The goal of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Black Bear Management Program is to maintain a healthy black bear population that provides viewing and hunting opportunities for residents, yet does not create excessive bear problems for people living near bear habitat.

To maintain this balance, an area and quota system for bear hunting that divides the state into 10 Bear Management Units was established in 1990. A desired bear population is determined for each unit based on the number of bear the surrounding habitat will support without causing significant problems for local residents. Each hunting season, a harvest quota is set that reflects the desired population goal for each BMU.