Missouri Black Bear

Join the FACEBOOK GROUP - Missouri Black Bears this is a group for like-minded individuals of Missouri that want to show growing Missouri Black Bear Population.

The Missouri Black Bear is a hunting/conservation group designed to build a real resource for the serious hunters of Missouri. The Missouri Black Bear is the icon species for conservation.

Remember that this is a family orientated group, so please keep the post clean and respectful for the whole age group. Members from anywhere are welcome but the focus will be on Missouri.

Missouri Black Bear Population 2022

Example of a Young Male Missouri Black Bear - This what you don't want to shoot!!

May 19, 2020 and will continue to do so - I have made my comments to the MDC. You will have to decide on you own comments.

I would not shoot this bear if was able to judge it on my property. Black Bears are the hardest animal in the world to field judge all you see is the black blob walking through the woods.

For most hunters and landowners in Missouri in the beginning a 80 pound bear will look 400 pounds and that’s what young bear will be in size by October in Missouri. Every bear to the average Joe is 600 lbs. judging them is rough and only a select few are any good at it.

That the great thing about baiting is you get to observe the animal, so you don’t shoot sows with cubs or young bears.

Landowners can take time make sound wildlife management decisions to shoot or not.

No Bait regulation I understand for public lands you do not want someone to just roaming into a bear bait.
Arkansas has same regulation. But Private Land 93% of Missouri. If you are lucky few landowners that get drawn for a bear tag and have land then, it would be easy to make it legal just for that landowner.

If you have someone that hunts on a landowner, that landowner would just have to apply to bait. As a side note: It will be boom or bust the 3rd week of October and baits will not be as effective when acorns start falling so, some years baits will work like suppose to some years baits will do poorly.

It’s not like you have to re-invent the wheel – New Hampshire Game and Fish Department already has it spelled out. (During the baiting seasons, hunters holding a baiting permit (and current NH hunting license and permits), are permitted to hunt bear over bait in certain locations. Hunters planning to hunt over bait must file for a permit from Fish and Game, which requires a landowner signature giving permission to place bait on their property.

Baiting applications may be printed online or picked up at any Fish and Game office. There is no charge for a bait permit.)

Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Give Biological, Scientific and Management Reason for using Bear Bait

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=bearbaiting.bearchoice

Missouri Department of Conservation – MDC Bear Biologist Laura Conlee in Webcast May 27, 2020 said that Bears are hard to Judge and restriction to only Single Bears.

Reason why Bear Baiting is a must in Missouri. Especially when the Acorn Drop will have already taken place by the 3rd Monday of October.

The Final Points prove that not having bait concretes why she is correct in the statement that bears are hard to judge, but WRONG on not having bear bait as a management tool. So here is the biological sound, proven by biologist why you should.

1. Spend time watching bears TO AVOID SHOOTING A FEMALE WHO HAS CUBS. The size and shape of bears provides clues to their age, sex, and species. The BEHAVIOR OF A BEAR AT BAIT SITE MAY INDICATE THE PRESENCE OF OTHER BEARS OR CUBS. Be patient and observant before deciding on harvesting the bear. Judging bears is an art but can be learned through time with long hours of experience, patience, and dedication.

2. Harvesting too many females reduce population growth. This in turn can result in fewer bear hunting opportunities, especially in GMUs with biological concerns pertaining to the black bear population.

3. Females: A large female with cubs may come into a bait station alone and multiple times, especially when the cubs are young. For safety, the mother bear may "stash" the cubs in a nearby tree before she moves in to check out the bait site. If you are planning to harvest a male, it is imperative that you wait a significant amount of time – and observe carefully to ascertain the bear’s gender and reproductive status -- before taking steps to harvest it. If you suspect the bear is a female, check the mammae to see if she is lactating.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game Online Bear Baiting Clinic
Choosing Which Bear to Take
Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists monitor the number and sex of bears taken from each Game Management Unit (GMU), and seasons and bag limits are sometimes adjusted to manage population size. Most hunters prefer to take male bears. Why select male bears?
 
Male bears are larger than females and provide more meat.
Male bears provide a larger pelt for trophy value.
Bear trophies are "scored" by skull size, and male bears have larger skulls.
Adult male bears kill cubs and other smaller bears.
Harvesting male bears has the least impact on populations because one male can mate with several females.
Female black bear reproductive potential (numbers of young per lifetime) is relatively low compared to many mammals, including most ungulates, other carnivores, and small game animals.
Harvesting too many females reduces population growth. This in turn can result in fewer bear hunting opportunities, especially in GMUs with biological concerns pertaining to the black bear population.
As a bear baiter, you have the opportunity to look a bear over closely, possibly through multiple viewings, before deciding to shoot. You want to assess which species it is (black or brown/grizzly), its size, its gender and, if applicable, the condition of its pelt.
 
