Hunters kill 12 black bears killed in Missouri's first season

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Hunters killed 12 black bears during Missouri's first black bear hunting season, the Missouri Conservation Department said Thursday.

The hunt was allowed after the state's black bear population grew to about 800, with most in southern Missouri.

More than 6,330 people applied for 400 permits for the hunt, which limited the total number of bears that could be taken to 40.

The hunt, which began Oct. 17 and ended Wednesday, was divided into three zones.

Hunters took nine bears in Southwest Missouri and three in the western zone. No bears were killed in a zone stretching from Southeast Missouri to St. Louis, the department said.

The 40 bear maximum limit was only about 5% of the state's total bear population, said bear biologist Laura Conlee.

Black bears were abundant in Missouri forests before European settlement but were nearly eliminated by unregulated killing in the late 19th century and habitat loss in the Ozarks.

Their numbers have rebounded in the last 50 years and the population is expected to double in the next 10 years, the conservation department said.