not sure how it affects non residents, but up in my area, we have a no quota zone on bears. No need to put in for drawing a tag, you can purchase over counter. Seems to be more bears than hunters. You'd have to look on the map for the zone, but it generally runs from about 20 miles west of Bemidji, to past Thief River Falls. Many 1000's acreas of public hunting also, so finding an area shouldn't be a problem. Taz