I can' t speak to other states, but if you want to bear hunt int Wisconsin, it will take between 4 to 8 years of applying for preference points, depending on which part of the state you want to hunt. The area I hunt now requires about 8 years of points to draw a tag. There are a lot of bears to be had and some pretty good odds, but lots of applicants. On my property this past weekend, I had a friend who drew a tag hunt. Between Friday and Sunday, he saw 9 bears...one after dark walking out (too dark to tell sex) and two different sows with 3 cubs each.