X2 this right here. I don't mind the low hunter density but hate the 5 year wait. MN. Won't get my money but Canada will.

Just had that exact same conversation with a couple state senators a few weeks ago at the Minnesota Bear Guides Assn. They didn't like the idea that money is crossing the border rather than staying in the state. The guides Assn is in favor of fewer tags, but not this few. We are losing a lot of business to Canada. The no-quota guides are mopping up though. Higher prices than ever and full camps.

According to the guys in the Detroit Lakes office of the MNDNR, the state uses a 33% to 35% hunter success rate as the baseline for the number of bears that want to be harvested each year. The past two seasons have been abnormally high, reportedly something like 65% two years ago and over 50% last year, so it only makes since that they reduced the number of tags to let the population recover. Does it need it or is there just that many more bears? That is an argument that will go on until the end of time and you won't win when talking to the MNDNR. I don't know that the folks chatting on here are any indication of the state wide harvest this year but is sounds like people are being pretty successful again. The couple of hunters I know that hunted SW Zone 12 went 1 for 2 (50%) so far but I think they are giving up for the year.

With all that said, if anyone in Zone 12 is looking to remove a bear from their land next year I am offering up my services. I had 4 points this year and was unsuccessful drawing a tag so I would think I have a very good chance of getting a tag next year. I would do all my own baiting and everything else. Just PM if that is something you might consider. I have typically hunted in the SW part of the zone but am open to hunting other areas of the zone if the opportunity arises.

Schmattz

Scmattz you’re closer to the no quota zone, ever consider hunting there and avoid the point issue?

I definitely could hunt the no Quota area but for the cost of the out of state tag, $235 last time I hunted, I would rather make sure that I am in areas that I know there are bears. I have done some door knocking in the No Quota area just west of Zone 12 so that I could hunt more than once every 5 years but getting permission these days is quite tough. Either they don't want hunters or guides have all their land tied up. Even 20+ miles west of zone 12. I am not sure how far east I would have to go from home, likely to DL if not further, to find a decent population of bears but I also have no connections in those areas.

Schmattz

They do not factor in the success rates in the No-quota so it was not high last year, but it was high in 2021. Anything over 40% is higher than average. It's really spotty this year but in many zones, the harvest is way down so those areas are likely to see a few more tags in the future. They, and by they I mean mainly one guy, Andy Tri the bear biologist, is in a slow growth mode so there will be a few more tags in areas where the harvest is low. If you watch the videos I give some numbers for outfitters that normally run 50-80% success rate and they are mostly well below that this year. Last I heard Lindley was now over 20 bears for 63 hunters, but that's way below his average.

IMO the DNR really made a mistake when they allowed 2 bears for a year or two. I think they screwed up something with the age classes and it had an impact on future potential breeders. It was then that I noticed less bears in my area. Seems to have been improving but still I don’t think it is what it was 25 years ago.

They definitely over harvested up until about 2002, but now some areas are higher population than ever. They want to keep the population at a high level and are over-protective of making the same mistake again.

You'll never hear them admit it, but with the current state administration, I am convinced they would rather have bears and wolves eating deer fawns than hunters harvesting them. Quite a bit of anti-hunting pressure from the top coming down.

Got some interesting information on area 12. As of September 11th 24 bears have been registered. Area 12 is the only area showing a declining bear population. The decline is attributed to over harvest during the 2 bear per tag debacle and a shortage of berries moving bears into the ag areas to the west.

I’ve lived and hunted area 12 for nearly 30 years and this follows my observations. About 3 years ago our established baits deep in the forest went dead. These were sites that had been used for many years and always had multiple bears on them. The bears we harvested in 21 and 22 were taken along the west edge of the area in oaks along ag.

The population in 12 is expected to rebound.