Size Determination
Black bears are the smallest of North American bears. Adult bears stand about 30 inches at the shoulders and measure about 60 inches from nose to tail. On average, in spring, an adult male weighs about 180-200 lbs, an adult female 120-140 lbs, and a yearling 25-50 lbs.
 
All bears are typically at their lowest annual weight when they emerge from winter dormancy. They may be 20% to 30% heavier in the Fall when they are gaining fat for the long winter months of hibernation. Most hunters are looking for a larger bear, so what can the smart hunter do to improve the odds of shooting the "right" bear?
 
The "stick" method: When setting up your baiting site, place a pre-measured stick in the ground next to the bait or place marks on the nearest tree. When standing on all fours, bears taller than 34” at the top of the shoulder are larger animals.
The "bait barrel" method: Compare the bear’s shoulder height to your bait barrel for reference:
A bear measuring 1 foot taller than a 55-gallon drum barrel laid on its side = a 250-300 lb bear.
A bear measuring 15-18” taller than, or twice as tall as, the horizontal barrel = huge bear.
Another way to estimate the size of bears visiting your bait site is to find soft areas in the soil where bear prints can easily be observed. Take a close look at the width of the front paw; if 3-3 ½” you’re likely looking at a small bear, 4-5” a medium bear and 6-6 ½” would be a very large black bear. Be sure it’s not a brown bear track you’re looking at. Black bears have sharply curved claws that are rarely over 1 1/2” in length. Note the difference in claw shape and dimensions in the following photos.
 
Sex Determination:
Another skill learned by experienced bear hunters is the ability to determine the sex of the bear they are observing. Not all methods are foolproof, but time in the field and experience can improve your abilities. With patience or luck you may observe the bear urinating. A female bear may be in a squatting position and will urinate towards the rear while a male bear will urinate forward. Young male bears may also squat to urinate. Large males may urinate while stretching or walking. The penis sheath and testicles on male bears may be observed, especially if you have good optics. In spring, the female bears may be lactating so visible mammaries would be a useful indicator. Early summer is mating season for bears. With the females, the vulva may be visible when she is "in heat." By hanging a scent bag near your baiting site, you may entice the bear into a standing posture, where you may have a better chance to determine whether it’s a male or female.
 
Behavioral Characteristics:
An observant bear hunter can also use bear behavior to determine what type and size of bear they are looking at.
 
Young bears: These are often the first bears to come to a bait site. They usually appear nervous, cautious, and alert. Young bears sniff the air, constantly checking for threatening scents including of large male bears. The movements of young bears can be hurried and they may grab some bait and leave the site.
Large males: Since big males are typically more nocturnal than other bears, the late evening or very early morning stand may increase your odds. Large males often display dominance to other bears through aggression or vocalization. During May and June, mature males search for females in heat. Big dominant males tend to be less nervous or concerned about other bears.
Females: A large female with cubs may come into a bait station alone and multiple times, especially when the cubs are young. For safety, the mother bear may "stash" the cubs in a nearby tree before she moves in to check out the bait site. If you are planning to harvest a male, it is imperative that you wait a significant amount of time – and observe carefully to ascertain the bear’s gender and reproductive status -- before taking steps to harvest it. If you suspect the bear is a female, check the mammae to see if she is lactating.
General Judging Guidelines
Here are some tips for differentiating between larger and smaller bears at a distance.
 
Small Bears:
 
Big ears when compared to the size of head
Lanky appearance with long looking legs
Head appears large in relationship to the body
Head will have an elongated, triangular appearance--narrow or pointy look
Neck will have a long, thin appearance
Hair will be longer and fluffy (applies to females as well)
Large Bears:
 
Blocky head
Thick muzzle
Ears appear smaller compared to size of head
Ears will be set wide apart on the head
Neck appears thicker and shorter in relationship to the body
Legs, rump, and mid-section appear more bulky
 
Some Final Points
Spend time watching bears to avoid shooting a female who has cubs. The size and shape of bears provides clues to their age, sex, and species. The behavior of a bear at the bait site may indicate the presence of other bears or cubs. Be patient and observant before deciding on harvesting the bear. Judging bears is an art but can be learned through time with long hours of experience, patience and dedication.

