Read this important notice
Unless otherwise specified, all dates and information on this page apply to the 2022 season, which is closed. Details for 2023 will be available in April. Season dates for 2023 are available by browsing to the bear section of the hunting and trapping seasons page.
News & notices
Bear guides updated
The sortable list of bear guides and outfitters has been updated. DNR provides this list as a courtesy. Being listed does not constitue an endorsement.
See a bear, report a bear
Minnesota's black bear range has been slowly expanding southward and westward. If you see a bear outside of the animal's normal range, report it to the DNR.
2022 regulations available
Updated bear hunting regulations for the 2022 season now are available. Please download this PDF file and view it using Acrobat Reader.
Season
| Lottery application deadline | May 6 |
| Winner notification | May 20 |
| Licenses on sale | June 1 |
| License purchase deadline | Aug. 1 |
| Unsold licences available | Noon on Aug. 4 |
| Area 451 licenses available | Aug. 5 |
| Permits available | Listing by permit area |
| Baiting begins | Aug. 12 |
| Hunting | Sept. 1 - Oct. 16 |
Licenses
| Resident, age 18 and older: $45 (includes fee) |
| Non-resident, age 18 and older: $231 (includes fee) |
| Ages 13-17, regardless of residency: $6 (includes fee) |
| Ages 10-12, regardless of residency: $1 issuing fee |
Limits & requirements
| Quota areas | One adult bear per licensed hunter; includes permit area 451 |
| No-quota area | One adult bear per licensed hunter |
| All areas | Successful hunters must submit a tooth sample |
| Don't shoot collared bears |
Methods
| Firearm legal for big game |
| Bow and arrow legal for big game |
Tagging & registration
A person who takes a bear must tag it appropriately before transporting it. You may register a bear at a bear registration station, by phone, or the internet, but you must also obtain a bear tooth envelope at a bear registration station. To register in person, the hunter must present the harvested bear for registration at a bear registration station within 48 hours after taking and obtain a big game possession tag. See complete rules in the tagging and registration section of the bear hunting regulations.
Bait stations
A person may not place bait for bears unless the person has a current year bear license or is operating under the direction of a person with a current year bear license. Registration of all bait stations is required. See complete rules in the bait stations section of the bear hunting regulations.
Guides & outfitters
DNR provides names and contact information for current year licensed bear outfitters when all registrations are complete. This is not an endorsement of any individual on the list. We do not provide referrals or other types of information, and licensure by the state does not mean that the outfitter has been certified as to competence, quality of hunt, success, etc.
Resources
- Hunt regulations
- Don't shoot collared and ear-tagged bears
- Tooth samples
- Hunting in the BWCA
- Hunting licenses - find license agents or purchase licenses by phone or the internet
- Sunrise and sunset data
Learn to hunt
Do you value strong connections to your outdoors and the food you eat? Are you looking for a new way to interact with the fields, woods, and waters around you?
Then discover September forests with help from our getting started guide to bear hunting.
Management
Hunting is only one aspect of the DNR's effort to manage bear for the public trust. We are committed to socially and ecologically responsive and responsible bear management for the benefit of all Minnesotans now and into the future.
- Visit our bear management page to learn about the many things we do to manage this large and reclusive mammal
- Access reports and surveys in the bear hunting archive