The question of whether grizzly bears roam the forests and prairies of Minnesota is common. The grizzly bear is not a part of Minnesota’s modern fauna, though the species once inhabited this region. Today, the vast landscape of Minnesota is home to only one bear species. This absence resulted from historical pressures that drastically altered the distribution of large carnivores across the continent.
The Current Status of Grizzly Bears in Minnesota
Grizzly bears are considered extirpated from Minnesota, meaning the species has been completely eliminated from the state’s wild environment. The last of these bears disappeared over a century ago, and there are no established, breeding populations within the state’s borders today. Any bear sighted in Minnesota is another species entirely.
The nearest established populations of grizzly bears exist hundreds of miles to the west, confined primarily to designated recovery ecosystems. These populations are concentrated in the Rocky Mountain states, including isolated groups in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. The largest groups in the contiguous United States are found in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems.
To the north, the closest wild grizzly bears are found in the expansive wilderness of western Canada, such as British Columbia and Alberta. The geographical distance and lack of a suitable corridor make the natural return of the grizzly to Minnesota highly improbable. The last recorded sighting of a wandering grizzly bear near the area was in the 1960s, approximately 500 miles northwest in the Porcupine Hills of Manitoba.
The True Native Bear Species of Minnesota
The only bear species that currently thrives in Minnesota is the American Black Bear. This species is widespread throughout the state’s forested regions, particularly the northern third, where dense cover and food sources are abundant. The current population is estimated to be between 13,000 and 18,000 individuals.
Black bears are omnivores, and their diet shifts seasonally to take advantage of available food. They forage for vegetation like horsetail and sedge in the spring, transition to high-protein ants by June, and then focus on berries and nuts through the summer and fall. The animals are active throughout the warmer months, roaming across large home ranges to find sustenance.
During the Minnesota winter, black bears enter a period of deep dormancy, often called winter sleep. They are not true hibernators because their body temperature does not drop drastically, but they rely entirely on stored fat reserves for energy. Females typically give birth to litters of two or three cubs in the winter den, usually in late January or early February.
Historical Range and Extirpation
Before widespread European settlement, the grizzly bear’s historical range extended eastward into Minnesota, particularly across the western prairies and transitional forest zones. These large carnivores were once part of the ecosystem across much of the western half of the contiguous United States, including the Great Plains.
The decline of the grizzly bear in Minnesota began in the 1800s, driven by the rapid expansion of agriculture and human settlement. As settlers moved west, they converted prairie habitat to farmland and introduced livestock. Grizzly bears were perceived as a significant threat to domestic animals and an impediment to the settlement process.
Killing campaigns, often incentivized by government-funded bounty programs, led to the systematic removal of the bears. This sustained pressure, combined with habitat destruction, resulted in the complete elimination of the species from Minnesota. By around 1900, the grizzly bear was considered extirpated from the state and most surrounding prairie regions.