In documents related to Missouri Department of Conservation's black bear hunting proposal, the Missouri Conservation Commission said it received comments from 1,059 people and organizations.
The commission adopted the resident black bear hunting permit Dec. 11 and responded to several subthemes from the comments, including concerns that “bears should be protected from trophy hunting.”
“The commission does not consider the proposed black bear hunting season to be a ‘trophy hunting season’ as indicated in many comments, but rather a season consistent with other game species such as deer, turkeys, and elk,” the documents stated. “Educational materials will be developed for hunters to learn proper cleaning and processing of harvested bears, information on commonly edible portions and proper care (and) cooking of bear meat.