FRANKFORT, KY (June 23, 2026) - Sightings of black bears have recently been occurring in neighborhoods, backyards, urban areas, and even on dash cams and doorbell cameras in areas of Kentucky not accustomed to seeing many of them. Biologists and game wardens with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources want the public to know that this is normal bear behavior and encourage the public to learn more about Kentucky bears to better understand and live safely with them.
In late spring and early summer, young male black bears get pushed out of areas where they were raised in eastern Kentucky by older and more dominant male bears for mating season. These juveniles may wander up to several weeks or more into unfamiliar territory in search of food, good habitat and prospective mates before instinctively returning to the mountains by the fall. Bears can travel 20 miles or more in a day if left undisturbed, and Kentucky bears have been suspected of traveling as far away as Missouri in recent years.
“This is the time of year when young male bears are usually spotted outside of their normal home range in the mountain counties of eastern Kentucky,” said John Hast, Bear Program coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “These young bears are just juveniles and are easily scared and confused causing them to wander into populated areas because they don’t yet know any better. They may hide during the day and leave the area at night only to be reported being seen again a county or two away within a couple of days. Residents should keep their distance, remove all food sources and let the bear move on when he feels safe to do so.”
Black bears have a natural fear of people and dogs, and adverse encounters are extremely rare. Never approach or feed a bear and keep a safe distance away. If a bear is posing an immediate danger, a person should yell and wave their arms to look more threatening to scare him off or call local law enforcement immediately.
Residents of an area where a bear has been spotted should secure their garbage in a garage or other building, not leave pet food outside, and clean and securely store barbecue grills. These are all best practices in general for people to prevent problems with wildlife. Also, people should not use bird feeders in bear range or in areas where they have been recently observed. It is a violation of Kentucky law to feed bears or knowingly leave unsecured food available for them to consume.
The national website BearWise.org was established to help people live responsibly with bears. This easily-remembered website offers information and solutions to help individuals and communities coexist with bears, whether bears are just visiting or are permanent neighbors.
“Learning a little more about black bears will help keep any encounter in perspective and can ease any fears a community may have,” Hast said.
In Kentucky, hunting bears is regulated and limited to defined seasons in the established bear zones in eastern Kentucky to ensure a sustainable and healthy population.
For more information about black bears, visit the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Black Bears webpage on its website at fw.ky.gov, or visit BearWise.org. Bear sightings may be reported to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Information Center at info.center@ky.gov, or at 1-800-858-1549, Mondays-Fridays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except holidays.
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