SMITHS GROVE, Ky. (WBKO) – South central Kentucky has seen a growing number of bear sightings over the past month, with some bears rummaging through residential trash in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n
Security video captured bears visiting the Smith Grove home of Patrick McKinney two days in a row last weekend. McKinney said it was the first time a bear had appeared on his property in more than 20 years of living there.<\/p>\n
\u2018I have never seen a bear up close like that ever\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been here over 20 years. And I\u2019ve heard rumors of bears and things like that. But I mean, we\u2019ve had peacocks, turkey families, deer, everything else out here. I have never seen a bear up close like that ever,\u201d McKinney said.<\/p>\n
The bear left scratches on McKinney\u2019s trash can and flipped it over, despite the can being heavy and full. McKinney noted the bear did not appear to be fully grown.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the videos, it flipped the trash can over kind of violently. And it\u2019s not a huge bear. So that kind of display of power is a little odd to have something that large wandering and lurking around in the woods here,\u201d McKinney said.<\/p>\n
McKinney said his family feels safe and plans to do a better job securing their trash going forward.<\/p>\n
What attracts bears to homes<\/p>\n
John Hast, Bear Program Coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, said unsecured food sources are what most often draw bears to residential properties.<\/p>\n
\u201cThink about where your pet food\u2019s at. Think about what your bird feeders are doing and just try to eliminate any chance that bear\u2019s getting a meal and he\u2019s going to keep moving,\u201d Hast said.<\/p>\n
Hast said the rise in sightings is not surprising, given the region\u2019s growing bear population.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe months of June and July are when you\u2019re going to see these kind of bear sightings. We\u2019re seeing a growing bear population, both in that part of Kentucky, but probably more importantly, that part of Tennessee, where they\u2019re moving more over into central Tennessee,\u201d Hast said.<\/p>\n