Where's the Pic-a-nic basket???

One of our favorite places in the entire world is the state of Kentucky.  Now, we are even more green with envy as the Commonwealth opens the first bluegrass bear hunt in more than a century on Saturday.

Black bears were essentially extirpated (a fancy word meaning ‘extinct in the area’) from the state due to clear-cut timber harvesting and over-hunting during the late 1800′s and early 1900′s.  By the 1960′s, bears were only seen occasionally within the state.

That situation has changed dramatically.

On December 19-20, resident Kentucky hunters within the designated hunt area of Pike, Harlan, and Letcher counties can harvest 10 bears or 5 females, whichever limit is reached first.   This initial season was intentionally conservative to avoid harvesting females, which are likely to be snoring in their dens by this time of the year.   The male bears are still foraging the wilds, probably to find snacks for those Sunday afternoon NFL playoff games.

Reading between the lines, biologists probably believe the population could support a larger harvest but they typically err on the side of caution when opening a new species to hunting pressure.  This is because of the first rule of wildlife biology: science has little to do with hunting seasons; if you want to keep your job, don’t ever anger any ‘stakeholder’ group!

We anticipate the bear season will be opened to non-residents with two years, much like the unknown but incredible Kentucky elk hunting opportunities.

So here we are: our neighbor to the south now offers bear hunting alongside great elk hunting, trout fishing, world-class smallmouth bass fishing, incredible turkey hunting, whitewater paddling, backpacking, history, the biggest collection of natural stone bridges in the U.S. outside of Utah and scenery that ranges from muddy Mississippi bayous to junior-grade mountains filled with history from our country’s toddler years.

Plus, they have a Congressional-mandated locked on Bourbon, or as I refer to it, “Kentucky Holy Water.”

Why am I freezing my most-ample butt off here???

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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