Bear harvest on par with last season

[Lee Borgersen]

 

Bear harvest on par with last season so far
The 2010 bear season is on par with 2009, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The season opened on Wednesday, Sept. 1 and runs through Oct. 17. However, traditionally the majority of bears are taken from the opening day through Labor Day weekend.

According to DNR wildlife manager Tom Rusch in Tower, the results are nearly identical to last year.

"Everybody is just a bit lower than last year except Cloquet,"said Rusch. "For this year we're at 1,252 and last year we were around 1,200."

In the Tower area, 163 bears have been taken (102 males and 61 females), compared to 184 last year. In Ely, 26 bears have been registered (17 males), with 12 in Babbitt and four in Tower. A total of 53 bears were registered in Cook.

"The baits were hitting and the weather came out pretty good. I think the conditions are good for a bear hunt with not a ton of fall foods out there," said Rusch.

The one thing the start of the bear season did do was nearly eliminate calls of nuisance bears.

"Right before the season nuisance activity was up with break-ins reported in town even. We had problems in the Boundary Waters as well. It was pretty bad on Parent, Disappointment and Ensign.

"There was some poor food handling and we had one report of somebody sleeping outside and a bear nipped their foot. A guy shot a sow when the season opened and the reports stopped," said Rusch.