My wife just texted me that I got my notification in the mail. I can already taste BBQ bear ribs.

Anybody else get lucky?

I forgot to apply. How many points did it take in your area?

We want a detailed story of the hunt! Good for You Sam.

Don’t know, but can’t wait to check the mailbox when I get home today! Good luck this fall! Happy trapping! ScottW

Good deal Sam! I have another 3 years to wait.

I believe that I only had 3 points. I'll check, and if I'm wrong I'll post a correction.

I might try to video it. If I get that done, perhaps I can talk one of the smart folks on here into posting the video.

Just talked to my brother, he also hit a tag. Ought to be even more fun.

I am surprised that in MN you have to apply for bear permits and they are not just available over the counter. Here in New Jersey we can shoot one in October and another in December. Farmers can easily get a damage permit to shoot them basically year around. For hunters you only need a hunting license then a 2 dollar bear permit. Bow, crossbow, Muzzleloader or shotgun with slugs only.

We could use a little bit of that here.
I am not a biologist, and don't have any studies to back my opinion up, but we have too many bears in this part of the state.

Yeeha! Happy baiting! ScottW

Congratulations Scott!

Every year if I want to go.

Think it'd be pretty cool to take a NJ bruin. Hear you guys have some big ones.

Congrats, Scott and Sam ! Looking forward to the season on your all's behalf.

There’s a draw system for black bear in Minnesota? They’re friggin everywhere here, no wonder…. You’re barely taking any wolves, bear are draw only, what’s going on there?…….lol
Or is it a draw for only certain areas?

It is a draw for certain areas. Then there is the no quota area where you can just go buy a tag. Some of those areas are full of bear also.

Copy that backroads, sounds better.

You must be fairly close to the no quota area, aren't you? Or am I mistaken?

Yes I am only 8 miles from the line. I have baited in that area before with success baiting. The only problem here is all the agriculture land. When corn gets ripe that's where the bears head. Most all private land and can be tricky getting on the right piece. A lot of hardwoods here also and you know what happens when the acorns fall.

Backroadsarcher, you need to get in that corn with a heavy rifle. Keep the wind in your face and be ready for close quarters shooting. Lol.

A couple of bears from this spring on my beaver pile

That second bear sure looks like a good one. I wish we had a spring season.

That would be nice.

That's not as bad as here. Last I heard it was about 5-6 points. And there is a lot of bears around.

Where abouts are you roughly?

They are thick around here. To the point that plenty of folks anymore view them s a pest like a coyote or porcupine.

No E-mail so i figure I will have 3 NR points going into next year.'

What area are you applying for, Mike?

Unit 12 here takes 6 to 7 years usually to get drawn,this my 5th year,couldn't find anything yet,by the 25th we usually find out!Way too many bears up here too.....

31.

Hopefully I get drawn next year #6,but I wont hold my breath on that!!!!!!!!!!!!Our DNR wildlife people are special!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!^%$#%^T^R$%#^&657i67uew86q

I agree Rick that is to long. We are about 5 yrs. between getting drawn and that is getting to be to much. There are way to many bear complaints in our area every year and it gets worse by the year.

It's getting to a point that folks are not complaining. I would love to know how many bears are getting wasted now that more folks are viewing them like vermin. I'd much rather see more licenses, and actually have the bears get utilized as opposed to being dragged off to the back forty to rot.

I agree Sam. The thing is the only good thing about getting drawn every 5 years is that there are no hunters in the area we hunt. But at one time I was getting drawn every other year. I was getting my bear but there were bear hunters behind every tree. I don't know what the right thing the DNR could do.

I've always wondered how a spring season would go. We could double the opportunity without increasing the competition. Maybe there's a reason that it wouldn't be a good idea, but it seems to work out elsewhere. And I don't think the DNR wants to lower bear numbers anyway.

I don't know. In a month when the breeding starts we will have bears being hit on the roads. We have road kill bears here all the time in June and early July.

It's getting to a point that folks are not complaining. I would love to know how many bears are getting wasted now that more folks are viewing them like vermin. I'd much rather see more licenses, and actually have the bears get utilized as opposed to being dragged off to the back forty to rot.

Yep, plenty of bears around,.the old days you threw a chain around their neck and tractored them up.
Nowadays you reach in the back pocket!

You have to remember when talking about Minnesotans.......they elected Tim Walz for governor!

I can't provide any sort of argument, martentrapper.

Touche!,..will we ever live it down?

Short detour from OP:https://www.fox9.com/news/mn-fraud-feeding-our-future-ringleader-aimee-bock-be-sentenced-thursday.
41 years, I think she may very well turn on Waltz and Ellison!
Too many bears,too many fraudsters in Minnsota!

The right thing the DNR could do is manage bears and not hunters.

I'm not much of a bear hunter, but I'd rather deal with competition than not being able to get a tag.

Well when you spend time and money into baiting and find out all the bears in the area go nocturnal because there is so much activity in an area because there is a bait every 1\2 mile going down a forest road you will see what competition does for bear hunting. I have bear hunted for about forty years and have hunted in many different areas of northern Minnesota. I have seen first hand what competition does.

No shortage of bears here. This one showed up a couple nights ago in the front yard and ate the dogfood I put out for the foxes.

I normally process my on deer, but it is so easy to just take them to the processor. During a recent trip, the processor got a call from a hunter regarding the cost to cape and process a 662 lb black bear in Eastern NC. The clerk handed the phone to the owner and the quote was $1 per pound. Ouch. I saw the gutted bear when it came in. It must have had 3-4” of fat under its hide, and the inside was very fat also.

Our bears get huge. A 600 lb bear is not at all uncommon anymore.

I've never had a desire to shoot a bear. I don't like the meat and don't want a bearskin rug. I am thankful for those who do hunt them, as they need to be managed for sure.

Our bears here are starving to death. They are so hungry they eat power poles, one got his belly full from the pole on my lawn last night. Bit through the black internet cable for desert.

I find quite a few power poles in our area that are chewed up and scratched up. I think it has something to do with the treatment on them.

That makes me very happy for both of you guys

Well, back in those days did you get a bear at least once every five years?

No back in those days I learned to hunt big tracks of private land or was younger and my baits were long walks off of any trail or road. I usually got my bear every year but learned quickly how to get further away from other hunters.