MDC sets 2022 elk and bear seasons with permit applications in May

Missouri hunters can apply for permits during May at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer five permits to hunt bull elk in Missouri this fall with at least one permit designated for qualifying area landowners and the remaining permits for the general public. MDC will also offer 400 permits for the taking of a maximum of 40 black bears during the second Missouri black-bear hunting season this fall. At least 10 percent of black bear permits will be allocated to qualifying area landowners. Only Missouri residents who will be at least 11 years of age by the first day of the hunt for which they are applying are eligible to apply for elk and bear permits during the application period of May 1-31. All permits will be assigned through a random drawing.

The Missouri Conservation Commission gave final approval to both elk and bear recommendations from MDC during its March 25 open meeting in Jefferson City.

Chris Irick of Pleasant Hope was
the first bowhunter
to take a bull elk in Missouri.
 Irick shot the 6×6 bull
 in Shannon County during
 the state’s second elk-hunting season.
 Missouri hunters can apply
 for permits for the upcoming
 fall elk season during May.

ELK HUNTING

For elk hunting, MDC has designated a nine-day archery portion running Oct. 15-23 and a nine-day firearms portion running Dec. 10-18. The five permits will be for bull elk and will be valid for both portions.

MDC will require a $10 application fee for elk-permit applicants. Those selected will then be eligible to buy a permit at a cost of $50. All elk-hunting permits, including those allocated to approved area landowners, can be used in Carter, Reynolds, and Shannon counties, except the refuge portion of Peck Ranch Conservation Area.

The allowed hunting methods for each season portion will be the same as for deer hunting. The permits will allow for the harvest of one bull elk with at least one antler being six inches or greater in length.

For more information on elk and elk hunting in Missouri, visit mdc.mo.gov/elkhunting.

Apply for the elk-permit random drawing May 1-31 online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, through MDC's free MO Hunting app, through a permit vendor, or by calling 1-800-392-4115. Results of the elk-permit random drawing will be available online by July 1.

BEAR HUNTING

 

Kelsie Wikoff of Hume harvested
 this 268-pound boar (male bear)
 during last year’s inaugural
 Missouri bear hunting season.
Missouri hunters can apply
in May for the second Missouri
black bear hunting season
coming up Oct. 17-26.

MDC will offer 400 permits for the taking of a maximum of 40 black bears during the second Missouri black-bear hunting season running Oct. 17-26. There is a fee of $10 per applicant. Applicants must select one of three Black Bear Management Zones (BMZ). Those selected will then be eligible to buy a BMZ-specific permit at a cost of $25.

MDC has established three Bear Management Zones (BMZ) in southern Missouri and will issue annual permit numbers and harvest quotas for each of the three BMZs. Each permit will be for a specific BMZ and may be used on public or private property within the BMZ. Once the specific harvest quotas are filled for each BMZ, the season for that BMZ will be closed.

Permit and harvest quotas for the upcoming Oct. 17-26 bear season will be:

• BMZ 1: Permit quota of 200 issued with a harvest quota of 20 bears.
• BMZ 2: Permit quota of 150 issued with a harvest quota of 15 bears.
• BMZ 3: Permit quota of 50 issued with a harvest quota of 5 bears.

Hunting hours will be a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. Hunters must call MDC prior to hunting each day to determine the closure status of the BMZ for which they are permitted. Hunters will be allowed to use both archery and firearms equipment with allowable methods being the same as those for deer and elk, except the use of an atlatl. Baiting and the use of dogs will not be allowed.

The harvest limit will be 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 others bears, including female black bears with cubs. Bears may not be disturbed, pushed, harassed, or taken from a den.

Learn more about black bears and bear hunting in Missouri at mdc.mo.gov/bearhunting.

Apply for the bear-permit random drawing May 1 - 31 online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, through MDC's free MO Hunting app, through a permit vendor, or by calling 1-800-392-4115. Results of the bear-permit random drawing will be available online by July 1.

