It's about this time of year I start seeing all the pictures and videos of bear sightings and sometimes personal encounters with bears in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. What's fascinates me is the more I read about bears crossing the border into mostly southeastern Kentucky, the more they creep closer to these parts in the Tri-State.

Unfortunately, one black bear wasn't so lucky recently in Meade County. Last Wednesday, on highway 31W in Muldraugh a woman hit and killed a black bear.

Muldraugh Police Department
Muldraugh Police Department
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The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife took possession of the bear and the agency's final assessment determined the bear to weight just over 250 pounds.

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Spring is when more isolated black bears are sighted in Kentucky as the bear activity has increased in our state over the last 20 years. Last year, a bear was struck by an 18-wheeler and killed in Sheperdsville on I-65 North.

A black bear was caught on camera roaming in Louisville neighborhood last July.

It's probably a good time to go over these tips from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife concerning human-bear behavior.

*Bears that gain access to human-related foods, mostly by rooting through garbage cans are committing what the agency calls "nuisance behavior". Like pets or other wild animals, if the bear is given a human food or it is fed, the bear more likely to become conditioned to a more human environment and thus returning for more food and roaming closer to homes. This behavior can eliminate by removing the bear's access to human food.

*Keep pet food and birdfeeder food stored away and inside. Do not throw scraps to pets outside, and only allow your pet food for one meal at a time. Birdfeeders, which you wouldn't think would attract a bear at first, should be stored away if a bear is sighted and not placed back for seven days. The feeder should also be placed at least 8 feet above the ground. Livestock and their feed should be located in a safe area.

*Make sure your barbecue grills are burned and cleaned of all food residue and dispose of grease traps properly.

*Beehives/apiaries can also attract and be damaged by bears.

*Reminder, it is dangerous and illegal to feed bears in Kentucky. Violators can be fined up to $1,000 and spend up to one year in jail. 

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