Hunters asked not to shoot ear-tagged and radio-collared research bears

The Minnesota bear hunting season opens Wednesday, Sept. 1, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources asks hunters to avoid shooting marked research bears. These bears are marked with distinctively large, colorful ear tags and have radio collars.

Researchers with the DNR monitor about 20 radio-collared black bears across the state, especially in 25, 27, 45 and 451 bear hunting zones and parts of the no-quota zone. The bears are in or near the Chippewa National Forest between Grand Rapids and Bigfork or near Camp Ripley. More information for hunters is available in a previous news release and photos of collared research bears and findings from DNR’s bear research are available on the DNR website.