Alexis Sargent wore a special outfit on Wednesday, October 23, as she and her mom, Olivia, waited at the National Guard Armory in Monticello. The outfit held a special message for her father, Specialist Charlie Sargent, who was among the first members of C Battery to return home after a ten and a half month deployment.

“Welcome home daddy, your Princess missed you,” was the message that two-year-old Alexis proclaimed on her shirt. Olivia Sargent noted that Alexis had grown so much in the months that her husband had been serving in Jordan with other members of the guard unit.

This marked the longest separation the Sargent family had ever had. They have kept in touch through telephone calls and emails.

“She is excited to see her daddy,” said Olivia Sargent.

She and her daughter, like many other families, arrived early that morning to wait at the Armory. “I think if I sat at home it would seem like it was so much longer,” said Olivia.

Nearby, six-week-old Cameron Worley was wearing a t-shirt with a special message for his father, Sgt. Cody Worley. “Welcome home daddy, I waited my whole life to meet you.” It marked the first time that the new father had held his son, when he stepped onto the grass in front of the Armory Wednesday.

Shirley Tucker had two reasons to be happy on Saturday, when sons Aaron and Elliott Tucker returned home. It’s an experience the family has been through several times.

“This is Aaron’s second deployment and Elliott’s third,” said Shirley. “I am so glad it is ending…I haven’t seen them since the first of January.”

There was community volunteers on hand both days to help the children as they waited for the bus to arrive from Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Twenty soldiers returned on Wednesday, and the remaining 13 arrived home on Saturday, according to SSG John Meadors.

The unit was deployed to Jordan to train the Jordanian Army. They were activated in January, and 45 members of C Battery were deployed in support of the mission in Jordan.

Meadors said they arrived back in the United States in two groups, first on October 13 and then on October 17.

He expressed appreciation to the host of volunteers and community organizations who have helped throughout the time the troops have been deployed.

Several people were on hand serving breakfast to family members last week, and there were representatives from the Wayne County Extension Service playing games with the children while they waited for the soldiers.

The 4-H Ambassadors provided each soldier with a family pack when they returned. The packs included family board games, movies, popcorn, as well as appreciation letters to the soldiers from students in the community.

Meadors also expressed his appreciation to Z93 Radio Station. Announcers there provided daily reminders that the soldiers were deployed and serving overseas.

“They never let anyone forget our soldiers were deployed,” said Meadors.

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Hunters in Kentucky now have an expanded area and season in which they may attempt to harvest a black bear.

Regulations passed by the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission in June recently received final legislative approval.

The new season structure expands the bear zone–the area in which a person may hunt bears–to 16 counties which includes Wayne County.

The new regulations also expand bear chase areas, establish an archery/crossbow season and increase opportunities for hunting with dogs.

The change that will most affect hunters is the expansion of the bear zone from four counties to 16 counties. Kentucky’s bear zone now includes: Bell, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Leslie, Letcher, Martin, McCreary, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Wayne and Whitley counties.

The changes are not reflected in the current print version of the Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide due to the publication’s deadline in late spring.

Bear permits are available to residents only; a drawing for the 2013 quota hunt with dogs was held earlier last month.

“The department has intentatively studied and monitored our bear population for over a decade,” said Steven Dobey, bear program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Data clearly indicate that bears can sustain an increased harvest, and we are excited to offer these opportunities to our sportsmen and sportswomen.”

Another change for this year is the creation of a separate archery/crossbow season. This season will take place from November 23 through December 1.

The quota for this hunt is 10 bears or five female bears, whichever limit hunters reach first. The season will close if the limit is reached.

Successful archery and crossbow hunters must telecheck their bears by 8 p.m. on the day of harvest. Hunters also must call the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources within 24 hours to arrange for an employee to check the bear.

“A physical check of all harvested bears is required so that we may provide a harvest tag and collect valuable biological information from each animal taken,” Dobey said. “These data allow us to document sex, weight, age, and reproductive condition. We also can determine if we have handled a bear before by the presence of tags.”

Dates for the existing modern gun season remain unchanged. Hunters during this season may use modern firearms, muzzleloaders, bows or crossbows. This year’s hunt will take place December 14-16 and remain open until a quota of 10 bears or five female bears is reached, whichever limit hunters reach first. All bear seasons are closed the day after a quota is met.

Hunters in the gun season may bring bears to a department-operated check station upon retrieval to be issued a harvest tag. Unless license exempt, any person participating in the archery/crossbow season for bears must be in possession of a hunting license and bear permit.

Hunting permits for the modern gun and archery/crossbow seasons are available over the counter or online. These are not quota hunts. A hunter may use one permit for either season; a hunter must not take more than one bear a year.

During July and August, residents may obtain a permit that allows them to only chase bears with dogs. A person wishing to hunt bears with dogs must have this bear chase permit, and apply for the bear quota hunt with dogs in September.

Houndsmen will also have increased opportunities this year as the bear chase areas are expanded to three units encompassing more than 340,000 acres.

Chase areas include a new 73,000-acre chase area located east of Fishtrap Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Pike County, located in Kentucky along the tri-state border with Virginia and West Virginia. The largest chase area includes 222,000 acres spanning portions of Bell, Harlan and Letcher counties. The third chase area is comprised entirely of public land and encompasses approximately 45,000 acres in Bell County.

From August 1-31, bear chase areas are open as a chase-only season in which houndsmen may pursue bears with dogs without the intent to kill. Unless license exempt, a person must be in possession of a valid hunting license and bear chase permit to participate in the chase-only season.