Hunters participating in Minnesota's bear season, which opens Thursday, are asked to avoid shooting radio-collared research bears. The bears are marked with large colorful ear tags or colorful streamers and should be easy to spot.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources researchers are monitoring about 35 radio-collared black bears, most of them in northwestern Minnesota, especially near Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area and the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge.
Additional radio-collared bears reside in and around the Chippewa National Forest, Camp Ripley, Cloquet Forestry Station and Voyageurs National Park.
Independent bear research also is being conducted between Ely and Tower near the Eagles Nest chain of lakes in northern St. Louis County.
"Hunters near these areas should be especially vigilant for these valuable research bears," said Dave Garshelis, DNR bear research biologist. "These animals provide long-term data on reproduction and habitat use that is invaluable for bear management across the state."
ADVERTISEMENT
While it's not illegal to shoot a collared bear, the DNR is imploring hunters to pass up the shot.
Many of the collars have global positioning units that collect and store data, which is downloaded by DNR researchers when they visit the bears in their dens. Long-term records of individual bears have been the cornerstone of information that helps the DNR monitor and manage the bear population, Garshelis said.
Several radio-collared bears with markings have been shot in recent years, leading for some calls to make it illegal to shoot research bears. DNR officials, however, note that a hunter may not be able to see a radio collar or ear tags in some situations. For this reason, taking a bear with a radio collar is legal unless the bear is accompanied by a researcher who has identified the bear to the hunter as a research animal.
Any hunters who shoot collared bears should call the DNR Wildlife Research office in Grand Rapids at (218) 327-4146.
