Outdoor Guide
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January-February 2022
Missouri hunters take 12 black bears By JOE JEREK MDC News Service
Missouri hunters harvested 12 black bears during the state’s inaugural bear hunting season, which ran Oct. 18-27. More than 6,330 hunters had applied for 400 permits for the season with the maximum total harvest for the season being 40 bears. “This was an incredibly successful first bear hunting season for Missouri, given that we have a highly regulated season, that bears in the state are widely distributed throughout some pretty rugged wilderness, and that many hunters had never hunted bears before,” said Laura Conlee, black bear biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). “A harvest of 12 bears in our first season is testament
to the hunters,” she said. “Bear hunting is an extremely challenging endeavor, especially under the framework that we established. This was a new experience for many hunters, and they put in the work to be successful and take advantage of this new hunting opportunity.” Conlee said MDC took a conservative approach in developing its bear-hunting regulations. “Our highly regulated and limited season included a sustainable maximum harvest of 40 bears, which is about 5 percent of our total bear population,” she said. “We also prohibited baiting and the use of dogs, limited hunting to 10 days, and restricted the number of hunters who could participate,” she said. “With any new season, it is difficult to predict hunter
OUTDOOR
success, so we took a conservative approach to limiting the number of hunters and length of the hunting season. This was to ensure we didn’t over-harvest the bear population in any one zone.” A LIMITED HUNT Bear hunting in Missouri is limited to Missouri residents and restricted to three designated areas of southern Missouri called Bear Management Zones (BMZ). Each permit issued is for a specific zone, and hunting is limited to public or private property within the zone. Permit and harvest quotas for the 2021 bear season were: • Zone 1: Permit quota of 200 with a harvest quota of 20 bears. Nine were taken. • Zone 2: Permit quota of 150 with a harvest quota of 15 bears. Three were taken. • Zone 3: Permit quota of
GUIDE
January-February 2022
MAGAZINE
HUNTING • FISHING • CAMPING • BOATING • SHOOTING • TRAVEL Volume 30, No. 1 • Published six times a year Office: 505 S. Ewing, St. Louis, MO 63103 News department — 618-972-3744 www.outdoorguidemagazine.com e-mail: news@outdoor-guide.com COVER created by Kathy Crowe, graphic designer.
Carl Green, editor – carl@labortribune.com John Winkelman, associate editor — ogmjohnw@aol.com Bob Whitehead, editor emeritis – ogmbobw@aol.com Lynn Fowler, circulation manager Kathy Crowe, graphic designer — Account executives — Dan Braun, marketing director 314-256-4136 Lauren Marshall 314-614-5175 — Regional and specialty editors — Darrell Taylor Ray Eye Brent Frazee Brandon Butler
Bill Cooper Thayne Smith Steve Jones
Bill Seibel John Neporadny Jr. T. J. Mullin
Larry Whiteley Ted Nugent Ron Bice
– In Memoriam —
Joel Vance • Ron Henry Strait • Jared Billings • Charlie Farmer • Richard Engelke • Mark Hubbard • Spence Turner • Hank Reifeiss Kay Hively • Bill Harmon • Barbara Perry Lawton • Danny Hicks • Ron Kruger • TJ Stallings • John Sloan
Claudette Roper Gerald Scott Bill Keaton Charlie Slovensky Jerry Pabst Ryan Miloshewski
Kenneth Kieser Terry Wilson Bob Holzhei Jeannie Farmer Jo Schaper Jed Nadler
— Staff writers —
Don Gasaway Mike Roux Craig Alderman Randall Davis Larry Potterfield Tom Watson
Tim Huffman Russell Hively Roxanne Wilson Michael Wardlaw Tyler Mahoney Richard Aites
Kelsie Wikoff of Hume took this 268-pound boar (male bear) on Oct. 21. She spent 48 hours in a tree stand over three days. – Kelsie Wifoff photo
50 with a harvest quota of 5 bears. None were taken. The more-than 6,330 hunters who applied during May to hunt a specific zone each paid a $10 application fee. The 400 hunters selected for permits through a random drawing of all applicants then paid a permit fee of $25. Among those selected for permits, Kelsie Wikoff of Hume harvested a 268-pound boar (male bear) in Zone 1 on Oct. 21. She said she had spent 48 hours in a tree stand over three days after the season began Oct. 18. According to the Wildlife Code of Missouri, the harvest limit is one bear per permit. Only lone black bears may be taken. Hunters may not take bears that are known to be in the presence of other bears,
• Frazee
including female black bears with cubs. Bears may not be disturbed, pushed, harassed or taken from a den. Bear hunters must wear hunter orange, make reasonable efforts to retrieve shot bears, and may not leave or abandon commonly edible portions. Learn more about bear hunting in Missouri at mdc.mo.gov/bearhunting. MORE EACH YEAR Black bears were historically abundant throughout the forested areas of Missouri prior to European settlement but were nearly eliminated by unregulated killing in the late 1800s, as well as from habitat loss when Ozark forests were logged. Over the past 50 years, bear numbers and range
in Missouri have grown to around 800 black bears, with most found south of the Missouri River and primarily south of Interstate 44. The Missouri bear range is expanding. Bear numbers in Missouri are increasing each year by approximately 9 percent and are expected to double in less than 10 years. As bear numbers continue to increase, MDC will use a highly regulated hunting season as an essential part of population management. MDC’s 2020-2030 Black Bear Management Plan will guide bear management in Missouri for the next decade. Learn more about black bears in Missouri and MDC management efforts at mdc. mo.gov/bears.
from page 4
was younger, I challenged myself to hike to the top of an Ozarks mountain, to slide down into an Ozarks cave and to go whitewater rafting out west. Sadly, I don’t challenge myself to do that anymore. Maybe my age won’t allow me to do some things, but I can still get my heartbeat up more than I do. • I resolve to watch far less daytime TV and do far more outdoors. Shows like The View, Dr. Phil and Jerry
Springer are mind-numbing and only add to my “whatis-the-world-coming-to?” frame of mind. The only reason I watch is to reassure myself that I’m far more normal than some of the guests they have on the air. • I resolve to lose weight. I’m a tub, and I need to get away from eating lunch out of a fast-food bag. Sorry, McDonald’s, I plan to spend less money at your place this year.
• I resolve to write more.
It’s more than a job to me, it’s a hobby. I love meeting interesting characters and telling their stories. • I resolve to clean the garage and get my fishing tackle organized again. And to keep it organized for more than a couple weeks. My wife will like this one. The book “Brent Frazee’s Ultimate Guide to Missouri Fishing” is available for $14.95 at brentfrazee.com.
