Minnesota DNR proposes bear permit area boundary revisions; public invited to comment

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is recommending changes to several bear permit area boundaries based on input from wildlife managers and Tribal requests, as well as an effort to align boundaries with consistent landscapes such as the edges between forested and agricultural lands, and reduce agricultural conflicts.

There have been relatively few changes to Minnesota’s bear permit area boundaries since the early 1990s. At that time, bears did not have the same geographic distribution in the state as they do now.

In areas with significant agricultural land use, bear hunting opportunities can help lower the level of conflict with agricultural land uses and bears.

The DNR’s recommended changes include portions of Mille Lacs and Morrison counties, portions of Becker and Mahnomen counties, and portions of Clearwater and Pennington counties.

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The proposal revises the boundary along portions of the no-quota area, where hunting licenses are not limited. An additional recommendation includes combining both bear permit area units in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness into one bear permit area to provide consistent regulations.

Detailed descriptions of the changes and maps of the proposed boundaries can be reviewed on the Minnesota DNR bear management webpage.

Comments can be submitted through Monday, March 17, by:

• Completing an online questionnaire found on the bear management webpage
• Emailing Dan Stark, large carnivore specialist, at Dan.Stark@state.mn.us
• Mailing Kelly Wilder, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources – FAW, 500 Lafayette Road, Saint Paul, MN 55155.

Additionally, people interested in learning more about the changes can attend a brief webinar about the changes from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, March 4. More information is available on the Minnesota DNR bear management webpage.