More Bears Coming Out of Hibernation in the Show Me State

The Missouri Department of Conservation reports the state’s black bear population is bouncing back, especially in the south. Tracking radio collars and reports of bear sightings are the ways being used to estimate there are about 280 black bears living in Missouri. In 1940 the bears were almost extinct. Today, they are found in Shannon, Reynolds, Butler and Madison counties, with Madison County providing the best habitat for bears in the winter. Black bears will be ending their hibernation in April.