Missouri Reports Record 36-Bear Harvest for Completed 2026 Season

Missouri hunters harvested 36 black bears during the state’s 2026 season, a record total according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. The sixth annual hunt ran October 17–30 and has ended. MDC released the results November 2; the statewide maximum allowable harvest was 60 bears.

The harvest was concentrated in Bear Management Zone 1, where hunters took 29 bears against a maximum of 30. Zone 2 accounted for seven bears against a maximum of 22. No bears were harvested in Zone 3, which had a maximum of eight. Those unused portions of the quotas do not extend the season.

More than 5,200 hunters applied in May for 2,000 permits. MDC selected applicants through a random drawing, and close to 1,490 of those selected bought permits. The agency reported that 34 bears were taken with firearms methods and two with archery equipment. The harvest included 23 males and 13 females.

MDC Black Bear/Furbearer Biologist Nate Bowersock described the season as successful and credited the increased number of permits with giving more Missouri hunters an opportunity to participate. He also noted that hunters achieved the record harvest despite a potentially above-average acorn crop. That is the agency’s assessment of this season, not a forecast for the next one.

Missouri’s bear hunt is limited to state residents and to three Bear Management Zones in southern Missouri. Permits are zone-specific, and hunting must occur on public or private land within the designated zone. A permit does not replace the need for lawful access to the property being hunted.

For hunters following the program, the important distinction is between this completed season’s results and any future opportunity. The November 2 announcement reports the 2026 harvest; it does not announce 2027 permit allocations or season dates. Consult MDC’s bear hunting information for current requirements rather than treating this harvest report as an open-season notice.

Source: Missouri Department of Conservation’s November 2 harvest report.

Photo: Illustrative black bear beside water, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service media library, associated with Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery. Photo by Bob Turik/USFWS. Public domain. This is not a photograph of Missouri’s 2026 hunt or a harvested bear.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.