Bear hunting application deadline
April 17th, 2006 by Administrator
Bear hunting application deadline approaching -People who want to participate in the black bear hunt this fall have until May 5 to submit applications. There are 14,850 licenses available in 11 permit areas in northern and central Minnesota . The season starts Sept. 1 and ends Oct. 15.
Licenses for the no-quota area (outside the 11 permit areas) will be available July 1 and can be purchased at any Electronic Licensing Agent. No previous application is needed for hunters who buy a no-quota area license.
Hunters who want a license for one of the permit areas can apply at any ELS agent, on the DNR’s Web site (www.dnr.state. mn.us) or by calling 1-888-665-4236. Bear licenses cost $39 for Minnesota residents and $196 for nonresidents.
Last year, hunters harvested 2,759 bears in the permit areas and 581 in no-quota areas. There were 16,153 applicants for 15,950 licenses.
The bag limit will remain one bear in the permit areas and two bears in the no-quota areas.
Deer boundary changes
For the first time since 1978, the DNR has realigned some of the state’s deer hunting zones. The changes were proposed and discussed at seven public meetings last winter.
Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program coordinator, said the changes will help the agency manage the herd and improve the state’s deer population.
The changes will shift permit areas 410, 411, 413, 414, 415, 419 and 429 into Zone 2, which will allow hunters to harvest a deer of either sex throughout the nine-day firearms season.
Many hunters in the affected permit areas used to buy multizone buck and bonus permits for the entire Zone 4 season. The changes will allow hunters to hunt the whole season for the price of a regular deer license.
Other changes include splitting permit areas 417 and 418 along Highway 55, placing the northern portion in Zone 2 and leaving the southern part in Zone 4. Permit area 412 has been split along Interstate 94, with the northern portion becoming permit area 413 and in Zone 2. The southern portion will remain in Zone 4.
Canadian waterfowl proposal
A proposal made by the Saskatchewan Outfitters Association requiring nonresident waterfowl hunters to use a licensed guide or host has been opposed by Delta Waterfowl.
If the proposal were approved, nonresident hunters would have the option of using a paid guide or an unpaid hunter-host. The host would be a resident who could accompany two nonresidents for six days every other year. The hunter-host would not be able to charge for the hunt or carry a gun.
Outfitters claim illegal outfitting has been a major problem on the prairie. Delta Waterfowl vice president for policy in Canada Robert Bailey said there’s no information to support the claim.
For more information on the proposal, contact John Devney at 1-888-987-3695.
Whitewater River conditions
With Minnesota’s trout season under way in southeastern Minnesota, anglers will be able to monitor conditions on one river without leaving home. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will provide updates on conditions of the Whitewater River on its Web site (www.dnr.state.mn.us/ fisheries).
Stream conditions will be updated from the Crystal Springs Hatchery as they change. They will describe the clarity (muddy, cloudy and clear) and flow (high, normal and low) of the river.
Anglers also can receive full-color maps of public trout fishing opportunities in Dakota, Rice, Goodhue, Wabasha, Olmsted, Winona, Fillmore and Houston counties. The maps are free and are available at the DNR headquarters in St. Paul, fisheries offices in Lake City and Lanesboro and the DNR office in Rochester. Maps are also available on the agency’s Web site.