Record Ky. bear hunt season exceeds quota

• Forty-six bears were killed in 2015, an 116 percent increase over 2014.
• The actual number of bears living in Kentucky is far from settled.
• Two major research studies by the University of Kentucky are limited to specific areas and about four years old, wildlife officials say.

Kentucky had a record black bear hunt in 2015, killing 46 black bears, but animal rights activists are raising questions about the Commonwealth's methodology and why more animals were killed than the 35-bear quota set by state wildlife officials.

Since the 1990s, black bear populations have been on the rebound in North America, leading many states to expand their hunting seasons.

This growth is often based on reported contacts with bears, such as bear sightings and road kills, along with local and regional ecological studies.

Population estimates, however, are often hard to come by and outdated, as is the case in Kentucky, partially because bears live secluded lives.

The Humane Society of the United States has challenged Kentucky for expanding its hunting season without ongoing scientific research on the state's population and a lack of data.

"If Kentucky stubbornly insists on hunting its tiny bear population, it must move to a more sophisticated system where the population is carefully monitored and where game management units close as soon as quotas are met," Pam Rogers, former Kentucky state director for the Humane Society wrote in a letter to state officials.

The actual number of bears living in Kentucky is far from settled.

Steve Beam, wildlife division director for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, called the 35-bear quota "extremely conservative."

He said his office believes there are roughly 700 bears living in Kentucky, not 350, the number quoted by the Humane Society.

But the Humane Society is correct, Beam said, that Kentucky has not been scientifically tracking its bear population for a few years.

The absence of data means the state's claims are only speculation, said Wendy Keefover, carnivore protection manager for the Humane Society.

"Clearly Kentucky has not been as vigilant as they should be," said Keefover, whose organization is against hunting all large carnivores, including bears, cougars, bobcats and wolves.

There are two areas where black bears are most prevalent in Kentucky – in remote mountains in Eastern Kentucky and along the Tennessee border near Cumberland Gap. State wildlife officials and researchers from the University of Kentucky began tracking Kentucky bears in 2002.

The two major research studies by UK are limited to specific areas and about four years old, Beam said.

Using that research as a baseline, Beam's office bases its estimate on other indicators, he said, like bear sightings, which increased from 44 in 2004 to 454 in 2014. Those sightings occurred in nine of Kentucky's 120 counties in 2004 and 41 counties in 2014, Beam said.

"There are some animals that are still out there, collared, but not actively tracked," Beam said. "What we are assessing is what are the next steps. What additional data do we need to collect?"

Beam just hired a new bear biologist for the state, John Hast.

Even though they do not have recent data, Beam said he felt comfortable increasing the hunting area this year, which began in three counties in Kentucky's in 2009, and has grown to 16 counties.

Again, the absence of data is a problem, Keefover said, and could create a "genetic bottleneck and lead to a second Kentucky black bear extinction."

John Cox, an assistant professor of wildlife ecology and conservation biology at UK and one of the lead researchers, said the studies have shown 350 is a good ballpark for the two areas in Kentucky.

"We also surveyed public lands outside those boundaries in places we considered to be likely expansion areas, but got very few samples from our hair snares," Cox said. "I have no data nor understanding about how KDFWR derived a statewide estimate of 700."

"Setting a quota implies one doesn’t want to exceed a target number for management reasons," Cox said, but states do go over or under quotas.

Florida, for instance, ended its first bear hunt in 21 years early last fall.

The Sunshine State planned to allow hunting for a week but closed the season after just two days because at least 295 bears had been killed and wildlife officials had set a 320-bear limit.

Beam said his office sets conservative quotas and "we weren't trying to harvest exactly 35 bears."

Quotas are set for each of Kentucky's four black bear seasons: archery/crossbow, hunt with dogs, firearms and youth (hunters) only.

"Reaching a quota for a season does not close any subsequent season," Beam said, adding that two of the seasons, archery and firearms, did close early because quotas were reached.

The assessments are done at the end of each day, Beam said.

The Humane Society wants Kentucky to change its rules on reporting a kill from 24 hours to 12 hours to avoid overruns.

Keefover is particularly worried about 20 female bears being killed. That's more bears taken than in all six of the previous Kentucky bear hunting seasons combined

"Removing the breeders from the population and orphaning cubs, who are dependent on their mothers for 15-18 months, could have even more of an effect on the population," Keefover said.

Beam said harvest numbers are possibly the best indicator of the health of the population.

During Kentucky's first modern-day bear hunt, held in 2009, no bears were killed. In 2010, three bears were killed and in 2011, four bears were killed.

The hunt in 2015 constitutes an 116 percent increase over 2014.

But bear hunting permits, which cost $30 , have also risen nearly 139 percent since 2009, from 377 that first year to 900 for the 2015 season.

"We have no reason to believe that we shouldn't continue with the hunting season," Beam said.

Other states, including West Virginia where 3,195 bears were hunted, had record harvests this year; Tennessee harvested 550 bears, according to media reports. Nationwide, the kill numbers are in the tens of thousands.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources estimates there are roughly 300,000 black bears in the Continental United States and between 850,000 to 950,000 in all of North America, according to a 2008 report .