Missouri’s population of black bears definitely prefer the hills and forests that predominate in the southern part of the state, said Clarissa Lee, the Missouri Department of Conservation agent for Butler County.
“They definitely seem to stick to the hills,” Lee said. “They like the woods and the cover — easier places for them to make a home. As far as the state of Missouri goes, you can find them pretty well anywhere south of I-44 or south of the Missouri River. … That’s all bear territory. We’ve got a lot of hills and a lot of cover for them. So anywhere along through that area and south of there is pretty much fair game for bear country.”
And that includes Butler County.
“We are in bear country,” Lee said. “I know we don’t get them as often over here as other parts of the state, but we’re definitely in an area where they do exist.”
While Lee said the black bear that was seen near Hilliard last week has not been spotted since, she did offer advice on what people should do if they see a bear.
“If you see a bear, the best thing you can honestly do is you definitely don’t want to run — never run away. They might chase you if you run away,” Lee said. “Your best thing to do is stand tall. Try and make yourself as big as possible and just start making a lot of noise — shouting (things) like, ‘Hey bear!’ If you have something you can bang together (to make noise or some) rocks so you can throw at them if loud noise isn’t working. That’s the best thing to do if you see a bear.”
But what if a bear shows up in a person’s yard when they’re in the house?
“The best thing you can do is just definitely stay in your house,” Lee said. “You can observe it because that’s pretty neat — that doesn’t happen often. But don’t go outside — don’t mess with it. If it’s hanging around by your house for a couple of days, or even more than one day, if you have any type of dog food or cat food, anything that you’re feeding outside, that could be an attractant, it’s more than likely what’s keeping the bear around.”
Those attractants are best kept away from bears, possibly inside one’s house, Lee said.
If one sees a bear in Butler County, contact Lee at 573-300-3693 or the Southeast Regional Office of the Missouri Department of Conservation at 573-290-5730.