Get ready, hunters: Minnesota's bear hunting season is less than two weeks away.
Here's what you should know before it starts.
When is Minnesota's bear hunting season?
The season starts Sept. 1 and ends Oct. 12, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The legal shooting hours are from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
Who is eligible? Can I still get a license?
To be eligible, hunters need to be at least 10 years old. Anybody born after Dec. 31, 1979, who is 12 or older must have a firearm safety certificate or other evidence of completing a hunter safety course.
There are two types of licenses: a limited number of licenses for areas of the state with quotas and an unlimited number for the state's no-quota area.
A total of 4,605 licenses were offered through a lottery drawing in 15 quota areas, but the deadline to apply has already passed. The winning hunters were notified in mid-May and were able to purchase their licenses between June 1 and Aug. 1. Hunters with a license for a quota area are only allowed to hunt in the area listed on their license.
But if you missed out on the quota licenses, no-quota area licenses can be bought over the counter. The no-quota area includes large portions of southern and western Minnesota. It is legal to buy one quota license and one no-quota license in the same year.
The license fee varies depending on the hunter:
Minnesota resident 18 or older: $45
Youth, 10 to 12 years old: No fee, but must obtain a license.
Youth, 13 to 17 years old: $6
Nonresident 18 or older: $231
Related: Have you ever slept in a yurt? You can do just that at these Minnesota state parks
Is there a limit? What is the process after taking a bear?
The limit is one bear in a quota area and one bear in a no-quota area during any calendar year. Bears of either sex can be taken, except for cubs, which the Department of Natural Resources defines as bears less than a year old.
Hunters who take a bear must tag it using the site tag that comes with the hunting license. It must be fastened around the bear's sternum, through an ear or around a leg bone or tendon. The site tag must be validated by punching out or marking the date of the kill, the sex of the bear and whether it was taken by bow or firearm.
Hunters also must present their bear at a bear registration station within two days and obtain a big game possession tag. Bears can be registered by phone at 888-706-6367 or online, though hunters still need to get a tooth envelope from a registration station.
Every hunter is required to submit a tooth sample, which state researchers use to monitor the bear population.
How many bears did hunters take in 2024?
Hunters in Minnesota harvested a total of 3,530 bears in 2024, up significantly from 1,818 harvested in 2023, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Minnesota bear hunting: What to know before the 2025 season starts
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