Time for black bear hunters to bear down on some of the rules
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officers are asking hunters to review the rules as the black bear hunting season gets underway.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officers are asking hunters to review the rules as the black bear hunting season gets underway.
“During my initial inspections, I found bear baiting stations that had not been registered with the DNR within 24 hours of being established, or lacking a bear bait sign within 20 feet of the bait,” said Conservation Officer Paul Parthun of Lake George.
Bear bait signs must contain the full name, Minnesota DNR number, and Minnesota driver’s license number ( or the full name, address, and telephone number) of the person placing the bait.
“Bait” is anything placed for the purpose of attracting or attempting to attract bears. A bear “bait station” is any location where bait is placed for the purpose of hunting.
Other conservation officers have noticed the following:
CO Mike Lee of Isle found most bear baiting activity to be in compliance with the law, but urges bear baiters to remove all plastic, garbage, and items used to carry in bait.
“Litter in forests is unsightly, destroys wildlife habitats and ruins many opportunities for recreation,” Lee said. He also noted that litter is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000.
CO Brent Speldrich of McGregor noticed some “illegal off-highway vehicle (OHV) use by some bear hunters in ‘closed’ state forests” in Aitkin County.
Tips for bear hunting include:
Bears taken may be of either sex or any age except that bear cubs may not be taken. Cub bears are defined as bears less than one year old. Anyone who takes a bear must tag it using the site tag that comes with their bear hunting license.
Anyone who takes a bear must present it for registration at a bear registration station within 48 hours after taking, and they must obtain a Big Game Possession Tag.
Every person who kills a bear must submit a tooth sample to the DNR. The information from bear teeth is used to monitor bear populations.
Legal shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.
For complete information on black bear hunting in Minnesota consult the 2009 Black Bear Hunting Information Booklet or the online version at:
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/outdoor_activities/hunting/bear/2009_bear_booklet.pdf
Tags: two harbors, outdoors, bear hunting
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