Minnesota DNR asks hunters to avoid collared bears

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is requesting that hunters exercise caution during the upcoming bear hunting season, which begins on September 1st. Specifically, officials are asking hunters to avoid shooting black bears that are wearing radio collars or large, colorful ear tags.

Researchers are currently tracking 50 radio-collared black bears across the state, with a concentration near the Chippewa National Forest. The DNR noted that the data collected from these collars is essential for monitoring reproduction, denning, habitat use, and year-over-year physical changes. The agency emphasized that replacing harvested collared bears with newly tagged animals cannot substitute for the long-term data gathered from individual animals.

In the event that a hunter does harvest a collared bear, the DNR requests that they look for a small, silver, implanted heart monitor located under the skin on the bear’s left chest. Hunters are asked to submit this capsule, along with the collar, to the DNR. Contact information for the Minnesota DNR Wildlife Research Office has been provided for reporting collared or ear-tagged bears.