Black bears to be hunted for first time in Missouri. What to know about upcoming season

Black bears will soon be hunted for the first time in Missouri.

The Missouri Conservation Commission approved rules Friday for the new hunting season this fall, which will allow up to 40 bears to be killed by state residents. The decision follows several years of researching the population and meeting with the public, officials say.

“Being able to add this iconic species to the long list of hunting opportunities for Missourians is a testament to the decades of bear research and management by (Missouri Department of Conservation) staff,” Sara Parker Pauley, the agency’s director, said in a statement. “A limited annual hunting season will help manage the growing number of black bears in the state.”

However, critics have argued it’s an unjustified and unethical “trophy hunt.”

The state has an estimated 800 black bears that primarily live south of Interstate 44, officials say. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the population is growing by 9% annually and expected to double within a decade.

Neighboring Oklahoma and Arkansas allow black bear hunting.

Here’s what to know about the hunting season:

• The season will begin each year on the third Monday in October and last 10 days, or until quotas are reached. This year it’s Oct. 18-27.

• Missouri residents can apply for a permit throughout May.

• Hunters can use firearms or archery but baiting and use of dogs is banned.

• Only “lone” black bears can be hunted. Bears in groups, including mothers with cubs, cannot be taken.

• Permits will be divided among three “bear management zones,” or BMZs, with varying quotas.

The state will issue 200 permits and allow the harvest of 20 bears in BMZ 1, 150 permits and 15 bears in BMZ 2, and 50 permits and 5 bears in BMZ 3.

Black bears were abundant in forested parts of Missouri until unregulated killing in the 1800s and Ozark forest logging reduced their habitat, officials say. However, a few bears survived and reintroduction efforts in Arkansas increased the population in southern Missouri.

“A bear-hunting season in our state will provide opportunities for Missourians to participate in the sustainable harvest of this valuable wildlife species,” Laura Conlee, a state bear biologist, said in a statement. “As our black bear population continues to grow, a highly regulated hunting season will be an essential part of population management into the future.”