Hunters kill 12 bears in Missouri’s first black bear season

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Conservation Department says hunters killed 12 black bears during the state’s first black bear hunting season. The hunt, which ran from Oct. 17 to Wednesday, was highly regulated. More than 6,300 people applied for 400 permits. Hunters were limited to a total of 40 bears, which is about 5% of the state’s black bear population. The department also divided the state into three zones and limited how many bears could be taken in each zone. Nine bears were taken in southwest Missouri and three were killed in western Missouri. Hunters did not harvest any bears in a zone running from southeastern Missouri to St. Louis.