Bear hunting Boundary waters - Minnesota

[bowdude]

Anyone know the success rates for drawing a tag in the boundary waters for  non residents?  Can't find any info on it at the website.

[traditional beagle]

I went to Eli on a bear hunt I bought thru a bowhunting banquet. As far as I know you can buy non-resident license over the counter. That is what we done. You might contact the Eli chamber of commerce or tourist information. Eli is big on boundry waters fishing trips. Biggest part of their economy. Supposed to be bo cootles  of bears but as luck would have it, it was in the 90's in Sept. when we went and the bears were just not doing anything. There are bear guides in Eli. Beautiful town and atmosphere. Good fishing near by also.

[Ryan Bahn]

I'm not sure of the success rates for drawing tags, but for us it's approx. every other year. In the BWCA (area 22) there is 150 permits available(Quota Area) last year there were 15 bears harvested. The deadline for entry is May 4 and the price for non resident is 196.00    Hope this helps

[Gordy]

I've heard good and bad things aboot bear hunting the bwca. More work, different rules re: bait apparently etc etc.

Boundary waters = canoe only from Ely or nearby. Beautiful country but has controlled access on permit basis.  Worth checking into, the trip alone would be worth it.  Of course for a few more hours drive you could be in real wilderness in Ontario ...  

[HalfRack]

Be sure you check into it, you may need to have a permit to go IN and OUT on a specific day. Not sure about this, but Ontario might make you either hunt with a guide or make arrangements ($) with the person with the rights to hunt a particular area, don't believe you can just go DIY there, and you have to pay to camp out in the bush too..

-Mike

[Jim Jackson]

There are something like 27 different entry points for the BWCA, and the only date that matters is the entry date.  You indicate your planned exit, but they only care about the entry.  You can't change it either.  The entry permits are reasonable.  You will definitely want to get one of the routing books & maps and take a look at the portages.  Some can be brutal with a canoe and gear, let alone a bear.  They don't allow wheeled dollies or anything like that either.  Beautiful country, and a bear hunt with trad equipment would fit the character of the area for sure.  Best of luck!