LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Black bears are native to Kentucky, and while they may not be everywhere, it's important to know what to do when crossing paths with one. 

What You Need To Know

  • Black bears are native to Kentucky, and it's important to know what to do if coming across one 

  • Wooded areas, sources of fresh water and other terrain elements may draw wandering bears 

  • Bears harming people in Kentucky is rare, but it's important to stay back if seeing one and make a lot of noise 

  • Experts said there are around 40 million bears in the 48 continental states

Experts said it’s the season for bear breeding. Though they're normally in Kentucky's eastern mountain counties, wooded areas, sources of fresh water and other terrain elements may draw wandering bears. 

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources said it has been monitoring bears.

“We got a couple of bears that are outside (of) what we would consider 'bear range,' one of which is in the Bowling Green area (and) another of which has moved to south of Louisville, through Owensboro, Hopkins County and over the Fourth of July holiday, in Livingston County," said John Hast, bear program coordinator of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. 

Experts said there are around 40 million bears in the 48 continental states. While bears harming people in Kentucky is rare, it's important to stay back if coming across one. Experts added to get noisy if hiking with a group.  

“In general, bears don’t like people," Hast said. "They don’t want to be around people, and 99.9% of the time, they are gone before you ever even get to a point to be able to see them." 

It's also important to remove bear attractions from the front or backyard if living in bear country such as garbage, pet food and dirty barbeque grills. More tips on handling bear encounters can be found on BearWise.org. 

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