Missouri Bear

[jsig]

Just drew a MO bear tag (bmz2) for this October. Would be my first time bear hunting. Ive heard its difficult so I have very low expectations but am excited.
Probably a long shot but anyone here ever draw a bear tag for MO? Any success or trends found? From what I've read so far seems like a good starting point is oak ridges w/ isolated water holes.
Also is there any bear specific gear needed (can't bait in MO).

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Awesome. No specific gear needed. Find the isolated white oaks.

 

[nomadicbohunk]

In Vermont, basically everyone who is successful hunts a stand on a trail into a corn field. I mean, ecologically they are basically giant raccoons. Here you get a hold of a farmer and they usually have a list and then they call you when the last person got a bear. Not my cup of tea to hunt them like whitetails (I just go to Maine or NH and bait them), but it's very successful. My one buddy has a story about seeing 23 different ones in one sit, but that is way out of the norm. Farmers are usually cool about it as they knock down a ton of corn. Like acres. They make some pretty mean trails where they go in, so it's not hard to figure out.

 

[JM151]

I checked the website but says results not available

 

[Billogna]

A buddy of mine drew that tag a few years ago and was successful! Be ready to put in the miles! White oaks are the preferred food but depending on the year they will switch to whatever is readily available. Their diet is more akin to wild turkey than anything else. They also don't stick around in an area for long. It can occasionally be more like squirrel hunting! Don't forget to look up in the trees! He shot his bear about 40' ft up in a red oak on top of a ridge that year. White oaks just weren't dropping. GOOD LUCK!! Be sure and post plenty of pics or a write up!!

 

[jsig]

I checked the website but says results not available

I got an email saying I drew

 

[TLammert]

Never bear hunted mo. I am a mo resident but I’m not putting in until we can bait. Just spent a week in Canada and I don’t mind driving or spending the money for the experience we all had. Only one night everyone didn’t see at least 10 bears out of 8 guys. Good luck! Hopefully you get one and share the photos on this forum when you do!

 

[Clatta]

I got mine for zone 3.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Dang, I would be putting in every year if I still lived there. Residents only can apply.

Congrats, hope to see a pic.

 

[jsig]

Never bear hunted mo. I am a mo resident but I’m not putting in until we can bait. Just spent a week in Canada and I don’t mind driving or spending the money for the experience we all had. Only one night everyone didn’t see at least 10 bears out of 8 guys. Good luck! Hopefully you get one and share the photos on this forum when you do!

Yea I get that. I know its going to be near impossible. But Im mostly going into it as a deer hunt w/ a bear tag in my pocket.

I will consider just seeing one a win. Especially cause i want to do it myself, ie not calling around looking for nuisance bears.

 

[jsig]

I got mine for zone 3.

Nice! Good luck

 

[TLammert]

Yea I get that. I know its going to be near impossible. But Im mostly going into it as a deer hunt w/ a bear tag in my pocket.

I will consider just seeing one a win. Especially cause i want to do it myself, ie not calling around looking for nuisance bears.

Yeah I’ve never seen a bear where we deer hunt or I would definitely feel different about it.

 

[Rdbear]

I got mine for zone 3.

Great! Goodluck on it.

 

[OneGunTex]

Im mostly going into it as a deer hunt w/ a bear tag in my pocket.

CONTACT MDOC BEFORE TAKING THIS ADVICE

In another state I lived in where baiting was illegal, it was LEGAL to sit over a deer gut pile. So a common and successful strategy was to find an area with decent populations, shoot the first doe that walks by, and then hang out in the general vicinity for the rest of your hunt.

Following to see how your hunt goes

 

[cbuck516]

I'm a Missouri resident and you couldn't pay me enough money to waste an elk season in the mountains chasing bears in Missouri. I really don't go out much until there have been at least a few freezes to reduce the ticks, but I am on the southern border.

The people around me that have been successful have used trail cameras on isolated water sources to pattern them. Doesn't sound like a very fun hunt to me when October is frequently in the 80s where I live.

 

[jsig]

I'm a Missouri resident and you couldn't pay me enough money to waste an elk season in the mountains chasing bears in Missouri. I really don't go out much until there have been at least a few freezes to reduce the ticks, but I am on the southern border.

The people around me that have been successful have used trail cameras on isolated water sources to pattern them. Doesn't sound like a very fun hunt to me when October is frequently in the 80s where I live.

Fair. An elk hunt out west is on the dream to-do list. Just haven't gotten to make it happen yet. So this will do for now

 

[Ozarkansas]

If you haven’t already, look up the bear grease bear hunting magazine podcasts “the sheep hunt of the south” and watch the YouTube videos of the same name. It’s all about hunting bears in the Ozarks/Ouachitas on public land not using bait. I’m in Arkansas, where bear numbers are higher, but my friends and I have begun to see bears pretty regularly by just covering a ton of ground and finding food sources that are being used by bears (and everything else).

Idk if your tag allows you to hunt public land, but if it does, definitely don’t waste this opportunity- if nothing else it will make you a much better hunter, and it will give you a unique experience that’s not quite a western hunt but equally challenging and rewarding

Edit: also, look up the MDC’s black bear plan- there’s some excellent intel in there. Cross reference that with huntable public land. I like areas that get a decent amount of burning and thinning. Permethrin your clothes and be prepared for 8-12 mile scouting days, far from main roads.

 

[Pilsner]

Check out Doug Booze's book about calling black bears with predator calls. Ultimate Guide To Black Bears IIRC.
The suggestion for the OLD Bear Hunting Magazine podcast are spot on.
Bears basically large raccoons. Find the food source of that day/hour (because their food sources change that fast!) and you will find the bears.