Does Bait Create Habituated Problem Bears? NO!!

http://www.mainebearbasics.com/does_bait_create_habituated_problem_bears.php

Proponents of Question 1 claim that the human scent at bait sites habituates bears to see humans as a source of food, leading to problems.

They cite no direct evidence for this claim. Rather, there are some compelling biological reasons why this claim is false. Bait hunting, in fact, actually reduces conflicts. Let me explain how.

In reality, only a small percentage of the bears living near bait sites actually approach the bait. Many are either not interested, or avoid the bait because of human odor, or do so only at night, after they know people leave. These shy and submissive bears exhibit greater human avoidance behaviors, which allow them to live long lives and produce many offspring. This also allows them to pass on their “good behavior” genes, and teach these behavioral characteristics to their offspring.

By contrast, the most bold and aggressive bears are the ones that approach bait in daylight despite human odor, and consequently get removed from the population every fall by bait hunters. They are shot disproportionately to their relative occurrence in the population. The use of bait targets precisely the bears that have the temperament and potential to become problems.

Another significant factor is that bears are “locational learners”. They have evolved over thousands of years to use locational clues to find food sources. Bears that find beech nuts on a ridge search other ridges for beechnuts; bears that find garbage and birdseed in a back yard search other back yards for garbage and birdseed. Bears that find bait in the woods might search similar wooded terrain for more baits, but they aren’t going to go to town looking for more. Simply, bears are not capable of associating baits with other human food sources.

All a woods bear knows is that a food (bait) suddenly appeared within its home range in August and September. The bear exploits this food source like any that nature provides, like those beechnuts up on that ridge. Unless a bear already lives among people, it is incapable of searching out human habitation for this food. Bears will continue to search out the bait site for food only in the place where, and only at the time of year when, it occurs.

Add to this the fact that the majority of bear baiting sites are located in Maine’s primary bear range, which comprises the heavily wooded northern half of Maine. Little bear baiting occurs anywhere near human habitation. Most bears targeted by baiting do not live near residential areas, even in rural areas.

​Hunting in general and bait hunting in particular reinforces a healthy fear of humans among bears and all sorts of dangerous animals, including wolves, coyotes, and mountain lions. Maine bears have been hunted for a long time, and are naturally wary of human scent, which is present to varying degrees at bait sites. There may be several bears in the proximity of any given bait site. They quickly learn the report of a rifle, and all the human commotion that ensues. Fear of encounters with man is what keeps bears out of your backyard.

What drives the nuisance bear problem is loss of fear of man. This occurs over time, wherever hunting is outlawed over large areas. When hunger drives bears into human neighborhoods, and they are allowed to feed at bird feeders, gardens, pet food, or unsecured garbage containers without any negative consequences, marauding bears will habituate to this easy food source. In time, repeated experiences of “getting away” with foraging around people will cause bears to relax around people, exactly the opposite behavior that hunting elicits. Hunting and trapping minimizes nuisance bear problems, by reinforcing wariness among Maine bears and keeping populations in balance with natural food sources. 
■
Randy Cross,MDIFW Bear Biologist, with
Gerry Lavigne,Wildlife Biologist

Arkansas Black Bear Population is and always will be tied to Missouri Black Bear Population

Two Bears collared in Missouri have been killed legally in Arkansas

​Arkansas bear population 6000 in 2019 and Zone 1 bear population is directly tied to Missouri Bear Population.

​Arkansas Game and Fish Commission - May 22, 2020 Increasing the bear quota in Bear Zone 1 (Ozarks) from 340 to 500 bears

Oklahoma Black Bear History – 2009 to 2019 Hunting Season
One Black Bear Population spanning Multiple States
Black Bear Population continues to grow.
What Missouri may look like for a Bear Hunting Season.

2000 - As a starting point the Oklahoma put the population at 450 Black Bears, admittedly a conservatively low number

2008 the population in southeast Oklahoma was estimated at around 1,600 Black Bears

In the late 1900s, however, black bears began making a comeback in Oklahoma after the successful reintroduction of black bears in the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. That initial relocation of about 250 bears from northern Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada, turned into thousands of bears in the mountains of Arkansas, which then expanded into southwest Missouri and eastern Oklahoma.

