How long does it take to draw a tag? How much does it complicate it to get tags for my teen sons at the same time?

Possible?
Probable?
Never gonna happen?

lottery system here for tags to get a decent area it will take 10-12 years of building up preference points.

Where to start? First, determine the area (zone) you want to hunt in. There is a map at the link below. How long it takes to get tags depends on the zone you apply for. I live in zone B, and I bait for hunters in the Nicolet National Forest here in zone B. Bear densities are high...very high. It's not unusual for a hunter I've set up, to see 12 different bears in a single day. In 2017, the hunter I was baiting for had 13 bears in the bait at one time!

I've baited for 10 tag holders since 2010, 9 filled their tags. The 10th only hunted 3 days, and it was hot weather so the bears mostly moved after dark. It cooled off after they went home, and my trail camera had bears on it all day long. I had 2 tag holders I was baiting for that year (2018), the other got his bear on Sunday, 5th day of season. Most of them got their bear first day (or at least had a shot at a big one first day). Not saying this to brag... saying this to let you know this is a very good area to bear hunt, maybe the best in North America. But because success rate is high in this zone, and there is plenty of public land to hunt on, it takes a minimum of 10 preference points (10 year wait) to draw a tag here. I believe it's about the same in zones A & D, as A, B, & D are the 3 far north zones were bears are very abundant, and so is public land to hunt them on, so success rates are high. Zone C has far less demand, as bears aren't nearly as plentiful, nor is public forest to hunt on. So that's typically only about a 3-4 year wait.

After you determine where you want to hunt, you start applying for bear tags online. It should be no problem to get multiple tags if you wait until you have that "magic number" of preference points for the zone you choose. We got 3 tags in 2015, 2 brothers and one of their sons. 2 of them had 10, the other had just 9 but got lucky. All 3 got bears first day ... 335 lbs, 465 lbs, 300 lbs, all within an hour of each other.

You can apply for a preference point only, if you want to delay past 10 years. If for example you choose zone B, and that "magic number" remains at 10 points (1 point per year), to be sure you all get tags in the same year, apply for preference points only after 10 points/years, and wait one more year until you all have 11 points, then you're guaranteed  to get tags for all.

There are 2 methods to hunt them. With dogs, or over bait (zone C is bait only, no dogs allowed). As you live in Ohio, you'll need to hire someone as a guide, either way... unless you have a relative or friend who will bait for you and knows the territory, or you have your own bear dogs. I begin baiting in mid July, for the season that typically starts the 2nd wednesday after Labor Day. So you cannot just come a week early and start baiting. The bears have all established a routine at existing baits long before then, and it's very difficult to draw them off that routine. July & August I go every other day. Beginning 2 weeks before season starts, I go EVERY day. Why? To be sure I keep them all coming to my bait and a "newb" who just starts baiting a week before season doesn't siphon any of my "regulars" away. You may draw in some small bears who get crowded out of the long established baits by the big guys. But the biggest bears have set up a pecking order, and they won't give it up to go to a new spot.

edit to add:

Hunting with both methods (pursuit with tracking dogs or set up over bait) does not run simultaneously for the entire 6 week season. You can hunt all 6 weeks with a valid tag, but each method can only be used for 5 weeks. Sounds confusing, but it's not. There is a 1 week "offset" to the 6 week season. In even number years, you can  hunt over bait only for the first week, and hunting with dogs doesn't begin until 2nd week, and extends one week after hunting over bait ends when only hunting with dogs is allowed. Odd numbered years, it's reversed. Dog hunting goes first for 5 weeks, followed by hunting over bait during the 2nd 5 week period. During the middle 4 weeks, both methods are legal.  

I'm not trying to sell you my services, as I'm almost 71 years old. I will not still be bear baiting 11 years from now...if I'm even still alive. One or 2 more years and I'm done, and I already have hunters lined up with enough points to get tags in the next 2 years.

That's how things stand as of now. It may change in the next 10 years.

Link to bear hunting info -> https://p.widencdn.net/hs9alt/WM0197

BTW... 2 of the 9 bears we harvested were over 400 lbs. Both were taken on the first day of season. All but 1 of the other 7 were 300+. I've been shown trail camera pictures of a bear that looks to be 600+, on private land, that I now have permission to hunt on.

I have 2 friends who also guide bear hunters. One hunts with dogs only, the other does both dogs and baiting. But 10-11 years is a long way off, so who knows...  If they both quit also (both are younger than me by about 10 years) someone else will fill the void I'm sure.

Thank you for the excellent information. That is exactly what I am looking for, though not what I wanted to hear.

Are residents and non-residents treated the same as far as wait times and preference points?

From my understanding you can buy bear tags over the counter in Minnesota if you wanted to travel a bit further for your hunt

Yes. Only the cost of the tag is different, afaik.

Over the years I've bear hunted 5 times.
I didn't like the idea of giving the State an application fee, every year so I hunted in Northern Minnesota. The area we hunted had limited tags, but we drew tags every time.