What’s New for the 2008 Bear Hunting Season

• This year DNR will no longer be asking successful hunters to provide reproductive tracts from harvested female bears.  Due to the timing of the harvest, the tracts have proven difficult to analyze and provided limited useful information.

• In 2007, DNR implemented a Preference Point System for bear hunting permit applicants. Each year that a hunter applies for a bear hunting permit he/she will receive one preference point if they are not selected for a bear hunting permit. The preference points will provide additional entries in future drawings.  Applicants will get one additional entry in the random drawing for each year they are a concurrent applicant.

• Applicants must apply each year to retain preference points.  If an applicant skips a year, all preference points will be forfeited.

• Once an applicant is selected to receive a bear hunting permit, all preference points will be forfeited.

• If an applicant is selected in the random drawing, but forfeits the permit, all preference points will be forfeited.

• Applicants will not forfeit preference points by participating in the hunt as a Subpermittee or Landowner Subpermittee.

• NEW FOR 2008:  Applicants have the opportunity to purchase a preference point only.  This will allow those hunters who cannot hunt in 2008 the opportunity to retain their preference points for use in future drawings without risk of losing them.

• Pre-hunt meeting attendance is mandatory for all permittees, but is optional for subpermittees and landowner subpermittees.