Missouri approves framework for black bear hunting

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Conservation Commission on Friday approved a framework for the state's first black bear hunt since the conservation department was founded in the 1930s.

The hunt, scheduled for October, will be restricted to state residents in three "Bear Management Zones" in southern Missouri. Permit regulations and quotas will be determined in the spring.

Hunters will be permitted to shoot only lone bears and must not disturb bears in dens, or females with cubs, the agency said in a news release.

The agency estimates Missouri has between 540 and 840 black bears, and the population is growing by 9% a year.

Officials with the Humane Society criticized the decision, saying most state residents oppose the hunt.

"It's inconceivable that a governing body with the word 'conservation' in it ignored the best available science by voting today to open up trophy hunting on Missouri's small bear population," said Amanda Good, Missouri state director for the Humane Society of the United States. "What's even more disgraceful is the blatant disregard for the many Missouri residents who spoke out against the proposed season, and the shameful catering to the extreme minority who want to exploit our wildlife for a bearskin rug."