Be Bear Aware Wild Webcast -- Sept. 8

Jeff Beringer MDC Bear Biologist 

Black bears are one of Missouri's largest animals. Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Bear Biologist Jeff Beringer gets up close and personal with bears almost on a daily basis. Beringer's job consists of trapping, collaring, examining, and conducting research on Missouri's black bears. Listen to what Beringer and other MDC staff have to say about Missouri's black bears during MDC's free mid-afternoon Wild Webcast.

Join us on Thursday, Sept. 8, from 2-3 p.m.CST to learn about the history of

Mary Cheney 
MDC Assistant Natural History Biologist 

Missouri's black bears, how large the Missouri black bear population is and if it's still growing, the importance of being bear aware, and the Black Bear Research Project. This MDC Wild Webcast will feature a conversation with MDC experts, include plenty of pictures, and then be open for questions from webcast participants.

SAVE YOUR SPOT NOW to learn:

• History of Missouri's black bears;
• Location and population of Missouri's black bears;
• Importance of being bear aware; and
• The Black Bear Research Project.

REGISTER TODAY for Be Bear Aware.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR for this future MDC Wild Webcast:

• CWD and Missouri Deer on Oct. 13 from 6-7 p.m. CST

Related articles

• REMINDER to Discover Nature with MDC at State Fair starting this week (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• Black bear totals on rebound (triblive.com)
• DNR discusses recent black bear sightings in Indiana (wthitv.com)

MDC encourages people to Be Bear Aware!

Don’t feed bears. Avoid encounters. React right.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – As blossoms and buds emerge each spring, so do Missouri’s estimated 350 native black bears. As they leave their winter dens this time of year, finding food is their main focus. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds people to “Be Bear Aware” by not feeding bears and not providing potential sources of food. 

“Black bears are an exciting part of our state’s natural history and people in Missouri generally have positive attitudes about our native black bears,” said Jeff Beringer, a resource scientist and black-bear researcher with the Conservation Department. “This affinity for these large omnivores can lead people to want a closer look by feeding or approaching bears. That can lead to conflicts between bears and people, especially in the spring when bears emerge from hibernation and are particularly hungry, and in the fall when they are focused on fattening up for the winter.”

Beringer added that feeding bears makes them comfortable around people, which can also make them dangerous.

A fed bear is a dead bear

“Keep bears wild! When bears lose their fear of people, they may defend the food sources or territory they associate with people, which can make them dangerous,” he said. “When this happens, the bear has to be destroyed. A fed bear is a dead bear.”

He added that a fed bear that becomes a problem in one place cannot be relocated to another.

“Once a bear associates people with food, it will go in search of other places to potentially get food from people such as homes, residential areas, farms, and campsites,” Beringer explained. “Common temptations include pet food or trash left outdoors, dirty grills or smokers, birdseed or other food at wildlife feeders, food at campsites, and gardens and orchards.”

Avoid attracting black bears

MDC offers these tips for avoiding attracting black bears to possible food sources: 

• Don’t leave pet food sitting outside. Feed pets a portion they’ll eat at each meal and remove the empty containers.
• Store garbage, recyclables, and compost inside a secure building or in a bear-proof container until the day of trash pick-up.
• Keep grills and smokers clean and store them inside.
• Don’t use birdfeeders from April through November in bear country, or hang them at least 10 feet high and 4 feet away from any structure.
• Use electric fencing to keep bears away from beehives, chicken coops, vegetable gardens, orchards, and other potential food sources.
• Keep campsites clean and store all food, toiletries and trash in a secure vehicle or strung high between two trees. Do not burn or bury garbage or food waste.

Avoid encounters and react right

While close encounters are uncommon, MDC offers this advice when outdoors in black-bear country:

• Make noise while walking or hiking to prevent surprising a bear. Clap, sing, or talk loudly.
• Travel in a group if possible.
• Pay attention to the surroundings and watch for bear sign, such as tracks or claw or bite marks on trees.
• Keep dogs leashed.
• Leave a bear alone! Do not approach it. Make sure it has an escape route.
• If encountering a bear up close, back away slowly with arms raised to look larger. Speak in a calm, loud voice. Do not turn away from the bear. Back away slowly. Do not run.

