REGIONAL— Anyone hoping for a 2022 bear permit has until Friday, May 6, to apply. The DNR will be issuing a total of 3,605 permits across the quota zone, which encompasses all of northeastern, north-central, and much of central Minnesota.
While the total number of permits to be offered is on par with recent years, the DNR will be offering fewer permits in most of northeastern Minnesota. “Several permit areas in northern Minnesota require additional permit reductions to stabilize their populations,” stated the DNR in a press release.
The DNR is offering 360 permits in bear management area (BMU) 25, which includes most of northern St. Louis and eastern Koochiching counties, and an additional 425 permits in BMU 31, which includes much of eastern St. Louis and all of Lake and Cook counties (outside the BWCAW). Those permit numbers represent a 13-percent decline from recent years, when the DNR issued 400 permits in BMU 25 and 500 in BMU 31. BMU 24, which encompasses most of central St. Louis County, including the Iron Range, will see fewer permits as well, with 135 to be issued this year, compared to 175 in 2020, a nearly 23 percent decline. Back-to-back poor food years in those areas led to a higher-than-expected bear harvest the past two years, along with a higher-than-average percentage of female bears.
Meanwhile, the DNR will be issuing more permits in BMUs in central Minnesota, where the bear population appears to be stable or slightly increasing. The DNR also issues an unlimited number of bear permits for areas outside the quota zone, which includes more agricultural parts of the state.
Applications for the 2022 season can be submitted online, or completed at any DNR license agent or via telephone at 888-665-4236. Lottery winners will be notified by Wednesday, June 1. The deadline to purchase bear hunting licenses awarded by lottery is Monday, Aug. 1. Any remaining unpurchased licenses will be available over the counter starting at noon Thursday, Aug. 4.
Complete instructions about how to apply for a license, maps of permit areas and a listing of permit availability for each area are available on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/Hunting/Bear).