SF689

Purpose

• To manage bear hunting in Minnesota by giving younger applicants a path to build hunting priority over time, and by allowing the state wildlife agency to limit bear hunting in a given area to prevent overharvest and improve how hunters are spread across areas.

Main Provisions

• The commissioner may limit how many people may hunt bears in a specific area if needed to prevent overharvest or to improve the distribution of hunters.
• If limits are used, the commissioner can use a drawing to impartially select the hunters for that area.
• Preference is given to hunters who previously applied but were not selected, helping those who were skipped before to have a better chance later.
• The bill allows awarding preference points to a person who is currently too young to hunt bears, so that by the time they reach hunting age, they have accumulated points that help them gain a preference.
• If a limit is used, one permit must be reserved and given first preference to a resident of a Minnesota veterans home.
• A person chosen through the drawing must purchase a bear hunting license by August 1.
• Any licenses that are not purchased by that deadline are opened up to other eligible people, on a first-come, first-served basis, starting three business days after August 1.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Creates a system to accumulate bear-hunting preference points for youth, so young people can gain hunting priority as they grow older.
• Allows the commissioner to cap the number of bear hunters in an area and to use a drawing to select those hunters.
• Adds a guaranteed first-preference permit for a Minnesota veterans home resident if a limit is in place.
• Changes license issuance timing and process: licenses tied to the drawing must be bought by a set date, with leftover licenses allocated on a first-come, first-served basis after a short delay.

Relevant Terms - bear hunting, commissioner, limit the number of hunters, overharvest, distribution of hunters, drawing, preference points, previously applied, not selected, youth, Minnesota veterans home, resident, permit, license, first-come, first-served, August 1, three business days after August 1, rulemaking, eligibility.