With the bear hunting season in full swing, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment reminds successful bear hunters to call ahead to registration stations to be sure staff are available to register and seal a bear.

There are more than 70 bear registration stations open throughout the state for mandatory bear registration during the bear hunting season. However, due to department staffing limitations, it is important for hunters to call ahead and in some cases even make an appointment to register a bear if they will be taking it to a DNRE office for registration.

The list of bear registration stations is available in the 2010 Bear Hunting Digest, which is available at DNRE Operations Service Centers and from license vendors, or online at www.michigan.gov/hunting. Registration stations that require an appointment are marked with an asterisk.

The data collected at bear registration stations is used to estimate the bear population and whether the number is increasing, decreasing or stable. This data also helps DNRE wildlife staff when hunting season structure and quotas are set each year.
For more information about bear registration, contact DNRE bear and furbearer specialist Adam Bump at 517-373-9336.