Bear hunt lottery applications open through May 1

Prospective bear hunters have until Friday, May 1, to apply for a bear hunting license from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Hunters can submit applications for the 2026 season online, at any license agent or by phone at 888-665-4236. People can apply for preference only, which will accrue a preference point to increase preference level for future years’ bear hunt lotteries.

The DNR has 5,330 licenses available across the 15 bear permit areas for the 2026 season, which opens Tuesday, Sept. 1, and closes Sunday, Oct. 18.

The number of licenses available each year in a quota area is based on Minnesota’s bear population trends for those areas. License quotas for the 2026 bear season include a moderate increase where population trends indicate sufficient growth.

The DNR will mail notifications to lottery winners by Monday, June 1, 2026. Applicants can also check results on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/hunting/bear). The deadline to purchase bear hunting licenses awarded by lottery is Saturday, Aug. 1. Any remaining licenses will be made available starting at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 5. 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 areas of interest. The wildlife manager will add the hunter to a contact list for any opportunities that might arise.

Complete instructions for applying for a bear hunting license, maps of permit areas and a list of permit availability for each area are available on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/hunting/bear).