Hunters in Missouri killed a record 15 black bears in the state’s recently ended fourth bear hunting season, the Missouri Department of Conservation reports.
The season ran from Oct. 21-30, with more than 5,969 hunters applying for 400 permits for the season with the maximum total harvest being 40 bears. Of those 400 hunters who were randomly selected, 319 purchased permits.
Of the 15 killed, 12 were felled in a handful of counties in the state’s southwestern corner and east of Texas County. Bear hunting is permitted in three bear management zones covering roughly the southern half of the state. Each zone has its own quota.
Three bears were killed in the bear management zone encompassing roughly the southeastern quadrant of the state, from St. Louis south.
Of the bears killed in Missouri, 13 were harvested using firearms, one with archery equipment and one with a crossbow. Ten of the bears were males and five were females.
“We had another successful black bear hunting season this year,” Missouri Department of Conservation biologist Nate Bowersock said, according to a release. “Despite the acorn crop potentially being above average, hunters were able to harvest a record number of bears. This could be due to the dryer fall conditions, which likely caused bears to move more often in search of water.”
This is the fourth season since Missouri permitted bear hunting. Twelve were killed in 2021, eight in 2022 and 12 in 2023.
In 2023, the Missouri Department of Conservation estimated the state’s black bear population to be approximately 900 with an annual growth rate of 8%. Most live south of Interstate 44, but as the numbers grow, there have been more spotted north of I-44.
Black bears, historically abundant in Missouri, became seemingly nonexistent by the early 1900s. Many early county histories contain notes and reports of the remarkable number of bears in all areas of the state, according to a conservation department report.
Arkansas began a black bear restoration program starting in 1958, bringing bears from Minnesota and Canada. As a result, more bears made their way northward into Missouri.
