1:50 AM Jul 7, 2008
Reporter: Michel Mason
Email Address: michel.mason@wymtnews.com

13 comments

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The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife commission unanimously approved a bear hunting season in three eastern Kentucky counties. The two-day season is planned for December 2009.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officials say years of extensive studies indicate parts of eastern Kentucky are ready for a limited bear season.

In the past few years, commission member Doug Hensley says biologists have found more and more black bears are coming into our region from surrounding states.

“We've got all the information that we need to document a limited season. Now the only way to really tell is to have a season,” says Doug Hensley, Kentucky Fish & Wildlife Commission.

The commission proposed a two-day hunt for only male black bears in Pike, Letcher and Harlan Counties.

Only a total of ten bears can be taken during that time - with the Hensley-Pine Mountain Wildlife Management Area and Kingdom Come State Park off limits to hunters.

“If we kill ten bears the first day, guess what? We'll have a bigger season the next year. If we kill five bears in two days then we may take it easy. It will tell us what to do in the future,” says Hensley.

The idea is already being met with opposition from animal rights groups like the Humane Society of the United States which claims the bear population in our region isn't big enough to sustain a hunting season.

But wildlife officials say male bears hunting for their own space here is a problem.

“They are very territorial, black bears are and a lot of times they'll go on a territory and they keep getting run out by bigger bears,” says Hensley.

With that in mind wildlife officials say black bears need to be left alone. They also stress feeding or leaving anything edible outside your home - whether it's trash or even pet food - could pose a great risk to you and the bears.

“Don't feed the bears. All your doing when your doing that is signing their death warrant,” says Hensley.

Wildlife officials say they chose December for the hunt because that's a time when female bears and their cubs stay in dens.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: george Location: KY on Aug 3, 2008 at 02:29 AM
You anti hunting people are pure idiots. Who do you think is resposible for the restoration of wildlife? Hunters/fishermen have paid for all the restoration efforts to date. You cough up the money if you want a say so. Without hunting their would be NO deer, turkey, elk or much of anything here to hunt and or watch. Use your heads for something other than a place to grow hair.

Posted by: CONCERNED Location: EASTERN KY on Jul 10, 2008 at 08:06 PM
JUST WHAT EASTERN KENTUCKY NEEDS! MORE THINGS TO SHOOT AT!

Posted by: concerned Location: ky on Jul 10, 2008 at 07:32 PM
Is there too many bears in kentucky? If so, then RELOCATE them to other areas...DON"T KILL THEM!

Posted by: Dan Location: Louisville on Jul 9, 2008 at 11:29 PM
I can understand hunting for food, but killing any animal for "trophy" should be a crime. I guess some men need this to make them feel "like a big man or something". Killing for fun or trophy is sick and I hope those that do, get their "just reward" as TG in lexington says.

Posted by: check Location: drawer on Jul 8, 2008 at 07:29 PM
a charles I agree with you I two support huntin the beast of the south east with respect so TG just tip your hat to the check drawers we eat bear deer rattle snakes an alot more an if you dont like this just turn the other way cause we really dont care what you think anyway

Posted by: Marty Location: South Dakota on Jul 8, 2008 at 06:40 AM
Come on TG you get good meals, don't lie, but a controlled hunt is a good way to get honest hunters behind the bear restoration project that seems to be right on track. Now as for poachers, and there will be some of those,I support stiff fines and stiff prison sentences. But hunting is a sensible solution for both protecting the bear, honest hunters won't stand for poachers, and also for thinning out weak, sick, and overpopulated areas. As for eating bear! I don't find them very tasty. It seems to me most bear hunts would strictly be for trophy. Good Day.

Posted by: charles Location: lost creek on Jul 7, 2008 at 03:13 PM
TG from lexington well ole pal I tell you sumthing we dont get good meals here so a bear looks good as beef to me we as hillbillys dont wast none of the meat I support huntin the beast of the south east

Posted by: Marty Location: South Dakota on Jul 7, 2008 at 02:54 PM
The Humane Society is no friend to wild life. You want to know who really are friends of wild life then look at the legal hunters who have brought wild life back to Kentucky. Who brought Elk back to Kentucky? I love wild life and I support continued efforts at preserving and protecting wild life but I am no nut job activist. You can only have the amount of wild life that a region can support. If Eastern Kentucky wants bears for their region then look to the hunter to sustain that resource. Look at Tennessee and follow their example. Millions Flock to the Smokey Mountains to see Black Bears. You can have that in Kentucky as well. Kentucky has the habitat for Black Bears but they have to be managed. This management includes a sensible hunting policy. Hunters, legal hunters, protect wild life not hurt it. As for the fool on here who would like hunters to be killed by a bear I will pray for you. Ultimately people are more important than animals and I feel sad for you.

Posted by: Jack Location: E KY on Jul 7, 2008 at 12:19 PM
This is a good thing, populations need to be kept under control.

Posted by: Jeb Location: KY on Jul 7, 2008 at 06:05 AM
Whew! I'm glad I read the story and didn't just go by what I thought I saw in the headline. I THOUGHT it read "limited BEER season." I started getting the shakes just thinking about it....LOL! Bears were out in full force this weekend, pulling people over for speeding!

Posted by: Rudy Location: Pikeville on Jul 7, 2008 at 04:39 AM
There must be alot of bears.I seen the wild life people stopping cars to ck. for bears driving over the week end.No word yet about how many were caught.

Posted by: TG Location: Lexington on Jul 6, 2008 at 11:36 PM
This is an outrage. I really hope that anyone disgusting enough to shoot one of these wonderful creatures will get their just reward by having their head ripped off and body torn apart by another bear in the same area.

Posted by: Tim4Trout Location: USA on Jul 6, 2008 at 07:57 PM
Please don't be taken in by claims from America's Largest Enemy of Wildlife Conservation, a.k.a. hsus, who are not wildlife biology experts, that bears in parts of KY can't support a hunt or that they would not oppose such a hunt even if bears were to reach a point of nuisance proportions. Wildlife serves as a valuable public resource vs a nuisance liability when numbers are maintained within both the physical and social carrying capacity of their environment, which regulated hunting helps to achieve. Supporting a bear hunt in KY will help preserve the resource, rather than allowing bears to overpopulate into a public nuisance as sadly has been the case in New Jersey. While the hsus claims to be a "protection" organization, wildlife, which thrives from the $1,700,000,000 contributed annually by sportsmen, should be protected, not from hunting, but rather from factions like the hsus whose wildlife campaigns consistently compromise rather than protect our valuable natural resources.

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