Minnesota Mixed Bag: Don’t forget to buy your bear hunting licenses

St. Paul — Bear hunters who entered the lottery for bear hunting licenses should check their mail to see if they were selected for a license. The Minnesota DNR began sending postcards to lottery winners during the first week of June.

Hunters also can check the DNR’s website to see if they were selected. The deadline to purchase a lottery bear license is Saturday, Aug. 1. Unsold lottery-awarded licenses will be available to any eligible person on Wednesday, Aug. 5, beginning at noon.

Hunters who wish to buy licenses online or via the new mobile app will need to create their online account before buying a license. Anyone who has purchased a license online, by phone, or in person in the past will need their nine-digit MNDNR number (visible on their latest license) ready to input when creating their account in the new system.

A how-to video on signing in to the electronic licensing system is available on YouTube (see below). People wanting to purchase an unsold license are advised to create an online account ahead of time, because the licenses sell out quickly.

APPLY BY AUG. 14 FOR PRAIRIE CHICKEN LOTTERY

St. Paul — Hunters can apply through Friday, Aug. 14, to be chosen for one of the 117 licenses available for the 2026 Minnesota prairie chicken hunting season. The nine-day prairie chicken season begins Saturday, Sept. 26, and is open to Minnesota residents only. The hunt takes place in northwest Minnesota between St. Hilaire and Breckenridge.

Hunters who are awarded a license in the lottery are required to purchase it prior to hunting. Details about the prairie chicken season are available on the Minnesota DNR website.

MORE COVERAGE FROM MINNESOTA OUTDOOR NEWS:

Outdoor Insights: Meet Griffith Pugh, a 20-year-old leader on Minnesota’s conservation scene

Minnesota DNR seeks input on three-duck limit proposal

Isle Royale closes two campsites amid wolf activity

MELISSA BACHMAN HOSTS FLEET FARM DEER SEMINAR SERIES IN AUGUST

St. Cloud, Minn. — Get ready for deer season with hunter and outdoors TV personality Melissa Bachman during Fleet Farm’s free 2026 Deer Hunting Seminar Tour, Aug. 10-15. The tour will visit stores in St. Cloud, Rochester, and Blaine, Minn., Hudson, Marshfield, Appleton, and DeForest, Wis., Mason City, Iowa, and Sioux Falls and Rapid City., S.D.

Bachman will share practical advice on bowhunting, shooting accuracy, trail-camera use, scent control, attracting deer, selecting firearms and calibers, processing wild game with LEM Products, and getting the entire family involved in hunting. Each seminar also includes a live question-and-answer session, giving attendees an opportunity to seek guidance ahead of the fall season.

Everyone who attends will receive a free giveaway bag featuring Wildlife Research Center Scent Killer Gold laundry detergent strips and other items. Attendees also will be entered to win a prize package valued at more than $1,000 at each store. Bring a friend, arrive early, and sharpen your skills before hunting season begins.

Learn more at www.melissabachman.com

CANADIAN COUPLE KILLED IN BEAR ATTACK AT SASKATCHEWAN’S MCTAVISH LAKE

Regina, Saskatchewan — The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported last week that family and friends were mourning the loss of Regina residents Jay and Deb MacDonald, saying the couple died in a bear attack at McTavish Lake in north-central Saskatchewan on Wednesday, July 15.

Deb MacDonald’s brother, Donjames LeBlanc, told the CBC the couple flew into McTavish Lake for fishing and to stay at their cabin. The couple had previously talked about numerous black bears in the area, he said. McTavish Lake is a fly-in lake 90 km north of La Ronge.

The Ministry of Community Safety confirmed in a release last Friday that a bear was involved in the deaths. Conservation officers sent to the scene located and euthanized a bear suspected to be involved in the incident. It’s being transported to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine for a necropsy.

Fatal bear attacks in the province have been rare; however, in May, a 27-year-old man was killed in a bear attack at a remote uranium exploration site in northern Saskatchewan. That was the fourth known fatality resulting from a bear encounter in the province’s history.

DNR OFFERING $1.7M IN COMMUNITY GRANTS TO ADDRESS EMERALD ASH BORER EFFECTS

St. Paul — The DNR is offering $1.7 million in community grants to address the impact of emerald ash borer on forests. Applications will open Aug. 3 for the 2026 Protect Community Forests Grants. Funds for these community grants are made available thanks to the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.

Visit the DNR website for information about the grants, including both virtual and in-person info opportunities, and for guidance on the application process.