Bear hunting

Register your bear

Every bear taken must be registered. You can do this online, at a bear registration station, or through the mobile app.

2026 regulations

The new licensing system changes the way harvests are validated and registered. See the the regulations for details.

Help with conflicts

Sometimes human and bear conflicts need intervention. Use this form to learn more about how hunters can help.

A black bear stands in a clearing.

Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service


2026 season

Lottery application deadline May 1
Winner notification Late May
License purchase deadline Aug. 1
Licenses offered Listing by permit area
Unsold licenses offered Aug. 5 at noon
No quota licenses Available all season
Baiting begins Aug. 14
Hunting Sept. 1 - Oct. 18

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
Find licenses

Limits & requirements

Quota areas One adult bear per licensed hunter
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

Carefully review all BPA changes in the maps before applying:

  • BPA 451, which was in place for the 2020–2024 season, has been removed and now is part of the No-Quota Area.
  • Part of BPA 12 along the west side of Red Lake Reservation is now part of the No-Quota Area.
  • Part of BPA 46 on the west side of White Earth Reservation is now part of the No-Quota Area.
  • The Trout Lake Unit of the BWCAW is now included in BPA 22.
Bear season map

View the online map or Download BPA maps

Bear season map of areas 28 and 47

View the online map or Download BPA maps

View the online map or download for printing

Validation & registration

Step one - Validation: Before moving the animal, you must validate your harvest using either the mobile app (if you chose electronic when you purchased your license) or by notching the paper validation or marking it with a pen/marker. The validated paper does not need to be attached to the animal, but save it for registering your harvest and carry it with you while transporting the animal.

Step two - Registration: Hunters can register their animal using the mobile app, online at the DNR website, or if you chose a paper license, you can register at a bear registration station. Registration must be completed within 48 hours. Be sure to write your confirmation number on your validation tag.

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

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.

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