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Missouri lays plans to open bear hunting season in coming years

DAVIS WINBORNE Sep 4, 2016


COLUMBIA — Wild black bears will be legal to kill in southern Missouri as soon as 2017, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

There are an estimated 300 to 350 bears in Missouri, mostly concentrated in the southern Ozarks, Missouri Department of Conservation resource scientist Jeff Beringer told the Conservation Commission at its August meeting.

The Department of Conservation will open a hunting season when the black bear population reaches 500. Beringer estimated that number will be reached between 2017 and 2025, although he expected it to be closer to 2017.

Beringer gave a number of recommendations to the Conservation Commission, which governs the Department of Conservation, on how to handle a hunting season.

Under Beringer's recommendations, a bear hunting season would begin at the end of November and run until a quota is met. It would be legal to kill any single animal. Beringer recommended tags cost $25 apiece and be given to applicants selected at random.

He also suggested that bear hunting be legal only south of Interstate 44.

Black bears, once native to Missouri, were largely wiped out by overhunting in the 19th century. After being reintroduced to northern Arkansas by the state's Game and Fish Commission, they began to repopulate and move into southern Missouri.

Arkansas is allowing hunters to kill 265 bears this year.

This year marks Arkansas' 36th bear season. Since its first bear season, the state has become a destination for hunters across the nation, Myron Means, large carnivore coordinator for Arkansas, said.

"I get dozens and dozens and dozens of calls from nonresidents looking to hunt bear," Means said.

The Missouri Department of Conservation could face some challenges in its efforts to introduce a bear hunting season, which is legal in 33 states.

According to surveys by wildlife management research company Responsive Management, less than half of Americans supported bear hunting for any reason in 2010.

The majority of bear hunters kill bears for trophy or sport, Means said. Arkansas has been promoting bear meat as edible to hunters, he said, along with how to safely prepare it.

"They're known as the big, scary animal, which just adds a little mystique to the hunt," Means said. "But when you get down to it, they're no more fierce than a deer."

Beringer's team will continue to track the growth of black bears using game cameras, snares and radio collars until their population is estimated to be greater than 500, when the commission will meet again to discuss the specifics of opening a hunting season on bears.

This is really cool to hear.

The dilemma Missouri has, according to the state biologist I talked to is how this will conflict with their hog philosophy. The state has gone to great efforts, including multi-page articles in their conservation magazine to get people to stop, or never start, shooting hogs. They believe trapping is the only way to go on the subject. They have some evidence from Tennessee that indicated only a couple regions of Tenn had many hogs until they allowed hunting and now the hogs are a problem statewide because they were hunted and scattered and bred.

With the bear season possibility, it creates another season for folks to be in the woods with guns and increases the likelihood that they will just shoot the hogs along with their bear. The thought is that this will just scatter and increase the hog population. The bear proposal, south of I44 is the same area that has the greatest population of hogs.

There is still some in-fighting going on over the whole idea. I personally hope the bear measure passes.

Shooting hogs on sight while hunting other animals isn’t the problem.....and I will always do this.

MDOC claims that it is the dog runners that disperses the hogs. These same dog hunters also are said to catch hogs and transplant them.

The bear hunt will be small with very few permits drawn with a set season start time, quota and boundaries

The hog hunting has none of these....no permit nor do hogs have a quota....they are however illegal to hunt on Missouri Department of Conservation lands but still open to hunt anywhere else in the state including National forest.

Dog hunters don't pursue Armadillos, yet they keep expanding their range in MO.
If there is suitable habitat and climate to sustain a species, they will in time expand their population to fill those areas.
Simple, basic biology.

Ted, your statement about dog hunters "scattering" a population is way off base. It has no more effect on hogs than it does on rabbits, deer, squirrels or coon. Also, please introduce me to the dog hunters who have allegedly "transplanted" hogs. I view that statement with the same credibility that the state transplanted Mt Lions here.

Kathi, I know this is a bear thread, so sorry for hijacking it.

Ted, the problem in Missouri is the half-assed measures the state is taking. Hunting IS part of the problem. Granted, not all of it, but if a group of hogs moves just a mile after only one pig being shot, it will breed and start moving farther. The half-assed measures include the lack of guts to ban hog hunting outright. Tennessee is one example of what hunting causes.

Kansas is, from all indication, a case the other way. The population has gone from an estimated 2500 six years ago to less than 1000. They did it by making transportation of feral hogs a felony and very vigorous efforts to trap and eradicate what there was. They even went so far as to enlist the USDA help to enter and shoot hogs in Oklahoma. They are illegal to hunt in Kansas. The only area that still has real issues, if you believe the state accounts (I don't always) is in Bourbon County which is close to my Missouri land. It seems that some land owners have banned together and not allowed the state efforts to trap or shoot the pigs. I believe years ago they were granted a "refuge" license. That is the only identified larger population of hogs left in Kansas. Are there a few still showing up, sure, but 90% have been identified as brought in illegally and released.

Do I think hogs are a problem in Mo., sure. Is the MDC doing what it can to stop it, only half-assed, just like antler restrictions, but that is another issue (what! the spikes and 6-pointers get to grow and breed as much as they like???). Only if they decide to get serious will any reduction happen. Will it ever totally work, probably not, but allowing hunting will most certainly not work. It does scatter the hogs.

I actually sit the fence. I like hog hunting, BUT I do not have row crops, just strip mine land not good for much but deer, raccoons, beavers and coyotes, and of course fishing.

quote:

Originally posted by TREE 'EM:
Dog hunters don't pursue Armadillos, yet they keep expanding their range in MO.
If there is suitable habitat and climate to sustain a species, they will in time expand their population to fill those areas.
Simple, basic biology.

