October 16th through 25th, 2023, was the Missouri black bear hunting season. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, twelve black bears were harvested.
BMZ Zones
Bear hunting in Missouri is limited to Missouri residents. It is also restricted to three Bear Management Zones (BMZ). Zone 1 is southwestern Missouri. Zone 2 is southeastern Missouri, while Zone 3 is midwestern Missouri. You can see the BMZ map here.
Harvesting
In Zone 1, nine bears were harvested, and in Zone 2, three bears were harvested. Zone 3 had no bears shot. Of the twelve bears harvested, three were males, and nine were females. [1]
Successful Season
MDC Bear Biologist Nate Bowersock said that it was “ [2]another successful black bear hunting season this year.” He went on to say that some of the bears were shot in four new counties this year.
