Bear sightings persist

Abut high numbers remain long ways off locally lmost every year at the Echo Press one running around in southern Pope County for a Eric The southern portion of that unit was subdivided to create Newspaper in Alexandria, we get while here, but the population is super low.” Morken a new bear permit area (451 just north and east of Long a reader-submitted photo of a Strege said it would likely OUTDOORS EDITOR Prairie) to allow additional black bear that has made its take someone knowing a bear hunting opportunities. way into the area. bear is using a food source Hunters in area 451 do not

This far south in west- such as a corn field already get images of a bear on their need to apply in a lottery, central Minnesota is not and then setting up for a game cameras. with licenses available to any considered part of the bear’s hunt to successfully fill a tag. “I’ve heard of bears being eligible hunters. common range in the state, Just running a bait station on fairly common over the last Statewide, a total of 2,340 but there’s no doubt people a piece of land with no prior several years near Parkers bears were registered during see them from time to time. knowledge of bears using Prairie,” Kleine said. “I think the 2019 hunting season. My father spotted one last a property would likely be right now it’s more of a That was up 33% from the year just west of Alexandria fruitless. novelty and fun to see, but if season before. Most of the on the gravel road leading “You don’t have to go very they continue to stick around increase occurred in the into Wildridge RV Park on far north to start getting into and reproduce locally it might southern portion of the bear Lobster Lake. In talking to some decent bear numbers,” be something that more range, with harvest in bearother hunters around the Strege said, “but as a whole hunters think about when management units 45, 51 and area, I have gotten a sense in our work area...it would they head out to the field.” 52 being two to three times that getting pictures on be such a low population of There is opportunity higher than in 2018. game cameras of bears has bears that you’d have to have to hunt in west-central Hunter success rates often become more common not a pretty good lucky streak to Minnesota. Douglas County have a lot to do with how too far north of Alexandria. get one.” is part of a no-quota area much natural food is available But has hunting bears in this Chris Kleine is the where hunters can purchase to bears on the landscape region of the state become a president of the Viking a bear license over the each year. In years with viable option for people? Sportsmen organization. He counter. low mast-crop production,

“In the Alexandria area, it’s lives east of Lake Burgen There are 13 bear bait stations become more pretty low,” Glenwood DNR near Alexandria. Kleine has management units in the effective for hunters with assistant wildlife manager not seen any bears himself state’s more natural areas bears more actively seeking Jason Strege said. “We’ve got in Douglas County but says of bear habitat where there out food. some bears that have been neighbors have reported are limited licenses available There continues to be seen around this summer. seeing two not far from his through a lottery system. interest in bear hunting No official complaints or house. Local hunters also The DNR uses hunting as a from Minnesota hunters, anything on them. We had talk almost every time they management tool in these with last year’s 20,632 areas, with the fall bear permit applications topping season running from Sept. 1 the 20,000 mark for the through Oct. 18. third straight year after not “I’ve listened to quite a few reaching 20,000 applicants talks from our bear biologists, since 2002. The number of and I think it’s just more that permits available in those the population in general is quota zones has dropped so low that it’s not considered considerably over the years, a real viable population,” from 20,840 in 1999 to 6,000 Strege said of the no-quota in 2012 and now 3,400 in areas of the state. “Harvest 2019. isn’t really a factor. Every The number of no-quota now and again, a bear will be licenses purchased last taken in the area, but we’re year in central, western and not managing a population northwestern Minnesota much there. As you get into reached an all-time high of the traditional bear zones, 3,396. that’s where we do a lot more It’s the fifth straight season A bear uses its paws and claws to cling to a tree on the grounds of the population assessments and that no-quota licenses Radisson Hotel at the corner of 5th Avenue West and First Street in Duluth. actively manage for a healthy purchased have passed That region of northeastern Minnesota is more of the bear’s traditional range bear population.” the 3,000 mark after never in the state, but people don’t have to go too far north and east from Alexandria A change was made to reaching that level since to start hearing of more bears being on the landscape. (Photo by Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com) bear permit area 45 this year not too far from Alexandria. BEAR page 15