Minnesota Bear Hunt Lottery Applications Are Available Now

If you want to participate in the upcoming Minnesota bear hunting season within a quota area, now is the time to take action and get in on the license lottery or you may get left out.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced recently that prospective bear hunters only have until Friday, May 3 to apply for a bear hunting license. Bear hunting season opens on Sunday, September 1.

How Many Bear Hunting Licenses Will Be Issued In Quota Areas?

According to the DNR, a total of 4,030 licenses are available in 15 quota areas where licenses are limited for the 2024 season. These license quotas are similar to what was available for the 2023 season.

They add that the number of licenses available each year in the quota area is based on Minnesota’s bear population trends for those areas. For the upcoming season, the trends show the bear population has stabilized and is slowly increasing, in part because of recent conservative license quotas.

An Important Permit Area Changes To Note

Bear hunters who plan to apply for bear permit area 51 should review the boundaries for newly created bear permit area 53 to ensure they select the right area they intend to hunt.

A total of twenty licenses will be available in area 53, which DNR created at the request of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Map Of Minnesota Permit Areas

Bear Hunting License Lottery Winners Will Be Notified by Saturday, June 1

Once lottery winners are notified, they will have until Thursday, August 1, to purchase their bear hunting license. Any remaining unpurchased licenses will be made available over the counter starting at noon on Tuesday, August 6.

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What About Hunting Licenses In No-Quota Areas?

The Minnesota DNR says an unlimited number of bear licenses will be sold over the counter for the no-quota area that includes east-central and far northwestern Minnesota. Hunters need to remember that no-quota licenses are valid only in the no-quota area.

Hunters with either a quota or no-quota license who are interested in taking a problem bear should contact the DNR wildlife manager for their area(s) of interest to be added to the hunter contact list for any opportunities that might arise.

Minnesota Wildlife Area Offices

Complete instructions on how to apply for a bear hunting license, maps of permit areas, and a listing of permit availability for each area are readily available by visiting the Minnesota DNR website.

States with the most registered hunters

Stacker analyzed data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine which states have the most registered hunters. Read on to see how your state ranks on Stacker’s list.

Gallery Credit: Meagan Drillinger

Quiz: Do you know your state insect?

Stacker has used a variety of sources to compile a list of the official state insect(s) of each U.S. state, as well as their unique characteristics. Read on to see if you can guess which insect(s) represent your state.

Gallery Credit: Andrew Vale

Source: Minnesota Bear Hunt Lottery Applications Are Available Now