The Legalities and Restrictions Regarding the Feeding of Wildlife at KY State Parks

I've been told my entire life that it's a bad idea to feed bears. Since I've never had an encounter with one, it's been easy to heed that advice. The logical explanation, of course, is that they might still be hungry when the food is gone. Then what? You don't want to think about it. Just don't do it.

Feeding Wildlife at Kentucky State Parks

Yes, it's tempting. It's always been tempting. Squirrels are a much less hazardous example. Sitting on a bench feeding squirrels is a time-honored scenario because it's so satisfying and relaxing. There's a reason they provide little cups of appropriate food at petting zoos. We love it.

But your neighborhood petting zoo is a far cry from a state park, and that's where you need to tap the brakes. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources cites KAR 2:015, the state law that prohibits the feeding of wildlife from March 1st through July 31st, although the law doesn't state exactly why that time frame is important.

Feeding Wildlife in Kentucky, Period

As for August 1st through February 28th or 29th, an exhaustive search about feeding restrictions during this period didn't yield much of anything concrete. But I did learn about CWD Surveillance Zones. CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) is a terribly contagious disease that spreads among deer, and in these zones, it is not permitted to feed wildlife at any time during the year. Plus, and this might be the most important reason to abstain from interaction of any kind, there have been too many occurrences of people forgoing common sense with regard to wild animals. Don't be these people.

One more thing. It's not legal to feed wildlife in state parks, but the cited Kentucky law doesn't specify parks. So...bottom line...keep whatever food you brought to toss to that elk by that pine tree in the SUV.