A native to Missouri, black bears were abundant until the late 1800s when they were nearly wiped out from unregulated killing and from habitat loss when Ozark forests were logged. MDC research shows that a small number of native black bears survived. Over time, their numbers increased and continue to do so. Results of ongoing black-bear research by Conservation Department staff and others show that the animals have been sighted in about half the counties in Missouri, primarily south of the Missouri River, with most bears located in the southern third of the state in the Missouri Ozarks.

MDC asks people to report bear sightings by calling 573-522-4115, ext. 3080.

For more information on black bears in Missouri and how to Be Bear Aware, visit the MDC website at mdc.mo.gov and search Be Bear Aware.

MDC staff forced to euthanize nuisance black bear in Christian County

On July 20, Missouri Department of Conservation staff had the unfortunate responsibility of humanely euthanizing this 250-pound, healthy, adult, male black bear that had become an ongoing nuisance and threat to several homeowners in Christian County. The bear had been previously fed by other people. DO NOT FEED BEARS. As in this situation, a fed bear becomes a dead bear.

DO NOT FEED BEARS! A fed bear often sadly becomes a dead bear.

CHRISTIAN COUNTY, Mo. – On Monday, July 20, Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) staff had the unfortunate responsibility of humanely euthanizing a 250-pound, healthy, adult, male black bear that had become an ongoing nuisance and threat to a homeowner in Christian County -- because someone in the area had been feeding the animal.

The homeowner initially contacted MDC staff to report the nuisance animal and told staff that she had not fed the bear. She then followed advice from MDC to remove any potential food sources for the animal -- such as taking down bird feeders, keeping dog food inside, and keeping trash in closed containers and a secured building -- but the bear continued to visit her home in search of food. The family tried to drive the bear away during previous encounters but the bear kept returning, and unfortunately even began looking for food at a neighbor’s home.

On June 20, MDC staff captured the bear in a large cage trap placed in the homeowner’s yard. MDC staff noted that the bear showed little agitation towards staff while in the trap. This was not a good sign because it indicated that the bear had lost its fear of humans.

MDC staff confirmed that the bear had been ear-tagged in another part of Christian County as a yearling in 2012, and was among several bears that were previously fed by another homeowner.

According to MDC, the bear could not be relocated to a more remote location because once a bear associates people with food, it will continue to seek sources of food associated with people. This often leads to additional conflicts with people, which is what happened in this situation.

MDC staff removed the trapped bear from the homeowner’s property and then euthanized the animal using sedative and lethal drug injections, similar to how pets are often “put to sleep.”

MDC staff transported the bear to the Department’s Conservation Research Center in Columbia where the MDC wildlife veterinarian will examine the carcass to further assess the bear’s condition.

BE “BEAR AWARE” BECAUSE A FED BEAR IS A DEAD BEAR

The Conservation Department strongly encourages people not to feed bears or make food available to them. Feeding bears makes the animals lose their fear of being around people and usually results in the bears becoming nuisance animals. As in this unfortunate situation, a fed bear becomes a dead bear.

MDC offers the following tips to avoid conflicts with black bears:

• Do not feed birds and other wildlife from early spring through late fall, especially in rural areas. This often attracts bears. Bears are much less active during the winter, when supplemental feeding is more important for birds.
• Keep pet food and livestock feed inside secure containers and buildings. The same is true for barbecue grills and other items that smell like food.
• Trash should be kept in secured containers and buildings and put out as close to pick-up time as possible to minimize exposure to hungry bears.
• Campers and floaters should keep campsites clean of food and items that smell like food, pack and keep food in closed containers, place the food containers in secure locations away from the primary campsite, and dispose of garbage immediately.
• Keep bears wild by making encounters with humans a negative experience for the bear. If a bear approaches, scare it away by making loud noises and throwing objects such as rocks at it to help enforce its natural fear of people.
• For problems with a nuisance bear, contact the nearest MDC office or local conservation agent.

For more information about dealing with nuisance bears, visit the MDC website atmdc.mo.gov/node/4607.