Bear-specific Hunting Regulations
Legal Hunting Equipment and Methods
- Legal Hunting Equipment for bear is the same as legal hunting equipment for deer, except shotguns must be 20-gauge or larger and may use only rifled slugs.
- It is illegal to kill a denned bear or one that is being pursued by dogs.
- Taking a radio-collared bear is illegal.
Bear Checking Requirements
Option 1. Immediately upon taking a bear (before moving it), you must check your harvest online, by the AGFC mobile app or phone 833-289-2469 and have confirmation number readily available.
Option 2. Fill out the game tag provided in the guidebook in ink. You may substitute a piece of paper for this tag, it must include the hunter’s name, the date and bear zone of harvest or confirmation number written legibly in ink. After tagging your game call 833-289-2469, visit www.agfc.com/license or use the AGFC mobile app within 12 hours to complete checking.
Before freezing or processing, collect a premolar and hair to submit later. Successful hunters must submit a premolar to fulfill the check requirements for a bear. Hunters who harvest a bear must submit a premolar within seven days of receiving their premolar package from AGFC. A hair sample from the bear also is highly encouraged.
Watch a video on how to remove a black bear’s premolar and collect hair samples.
Feeding and Baiting Bears
Baiting is the direct or indirect placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering of salt, grain or other feed that could serve to lure or attract wildlife to, on or over any areas where hunters are attempting to take them. Hunters may bait wildlife, except:
- Bears may not be fed or baited for any reason (including photography or viewing) except from 30 days before bear season through the end of bear season on private land in bear zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 5A.
- In the CWD Zone, bears may be baited on private land from 30 days before bear season through the end of bear season, however the only bait that may be used before Sept. 1, is dog food, cat food, pastries/bread, cooking oils/grease, non-wildlife meat scraps, popped popcorn, fish and fish byproducts. After Sept. 1, corn and other baits that attract deer may be used in accordance with CWD regulations.