2009 – Oklahoma 1st Bear Season – 19 Bear Harvested on a Limit of 20 in one Month of Hunting.
More than 100 bears in the four-county area open to the hunt had been tagged for research or as nuisance bears, and none of them turned up among the 19 killed.

The limit of 20 was set as a conservative harvest, 10 percent, of the most conservative population estimate, 200" With well over 100 marked bears out there, the Oklahoma Biologist say there is a large amount of bears if we harvest almost 20 and don't get a single one," "The upper end of that population estimate was 700. Oklahoma Biologist, there's a lot more than that."

2010 – 32 Black Bears Harvested.
2011 – 31 Black Bears Harvested.
2012 – 550 Tags Issued – 66 Black Bears Harvested – One weighing in at 675 lbs.

2013 – Estimated Bear Population 2,000 - 28 Bears Black Bears Harvested – High Mast Crop is the reason for low harvest of bears.
2014 – Estimated Bear Population 2,000 – 52 Black Bears Harvested
2015 – 52 Black Bears Harvested

2016 – 57 Black Bears Harvested

2017 – 40 Black Bear Harvested
2018 – 85 Black Bears Harvested – Setting Record for Oklahoma
2019 Southeastern Oklahoma) 2019 – Population of 2,000 plus Black Bears – 61 Black Bear Harvested - One weighing in at 550 lbs.


Currently the counties have expanded on Bear Hunting in Oklahoma and Population Estimates are around 2,500 bears. 

Preparing for a future black bear season in Missouri.
14 - Black Cherry Trees planted December of 2018
25 - Wild Plums Trees Planted March of 2019
8 - Dunstan Chestnuts Planted November of 2017
10 - Apple Tree planted November of 2009

Missouri Black Bear Travel

​For those that say bears do not travel. That is false.
The Missouri Black Bear Population is part of 10,000 Black Bear population spanning 3 states. Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
The data shows bears moving back and forth across state lines.
When population is not a dense they are very selective on habitat they want to live in that has the best food, water and cover.
The GPS blue line maps of bears in Missouri show bears traveling 200 miles in Summer here in Missouri and over 400 miles in 3 years till it finally decided on a home.

Missouri Black Bear Photos Only
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MISSOURI BLACK BEAR POPULATION - 2021
July 18, 2020

ere is what cracks me up that people believe both hunters, non-hunters and Anti Hunters think that the 2019 Estimated Missouri Black Bear Population of 540 to 840 are actually numbers. 

They do not hire interns, still in college to go 1 bear, 2 bear, 3 bears, etc.

Just like they don’t go count 1.3 million deer, 500,000 Wild Turkeys or 250,000 Coyotes.

Any Wildlife Population Models I have seen are very conservative numbers. I have never seen Missouri Black Bear Population Models and mine are extremely simplistic.

Missouri Black Bear Crystal Ball
Using Missouri Department of Conservation Numbers 540 to 840 in 2019 Missouri Black Bear Population along with the 300 to 350 Missouri Black Bear Population in 2012.
​
Here are the Four - Missouri Black Bear Population Models as I see it.

Does not matter if you agree or not but, just examples.

​1. MDC Model – Population of 829 Missouri Black Bears in the year 2021

This is the Arkansas Historical Model of 250 Bears in 1950 to 2000 Bears in 2010
2. Population of 780 Missouri Black Bears in the year 2021.

​The Ultra Conservative Model – Which just show how Conservative the Agencies Models are.
3. Population of 831 Missouri Black Bears in the year 2021

​The Real-World Model – It is still conservative but believe to be closer to the actual population in Missouri.
4. Population of 1,074 Missouri Black Bears in the Year 2021

​Using all that information my bet that 30 Black Bear Limit will be issued for the entire state of Missouri in the 2021 Season.

​Because of season timing and methods, I doubt that 30 Black Bear will ever be filled in 10 days in the State of Missouri.

​The final model – I call the Overflow – Because it is documented Bears are moving 80, 100 to 200 miles in a years’ time in a natural black bear dispersal – With both Missouri and Oklahoma tagged research black bears being killed legally in Arkansas during hunting season at times I believe the population is spiking with overflow of bears in Arkansas of 6,500 Black Bears Population

5. So, at times Population of 2,043 Black Bears in the Year 2021 – Big But – I believe this is a fluctuation number that drops down considerably as they move back into Arkansas, but all do not leave.

So, I believe the numbers fall between option 4 & 5 somewhere but really my understanding not sure how many bears are going back and forth.

That is why people of Missouri are seeing so many bears now.