I’m trying to figure out what our DNR is doing 
They are saying 2500 less bear tags again this year 
This is just unreal to me ! Again last year we had TONS of bears on camera , Many had 3 cubs and we also had many sites with 3 dif bears coming in 
This is getting crazy and thinking it could take a guy more that just one point to draw a tag now 
NO!! 
Takes about 6 – 8 years to get one in WI! 
Thats crazy its been two years since i have gone but plan on going again soon, and that is down right dumb, our group also almost always goes 100% kill ratio.
Bear hunt applications open April 1, new rule sets purchasing deadline
(Released March 28, 2011)
Applications for this fall’s bear hunt will be accepted beginning Friday, April 1, at any Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) license agent and online.
New this year is a requirement that hunters who are selected in the annual lottery purchase their licenses by Friday, July 29. The remaining licenses can be made available to other hunters.Applications for this year’s bear hunt, which runs from Thursday, Sept. 1, to Sunday, Oct. 16, will be accepted through Friday, May 6.
Applications also are available at the DNR License Center in St. Paul or by phone at 888-665-4236.
A total of 7,050 licenses are available in 11 permit areas. Although almost 2,500 fewer bear licenses are available this year over last year’s total of 9,500, the drop isn’t as dramatic as it appears, said Dan Stark, DNR wildlife specialist.
Until this year, DNR adjusted the number of licenses available upward because about 30 percent of successful applicants did not purchase a license. By implementing the purchasing deadline and allowing unclaimed licenses to be sold, the number of licenses is expected to better reflect the actual number of bear hunters.
“Historically, unclaimed licenses went unused because only successful lottery applicants could buy them,” Stark said.
In 2010, 7,086 hunters actually purchased a license. Those hunters were chosen from a pool of 18,647 applicants for the available 9,500 permit area licenses. Hunters harvested a total of 2,699 bears.
Following the July 29 deadline, anyone who applied for a license but was not selected may purchase any remaining licenses starting at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 3. If licenses still remain, any hunters who did not participate in the lottery may purchase a license starting at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 10.
Bear licenses cost $38 for residents and $200 for nonresidents. The bag limit is two bears in the no-quota area and one bear in all quota permit areas.
Stark said bear harvest goals remain essentially unchanged from the 2010 season, with the exception of permit area 24. In this area, hunter numbers will be reduced to allow the black bear population to increase.
Complete information on the fall bear hunt is available on the DNR website.
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My opinion is that now the people that truly want to go bear hunting will have a better chance of getting a tag. In the past 30% of the people that applied for a tag and got one did not buy it and that tag went unused. Now if someone gets a tag and does not buy it another person that really wants to go bear hunting will have a chance to buy that tag that would have gone unused before and go hunting.
Before the anti-hunting people could apply for a tag for free and if they got one they would not have to buy it and keep another hunter from hunting. The number of actual hunters in the woods in the permit areas stays about the same, 7,086/7,050.
Makes sense to me on the tag thing. Not even a population thing yet. Just a way to increase the harvest rate without increasing amount of tags for a bunch to go unused. Actually smart for a DNR to do that. Now the anti’s have to spend some money to keep you out of the woods!
It’s nice to see a well thought out explanation. So, maybe my odds of drawing aren’t so bad. 
This will definatly put more hunters in the woods. This can be good but from my Experience the increased hunting pressure reduces your chances of daylight sightings of the bigger smarter bears. More baits per square mile doesn’t Necessarily mean that more bears will be shot.
Just my .02
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This will definatly put more hunters in the woods. This can be good but from my Experience the increased hunting pressure reduces your chances of daylight sightings of the bigger smarter bears. More baits per square mile doesn’t Necessarily mean that more bears will be shot.
Just my .02
Bob you are 100 % correct on this and we have found the same in our area, More hunters the less you have action during light hours 
I’m not sold on this about people getting more tags either ! I understand the anti not buying tags and stuff but they keep cutting tags every year and last year was the first year over half of us didn’t get a tag .. I guess we will see after this years draw and see everyones take on this 
Our zone is down to 350 tags Used to be 1500
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/recreation/hunting/bear/bear-regs.pdf
Quote:
This will definatly put more hunters in the woods. This can be good but from my Experience the increased hunting pressure reduces your chances of daylight sightings of the bigger smarter bears. More baits per square mile doesn’t Necessarily mean that more bears will be shot.
Just my .02
Try to tell that to WI or MI bait sitters. They will tell you that you are full of it. They don’t see bear because of the hounds only!!! At least in the northern zones that is what you will hear. More baits all of a sudden, mast crops, deer hunters, bird hunters, other people. Have no affect on the bear. Imagine that! 
Quote:
Quote:
This will definatly put more hunters in the woods. This can be good but from my Experience the increased hunting pressure reduces your chances of daylight sightings of the bigger smarter bears. More baits per square mile doesn’t Necessarily mean that more bears will be shot.
Just my .02
Try to tell that to WI or MI bait sitters. They will tell you that you are full of it. They don’t see bear because of the hounds only!!! At least in the northern zones that is what you will hear. More baits all of a sudden, mast crops, deer hunters, bird hunters, other people. Have no affect on the bear. Imagine that!
We are just talking MN here
I realize that. Was trying to make a point about the reason the bear were going nocturnal.
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