DULUTH, Minn. — Bear hunting in Minnesota is bucking a long-term trend by drawing more participants over the past decade even as other forms of hunting have declined in popularity.
Last year, 24,698 people applied for a quota-area bear hunting license in Minnesota, up 11% over 22,279 applicants in 2020 and up a whopping 57% since 2009.
Overall, including the unlimited, or "no quota," bear range in the state, 8,990 bear hunting licenses were sold in 2021, up nearly 37% from 6,589 in 2013. Over that same time, Minnesota deer hunting license sales fell by about 12%.
