MISSOURI, USA — The third ever Missouri black bear hunting season just ended, and the Missouri Department of Conservation released totals for how many bears were killed.
Hunters harvested 12 bears statewide during the 2023 season, the department said on its website Thursday. The number is on par with the bears killed in the state's first black bear hunting season in 2021, and four more than hunters killed in 2022.
The season, which runs from Oct. 16 - 25, is a bit of an exclusive event. More than 5,370 hunters applied for in May for hunting permits, but the state only offers a maximum of 400 each season. The department said that of the 400 hunters who were randomly chosen among the applicants, 342 hunters purchased permits.
Editor's note: The above video aired during a 2021 broadcast.
The state also only allows 40 bears to be hunted at max, around 5% of the state's total black bear population as of 2021. Three were boars, or males, and nine were sows, or females. Each of the bears was killed with a firearm.
Missouri is split up into three Bear Management Zones (BMZ) south of the Missouri River. The department also broke down how many bears were hunted in each of the zones. Nine bears were harvested in zone one, three were harvested in zone two, and none were harvested in zone three, according to the department's website.
“We had another successful black bear hunting season this year and saw bears harvested in four new counties where bears had not been previously harvested,” said MDC Bear Biologist Nate Bowersock. “Conditions this season couldn't have been much better for hunters, and we look forward to hearing from hunters about their experiences through our annual post-season survey.”
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