KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s bear population is growing. With it brings added challenges of living in bear country.

Whether you think these animals are cute teddy bears or are afraid of the 900-pound creatures, you might come across a bear in Missouri.

But hopefully it won’t be in front of your car. In late November, a driver struck and killed a bear on a rural central Missouri highway.

Learn more about the creature featured on the Missouri state flag from Nate Bowersock, black bear and furbearer biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

How many bears live in Missouri?

Approximately a thousand black bears live in Missouri, according to Bowersock.

Black bears are the only wild bear species living in Missouri today. Despite their name, Missouri’s black bears have a variety of coat colors, including black, brown and even blonde. The bears can be identified by their long muzzle and short tail, and weigh between 90 and 900 pounds.

How has Missouri’s bear population changed over time?

Black bears are native to Missouri, once thriving in the forests of the Show Me State. But by the late 1800s, logging and hunting had almost wiped the bears from the state, and the giant creatures were rarely spotted.

In the 1960s, Arkansas worked to restore their bear population by shipping in bears from Minnesota and Canada. Some of those animals went north, gradually increasing Missouri’s bear population.

In recent years, the bear population has grown from 300 in 2010 to 1,000 in 2024. The increase was so successful that in 2021, the Missouri began a short hunting season. In 2024, Missouri hunters harvested 15 bears during the 10-day hunting season at the end of October.

Now black bears are most common in the more tree-filled southern Missouri, south of Interstate 44. But they are spreading northward to gain territory and food.

How can I keep bears away from my home?

Bears have noses stronger than any tracking dog, Bowersock said, which means they can sniff out any food lying around.

If bears are active in your area, secure your garbage in a bear-resistant container, and don’t leave pet food or bird feeders sitting around.

What should you do if you see a black bear in Missouri?

Bowersock said to observe the bear from afar and refrain from feeding them.

“They’re more scared of us than we are of them,” he said.

He asked Missourians to report bear sightings to the Department of Conservation by using its online form.

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