2011 Black Bear Regulations

: Bear lottery winners must purchase their license by August 1, 2011. Unsold and

any surplus licenses will then become available for one week to those that applied but were not

selected in the lottery starting August 4, 2011 at 12:00PM. August 10, 2011 at 12:00PM any remaining

unsold license will become available to anyone. A list of available licenses will be posted

online on August 3, 2011.

Two types of hunting licenses are available: 1) Permit Areas: A total of 7,050 permits

were offered through a lottery drawing in 11 permit areas (see map). Hunters with licenses for

permit areas are allowed to hunt for bears only in the permit area listed on their license. 2) No-

Quota Areas: An unlimited number of permits are available for purchase over-the-counter to

take bears in the No-Quota Area, which is the part of the state outside of the 11 Permit Areas.

Both license types require that individuals be at least 10 years of age for

residents, 12 for nonresidents, prior to hunting, and have not had their big game hunting

privileges suspended pursuant to M.S. Section 97A.421. In addition, anyone born on or after

January 1, 1980, must have a Firearm Safety Certificate (or equivalent), or other evidence of

successfully completing a hunter safety course to obtain a bear hunting license.

No-Quota licenses may be purchased by any eligible person.

Licenses are available after June 1. No-Quota licenses are allowed only outside of the 11 permit

areas. Obtaining a No-Quota bear hunting license has no effect upon eligibility or preference in

drawings for Permit Areas.

$39.00 resident age 12 and over. Ages 10 and 11 must obtain a license, but will

pay no fee. $201.00 nonresident. Price includes issuing fee.

Licensing:

Eligible Hunters:

No-Quota License Purchase:

The bear hunting season is September 1 - October 16, in all Permit Areas and in

the No-Quota Areas.

Bag limit is one bear in quota zones and two bears in no-quota zones during any

calendar year whether by firearm or archery. Bears taken may be either sex or any age except

bear cubs. Cub bears are defined as bears less than one year old. No party hunting for bears is

allowed. This means no hunter may kill a bear for another hunter, and hunters may only tag a

bear they, themselves, have killed.

Legal shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after

Bag Limit:

Shooting Hours:

sunset.

BAIT STATIONS AND GARBAGE DUMPS

Definitions:

“Bait” is any material placed for the purpose of attracting or attempting to attract

bears. A bear “bait station” is any location where bait is placed for the purpose of hunting.

Materials that are at all times attended by the hunter are not considered a bait station.

The following materials may not be used as baits for bear.

• A carcass from a mammal containing more than 25 percent of the intact carcass.

• Meat from mammals that contains bones.

• bones of mammals;

• solid waste containing bottles, cans, plastic, paper, or metal;

• materials that are not readily biodegradable; or

• any part of a swine, except cured pork.

55-gallon drums, pails, plastic garbage bags, or other containers may not be left

unattended at bait stations.

A person may not hunt bears within 100 yards of a bait station,

unless it is registered and marked with a sign in accordance with the following regulations:

Requirement for Placing Bait: A person may not place bait for bears on

•

or after August 12 unless the person has a 2011 bear license or is operating

under the direction of a person with a 2011 bear license. If you are baiting

for someone else, you must have their MN DNR number in your possession.

•

Date: A person may not establish, service, maintain or place a sign for any bait station prior

to August 12. A person may not establish a bait station within 100 yards of any site where

bait has been placed before August 12.

•

Bait Station Registration: A person may not establish a bait station without registering

it with the DNR. The name, address, MN DNR number, and telephone number of the person

who established the bait station and the county, township, range, and section for which

the bait station is established must be mailed, no later than the next postal service day

after establishing the bait station. Bait station registration forms should be mailed to the

appropriate address as per the instructions on the forms.

•

Bait Station Signs: A person who establishes a bait station must display a sign at the site.

The sign must be made of plastic, wood, or metal and be at least 6-by-10 inches in size

and no more than 18- by-24 inches in size. The sign must contain the licensee’s name and

address; the licensee’s driver’s license number; or the “MDNR#” license identification number

for a licensed bear hunter or a licensed bear outfitter. The letters and numbers must be legibly

printed and either painted or impressed on the sign material. Bait station signs must be

prominently displayed between 6 and 10 feet above the natural ground level, and within 20

feet of the bait. Signs must be removed within 48 hours after the close of the bear season.

•

Other Baiting Provisions: A person may establish and maintain a bait station for someone

else, without payment, if the station is registered and displays a sign containing the name

and driver’s license number of the person who is actually doing the baiting and the name and

MN DNR number of the person for which the bait is placed. A person may not establish a bait

station within 150 yards of an established campsite. A person may not establish a bait station

in Bear Permit Area 22 (Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the portion of the

BWCAW outside of Bear Permit Area 22). A person may not establish a bait station or take a

bear within one-half mile of a garbage dump.

OTHER RESTRICTIONS

White Bears:

May not take a white bear. A white bear was present in parts of Northern MN in

1998, and hunters in all areas should be aware of this regulation.

May not take or disturb any bear in a den.

Dens:

Dogs:

May not take or attempt to take bears with the aid of dogs.

Archery-Firearms Restriction:

May take bears by archery while in possession of a firearm.

Sale of Meat, Organs, and Parts:

A person who takes a bear must tag it using the site tag that comes with the

person’s bear hunting license. The site tag must be fastened around the bears sternum (breast

bone), through an ear, or around a leg bone or tendon, in such a way that the tag cannot be removed.

See the deer tagging section of the Hunting and Trapping Handbook for tagging instruc

tions.

Validation:

You are required to validate the site tag by punching out or marking with a pen

the date of the kill, the sex of the bear, and whether taken by firearm or archery. This tag must

remain in the hunter’s possession and must be attached before putting the bear in a vehicle or

hanging it in camp.

A person who takes a bear must present it for registration at a bear registration

station within 48 hours after taking and obtain a Big Game Possession Tag. Registration stations

have large, orange “Big Game Registration” signs. A complete list of all stations is on the DNR’s

website at mndnr.gov. The possession tag must be affixed to the bear in the same manner as the

site tag before the animal may be transported from the registration station.

Bears may be skinned, quartered, or further

divided prior to transportation and registration, but all edible meat and all other parts of the bear

retained by the hunter must be presented for registration at the same time.

DNR researchers use the information from bear teeth to

monitor bear populations. Every person who kills a bear must submit a tooth sample to the DNR

(see instructions). Postage-paid envelopes for mailing the bear teeth to DNR are provided at

registration stations. Each person who kills a bear is responsible for mailing the envelope to the

DNR unless the registration station is collecting the materials. If you do not obtain an envelope

at the registration station, put the samples and relevant information in an ordinary envelope and

mail to: DNR Wildlife Research, Minnesota DNR, 1201 E. Highway 2, Grand Rapids, MN 55744.

All individuals who submit a tooth sample will be sent information on the age of their bear and a

bear cooperation patch.

Registration:

Sub-dividing Bears Prior to Registration: