Bear hunt lottery applications due May 2

Prospective bear hunters have until Friday, May 2, to apply for a bear hunting license from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Applications for the 2025 season can be submitted online, at any license agent or by telephone at 888-665-4236.

A total of 4,605 licenses are available across the 15 quota areas where licenses are limited for the 2025 season, which opens Monday, Sept. 1, and closes Sunday, Oct. 12. Lottery winners will be notified by Sunday, June 1. The deadline to purchase bear hunting licenses awarded by lottery is Friday, Aug. 1. Any remaining unpurchased licenses will be available over the counter starting at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 6.

An unlimited number of bear licenses will be sold over the counter for the no-quota area that includes east-central and far northwest Minnesota. No-quota licenses are valid only in the no-quota area.

Hunters with either a quota or no-quota license who are interested in taking a problem bear should contact the DNR wildlife manager (mndnr.gov/areas/wildlife) for their area(s) of interest to be added to a hunter contact list for any opportunities that might arise.

Complete instructions about how to apply for a bear hunting license, maps of permit areas and a listing of permit availability for each area are available on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/hunting/bear).