Now I Feel Like Goldilocks

Black Bears Roaming Through Bluegrass State

Mating Season Brings Bears Down From Mountains
Biologists at Kentucky's Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources say residents in the WLKY viewing area need to prepare for some wild guests -- black bears.

It's all because of love. This is black bear mating season, and the males are traveling hundreds of miles and crossing borders to find Mrs. Right. That's putting them right in our back yard.

Kentucky has a fairly healthy black bear population," said bear biologist Steven Dobey.
And right about now, the male black bear is wanting to increase that population.

While they're usually contained to the eastern mountains of Kentucky, Dobey said the bears are moving west and northwest, a journey that happens every May, June and July.

"During that time, these males roam incredible distances looking for females. And those roaming behaviors will bring them far out of that mountain range," he said.

Black bears have been spotted near Frankfort, Bardstown, Fort Knox and near the Louisville area -- but you won't see many females.

"Generally what we're seeing is solitary males or sub-adults and they're looking for some companionship during breeding season," Dobey said.

Black bears are not as aggressive as their cousins, the grizzly or brown bears, and they're rarely a threat to people. But they can be bold when it comes to finding food.

"They're opportunistic feeders," Dobey said. "They just want to go where the easiest meal is."
Dobey said the easiest meal can often be found right in your back yard, your car, picnic areas, and restaurants dumpsters -- anywhere food is found.

Put up the food, and Dobey said you eliminate the chance of a bear encounter by 99 percent. But what if an encounter does happen?

"If one were to physically encounter a black bear, what they want to do is appear as the more dominant being," he said. "Yell, scream, wave their hands in the air, make themselves larger than they appear."


Great. Like I need one more thing to have to worry about here at The Compound.