Ted, your statement about dog hunters "scattering" a population is way off base. It has no more effect on hogs than it does on rabbits, deer, squirrels or coon. Also, please introduce me to the dog hunters who have allegedly "transplanted" hogs. I view that statement with the same credibility that the state transplanted Mt Lions here.

I could introduce you to several hog dog hunters from Wayne and Butler County....they might even show you the hog pens.

The problem for you though is you are not from Southern Missouri and I doubt they would show a Yankee much of anything with said Yankee leaving the same way he came in.

I'm very good friends with and hog hunt with several and know first hand what I'm talking about.......they only kill about half of what they catch with the dogs (sows) and they are rough tough SEMO boys for sure.

Wild hogs aren't as thick as the MDOC claims either

They will keep hunting hogs with dogs....this I can assure you

Larry, I think KS is cooking the books on their management program.
Ferral hogs are prolific breeders, exceptionally intelligent, and incredibly adaptable. The hogs will win regardless of the states approach to management.
All states would be better of to initiate a bounty system. That is proven effective to extirpate a species from the landscape.

I beleive the bear population in MO is much higher than the state published number. I base this on conversations with people around the state who have taken pics or have trail cam pics, coon hunters who have treed bear and the fact that they are distributed much further North than the state will admit. I have received 2 complaint calls from Washington, MO, my neighbor has pics of a bear in her yard and I found bear tracks in my creek in Warrenton MO.

Ted, I've been to 2 bay pen competitions near Doniphan MO so I do know a little about what I'm talking about. And no the dog men there did not shun me or run me off, just the same as they haven't shunned me or run me off in MS for the last 25+ seasons. But as always, thanks for your commentary and for proving that stereotypes do exist for a reason.

Coon dog competitions "coon clubs" are not into chasing hogs....and why would they? There isn’t any money in it.

The next time you decide to drive down you might want to look these guys up....they might even allow you to tag along some night.....but in the meantime please, by all means move back to NY

All are hard core hog dog hunters

Mike Green.......Silva
Lary Allen......Greenville
Mike Allen.....Lowndes.....possibly the best
Curtis Coundrey.....Williamsville.....a close second
Thomas Purl........Williamsville

Gigging season opens in 6 nights.....so the hogs will get some time off for a while

It's been quite amazing the people I've been "fortunate" to meet the past ten years looking for hogs.

The MDOC spread the word that there were hogs everywhere in Southern Missouri and people were encouraged to "help" exterminate them using any methods.

For about a year hardly a week would pass that a new group of hunters would knock on the front door or stop by the range asking for "help" finding hogs.....predominantly from the St Louis area but some were from as far away as Kansas City

That all cooled off and died down after word spread that these hogs were not easy to find.

I suspect to get new visitors knocking on my door or dropping by the range soon enough. In a couple years the "help" sought will be for elk and bear.....not hogs

Funny.....we have a few of those around the house too

We a very excited about these new hunting opportunities

Ted, bay pen competitions are hog dog events, not coon dog events.

You are correct that the hog population is thin in SEMO but it is pretty stout the further west you go in the state.

I've just got to know, are you this big of a douche face to face, or is it just behind the keyboard?

Thanks again for showing your true colors.

quote:

Originally posted by TREE 'EM:
Ted, bay pen competitions are hog dog events, not coon dog events.

You are correct that the hog population is thin in SEMO but it is pretty stout the further west you go in the state.

I've just got to know, are you this big of a douche face to face, or is it just behind the keyboard?

Thanks again for showing your true colors.

Funny....I suppose you don't want to run hogs at night......or go kill a tub of yellow suckers.....you're lose

I do however remember you mentioned some time ago that you were from New York and wished you could get out of Missouri

BTW...... plenty of stereotypes for nor-easterners too

TREE'EM, I think you are somewhat right about the numbers being somewhat higher than stated, but not much. The anti-hog program in KS is VERY active. In southern Kansas in some locations the helicopters run daily sometimes in winter. The thing for them is that we do not have as much brush and trees for hogs to hide in once the leaves fall. Shooting becomes easier.

I think you are also wrong about Ted. He is one of the guys on here I would hunt with any time. Never have, but I certainly would. He just speaks his mind and that works for me.

I will preface my remarks by saying I live in TX, not MO, but a hog is a hog, and they act the same no matter which state they are in...

I see a couple of problems with this thread. First, the statement that hog dog hunters disperse hogs.

It is a well known fact that sows are easily caught, and a boar will only run a couple of hundred yards before he bays. He will then proceed to back into the thickest stuff he can find and fight the dogs. So IF these hog dog hunters are not killing all the hogs they bay/catch, they are doing a disservice to the state. The biggest problem is these hog hunters don't chase and kill the sows. They chase the boars because of the trophy cutters some of the boars carry.

Secondly, if they are transplanting hogs and it is against the law, they are low life vermin, and I have no use for them.

Lastly, Ted, if you know these guys, hunt with these guys, and KNOW they are transplanting hogs, assuming it is against the law, why have YOU not turned them in?

As LarryS said, armadillos are expanding their range, and they are not being pursued. Hogs are incredibly prolific, and if they get a foothold there is darned little any of us OR any game and fish commission can do about it.

Look at TX. We are doing everything under the sun to stop hog populations from expanding, and so far have been pretty darned effective in accomplishing anything!

Kathi, my sincere apologies for continuing the hijack.

Doubless, I appreciate the input. The only thing I will say is that the dog hunters do really disperse the hogs. When they are running the hog, the rest of the sounder doesn't sit around and watch. They run like hell (disperse). Those are the ones the state talks about. I have seen them run for over a mile in Florida. The miles add up. It hurts the chances of trapping the entire group. That's all they are saying.

Again, I sit the fence, but I don't have row crops, just some up and down strip mine land where hogs would THRIVE since it is hard to get up and down.