Minnesota’s 2023 bear harvest is below average, so far

Grand Rapids, Minn. — About one-third of the way into Minnesota’s bear-hunting season, hunters have experienced serious weather extremes. The result? Bear harvest currently is 30% below last year’s harvest at this point in the season, according to a preliminary report from Dan Stark, the Minnesota DNR’s large carnivore specialist.

The season began with unbearable temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees in some areas. But halfway through last week, temperatures had dropped into normal ranges, reaching highs of 70s and even 60s in the northern part of the state. Hunters faced periods of wind, rain, sun, clouds, and everything in between.

The mixture of weather changes and widespread food availability for bears has made it tough for hunters to see and harvest bears. The harvest numbers that Stark is seeing haven’t occurred in more than a decade.

“You have to go back to about 2014 to see a comparison, and that year was an exceptionally good food year,” Stark said.

Larry Emery, bear-hunting guide and owner of Blooming Valley Outfitters in Badger, saw some success from hunters who faced the extreme heat and hunted during Labor Day weekend. The hunters he and his team took out that weekend saw favorable results.

“We had a phenomenal weekend ourselves,” Emery said. “I had 21 hunters come through camp, and I sent them home with 19 bears.”

Emery and Stark agreed that bears have plenty of natural foods right now. Acorns started dropping a couple of weeks ago, and berries and hazelnuts had average years.

Because there’s an abundance of natural foods, hunter bait stations are less frequently visited by bears. As of Monday, Sept. 11, Stark said 1,082 bears had been registered, according to the preliminary report.

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Stark added that typically 70% of the total bear harvest is complete by the end of the second week, but he said he could see some adjustments because of the extreme heat during Labor Day weekend. Hunters might wait until the third or fourth weeks to take advantage of cooler weather.

In 2014, 1,627 bears were registered for the entire season, according to Stark. He’s also noticing that females aren’t hitting bait stations as much this fall: 66% of the bear harvest has been males.

“We’re at about 66% of the bears registered are males and that’s a little bit higher than average,” Stark said. “We’re usually around 60%. In bad food years, it can be closer to 50%.”

With a lower harvest number, Stark said he’s not concerned about the population of bears. The DNR changes the number of licenses every year based on the population, so he doesn’t anticipate an overpopulation of bears this winter or upcoming spring.

There’s a month left in the bear-hunting season, and Emery said bears will get warier after being hunted for weeks, so it’ll be important to change up hunting areas. He suggests constant scouting to see where bears travel and determine the best spot for hunting that week or weekend.

For Emery, scent is huge and a necessity. He doesn’t want to spook the bears in any way, so covering his scent can be the difference between filling a bear tag or nothing.

A key area to hunt is anywhere near water, according to Emery. The drought conditions are forcing bears to be close to water sources.

“I’m always making sure wherever I hunt, I’m always near a water source,” Emery said. “That’s one of the key things I look for when I decide where I’m putting my bait.”

Stark agreed that bears will become wary, but also prepare themselves for winter and hibernation. He believes Minnesota could see numbers similar to the 2014 season at the end of this year’s hunting season, which would be below average compared to the past several years.

Stark reminds hunters to try and avoid harvesting bears with ear tags and collars. Those bears are used for DNR research. If a hunter does accidentally kill one, Stark encourages them to call the DNR and report the bear and return the ear tags and collar.