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Bear
Minnesota Bear Permit Areas
15 quota areas with 5,330 permits for 2026, the no-quota area, harvest by area and the baiting rules.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Bear quota areas and the no-quota area
Minnesota splits bear hunting into 15 quota bear permit areas with 5,330 permits for 2026 and the no-quota area, which covers 50,764 square miles and sells unlimited licenses over the counter. 2026: 15 quota bear permit areas (5,330 permits) plus the no-quota area. Changes: BPA 451 removed into the no-quota area; part of BPA 12 west of Red Lake Reservation and part of BPA 46 west of White Earth Reservation moved to the no-quota area; the Trout Lake Unit of the BWCAW is now in BPA 22. Red Lake Reservation closed to non-band members. The season runs Sept. 1-Oct. 18, 2026, and registered bait stations may be stocked from Aug. 14.
DNR bear page and the 2026 bear regulations, checked October 28, 2026.
All 15 quota bear permit areas
| Area | 2026 permits | Aug. 5 surplus | Sq mi | 2021 harvest | 2022 harvest | 2023 harvest | 2024 harvest | 2025 harvest | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 100 | 13 | 2,823 | 71 | 48 | 41 | 63 | 62 | Beltrami · |
| 13 | 300 | 59 | 2,021 | 110 | 110 | 111 | 154 | 172 | |
| 14 | 10 | 5 | 412 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 22 | 75 | 28 | 1,714 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Lake · Cook · |
| 24 | 100 | 11 | 2,212 | 81 | 58 | 40 | 65 | 65 | |
| 25 | 375 | 48 | 3,355 | 215 | 176 | 185 | 218 | 239 | |
| 27 | 450 | 75 | 2,054 | 140 | 101 | 133 | 185 | 192 | Itasca · |
| 28 | 60 | 7 | 706 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 44 | 33 | Itasca · Cass · |
| 31 | 400 | 73 | 4,374 | 296 | 197 | 143 | 249 | 212 | Lake · |
| 41 | 250 | 41 | 887 | 75 | 85 | 58 | 118 | 99 | Beltrami · |
| 45 | 700 | 99 | 2,869 | 108 | 121 | 90 | 199 | 187 | Cass · Wadena · Morrison · |
| 46 | 950 | 148 | 3,569 | 201 | 211 | 182 | 359 | 350 | Hubbard · Becker · Cass · |
| 47 | 40 | 3 | 645 | 27 | 16 | 22 | 27 | 25 | |
| 51 | 1,500 | 274 | 4,792 | 477 | 350 | 313 | 669 | 436 | Aitkin · Carlton · Itasca · |
| 53 | 20 | 2 | 158 | 13 | 10 | Carlton · |
Permits from the DNR bear page; harvest by bear management unit from the DNR bear status report, checked October 28, 2026. DNR publishes no bear harvest by county.
Bear applications, licenses and harvest by year
| Year | Applications | Quota permits | Licenses bought | No-quota licenses | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 21,184 | 3,350 | 6,550 | 3,200 | 1,766 | 28% |
| 2019 | 20,632 | 3,400 | 6,801 | 3,396 | 2,340 | 35% |
| 2020 | 22,279 | 3,575 | 8,882 | 4,262 | 3,203 | 38% |
| 2021 | 24,598 | 3,575 | 8,990 | 4,643 | 2,971 | 35% |
| 2022 | 25,817 | 3,605 | 8,153 | 3,907 | 2,251 | 35% |
| 2023 | 26,138 | 4,035 | 8,194 | 3,528 | 1,802 | 22% |
| 2024 | 26,001 | 4,030 | 8,626 | 3,495 | 3,530 | 44% |
| 2025 | 26,249 | 4,605 | 9,328 | 4,723 | 2,878 | 31% |
DNR bear status report, checked October 28, 2026.
Bear baiting, registration and limits
Baiting allowed from Aug. 14, 2026 with registered, signed stations (max 3 per hunter; plus 3 per licensed outfitter); banned materials include carcasses over 25% intact, meat with bones, bones, swine parts except cured pork; drums on public land with $5 surcharge (residents); no baits in BPA 22, within 150 yd of a campsite or 1/2 mile of a dump.
Register within 48 hours and before processing, give the deer permit area and BMU; tooth sample mandatory (envelopes at bear stations); every part presented together if subdivided.
1 bear per license (quota or no-quota); a hunter may hold one of each. No cubs (under 1 year), no white bears.
Counties wholly in the no-quota area include Anoka, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Cottonwood, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas and Faribault, among others; Red Lake Reservation lands are closed to non-band members.
booklet baiting rules, registration rules and the bear regulations, checked October 28, 2026.
Answers about minnesota bear permit areas
Which bear area has the most permits?
Area 51, with 1,500 permits, followed by area 46 with 950.
When can bear baiting start?
Aug. 14, 2026, at registered and signed stations, three per hunter.
How many bear permits are there in Minnesota for 2026?
5,330 quota permits in 15 areas, plus unlimited no-quota licenses.
Is bear harvest reported by county?
No. DNR reports bear harvest by bear management unit and statewide only.
Can I hold a quota and a no-quota bear license?
Yes. A hunter may hold one of each and take one bear per license in the calendar year.
When is the bear lottery deadline?
May 1 for the 2026 season; winners bought licenses by Aug. 1 and surplus licenses went on sale at noon Aug. 5.
Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0).