Minnesota bear hunters are likely to shoot somewhat fewer bears this fall than they did last year, according to a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources biologist.
Based on the pace of previous years’ harvests, bear hunters this fall are expected to take between 1,700 and 1,800 bears, down from 1,866 last year, said Dan Stark, the DNR’s large carnivore specialist in Grand Rapids.
Through Monday, hunters had taken 1,212 bears, Stark said.
Last year’s bear harvest was the lowest since 1988, and the DNR reduced the number of permits available to hunters this year in hopes that the bear population would begin to rebound. A total of 3,750 bear permits were issued this fall.
Minnesota’s bear hunt opened Sept. 1 and continues through Oct. 12.
So far in this fall’s hunt, about 62 percent of the bears taken have been males, Stark said. On average, the ratio in the harvest is about 55 percent males and 45 percent females, he said. The higher proportion of males in this fall’s harvest so far is good, Stark said.
“More on the male side is better if we want to increase the bear population, which is what the goal is,” he said.
The bear population has declined from 20,000 to 25,000 in 2001 to the current 12,000 to 15,000, according to the DNR.
While DNR biologists aren’t concerned about overall bear numbers in the state, they are concerned that the average age of adult females has dropped from about 4 to 3 in recent years. Females don’t have their first cubs until age 4, 5 or older, said Dave Garshelis, the DNR’s bear project leader in Grand Rapids.
Wisconsin bear hunt
The bear harvest quota in Northwestern Wisconsin was raised from 1,200 to 1,600 this fall in hopes that hunters would take more bears, thereby easing human-bear conflicts. The harvest appears to be going well so far, said Greg Kessler, wildlife manager at Brule for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
“With more tags issued, we may be seeing a slightly lower success rate, but we’re right on track with where we hoped (the harvest) would be,” Kessler said.
His assessment is based on informal contacts with registration stations across Zone D, which includes Northwestern Wisconsin.
“The average size of bears harvested has been running around 200 pounds,” Kessler said. “That’s slightly above average.”
Wisconsin’s bear season opened Sept. 3 and closes Sept. 30 or Oct. 7, depending on zone and hunting methods.
