Hellbender Trap Build - Brandenburg, KY

Event Start Date: 3/7/2026 9:00 AM

Event End Date: 3/7/2026 12:00 PM

Timezone: EST

Date: March 7, 9am - Noon

Location: Meade County Extension Office - 1041 Old Ekron Rd. Brandenburg, KY 40108

Come join the Kentucky Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers on Saturday, March 7th, starting at 9am Eastern Time at the Meade County Extension Office for a fun and educational day of building traps for Eastern Hellbenders. This event is family friendly and open to all ages! These live traps will be used to assist Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in their ongoing effort to protect and preserve these unique amphibians. This will be a fun and exciting way to learn all about Hellbenders and the work going on across the state to help these native salamanders. 

The Eastern Hellbender is North America's largest salamander, growing up to 29" in length. These salamanders historically ranged across most of Kentucky, but their populations have significantly declined in recent years due to a combination of factors including decreases in water quality, sedimentation, disease, pollution, and dam construction. Hellbenders are treated as a species of highest conservation concern in Kentucky and were proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act in 2024. KDFWR is actively seeking to document where Hellbenders still naturally occur, but they are difficult to survey for. Currently one of the most effective ways to monitor is by live trapping.

KDFWR would like to expand their trapping efforts to monitor populations in waterways where Hellbenders were historically known to occur. KYBHA plans to assist this effort by helping build Hellbender traps, which are baited and placed in promising underwater Hellbender habitat. The traps are then checked the next morning by KDFWR. Construction of these traps will primarily include cutting and bending of wire and hardware type cloth material. 

Could this event get any better? The answer is yes! At the conclusion of the event, there will be a social gathering just down the road at River Forge Brewery! River Forge Brewery is a vibrant establishment located in Brandenburg, Kentucky, that embodies the spirit of community and craft brewing. Founded by a passionate husband and wife team, this brewery aims to provide an inviting atmosphere where friends and families can gather to enjoy quality beers and delicious food. This will be a casual, fun way to meet fellow hunters and anglers, swap stories and learn about BHA and our mission to conserve public lands and waters. BHA members advocate for public hunting and fishing and we work to maintain and improve access to places to hunt and fish. We also speak up for wildlife, guided by the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Finally, we believe in and advocate for fair chase in pursuit of fish and game.