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This year, 57,162 hunters applied for either a preference point or bear license, and 7,080 bear licenses were awarded.
- Hunt period 1 begins Sept. 9 for Bergland, Baraga, Amasa, Carney, Gwinn, Newberry and Drummond Island bear management units.
- Red Oak, Baldwin and Gladwin units open Sept. 13.
Check drawing results and get the information you need to be ready for bear season at Michigan.gov/Bear.
Within 72 hours of harvesting a bear, hunters must bring the carcass to a bear registration station to be sealed and registered.
To register a bear at a DNR office bear registration station, hunters must contact the DNR office to schedule an appointment to have the animal sealed. Calling ahead to schedule a date and time is mandatory, as DNR offices are currently closed and staff will not be available to seal animals without notice. Hunters do not have to schedule an appointment to register a bear at private cooperator bear registration station. Locations are listed on the bear registration station map or in the Black Bear Digest.
When arriving at any bear registration station, please be respectful of those sealing animals: wear a mask, remain 6 feet away from those not in your party, and come prepared to provide the town, range and section of the harvest location. Registration at DNR offices will occur in the parking lot, and visitors will not be allowed in the building. These precautions will ensure animals are sealed as quickly and safely as possible.
If you need assistance finding harvest location information, consider using the MiHunt interactive map. This free mapping tool can provide the town, range and section information for any location in Michigan.
Hunters may use baiting barrels on DNR-managed lands and private land, but certain restrictions apply. Barrels are illegal on commercial forest lands and U.S. Forest Service lands.
Complete information about baiting quantities, devices, season dates and location-specific regulations can be found in the current Black Bear Digest.
An updated black bear population model found about 80% of the Michigan bear population still resides in the Upper Peninsula, with an estimated adult black bear population of nearly 10,000. The Lower Peninsula’s estimated population is about 2,300 adult black bears.
To save on paper, consider downloading the DNR hunting and fishing digests to your phone. The digests are available for download on Android and Apple products. Find the current digests and downloading instructions at Michigan.gov/DNRDigests. If you would like to be mailed a printed digest, please contact us.
Michigan’s bear cooperator patch program is coordinated by the Michigan Bear Hunters Association, in partnership with the DNR. Anyone may purchase a patch for $5. Young hunters, 17 years of age and younger, who have a valid bear hunting license may receive a free patch.
To receive a patch, place an order online or send your name and complete address, a check or money order payable to the Michigan Bear Hunters Association or a legible copy of a youth’s valid bear hunting license, to MBHA, Bear Patch Program, 10510 Fairgrieve Road, Johannesburg, MI 49751.
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