Minnesota’s Bear Population Down To About 20,000
According to Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources, the state’s bear population is slightly over 20,000 animals, which is down from the 2002 estimate of 25,000 bears. Experts predict that by the end of the year, the population estimate will increase slightly.
In 2008, researchers launched a bear population study by leaving out baits laced with tetracycline. Because the chemical can be detected in the bones and teeth of bears that ingest the bait, researchers asked hunters to return a rib and two teeth from each bear they killed. By comparing the ratio of marked bears to unmarked bears, biologists estimated the bear population to be about 20,0000 within the state.
The DNR tries to regulate the bear population through the number of bear-hunting licenses issued during a season. Historically, the number of bear hunting permits issued increased through the 1990s and flattened from 1999 to 2003 to about 20,000 permits. The DNR decreased the number of permits issued from 2004 to 2010, but the total number of bears hunted remained constant at about 3,000 per year.