Hunting bears in California is legal, but only for black bears, and only if you hold a valid California hunting license, carry a bear tag, use nonlead ammunition, and stay inside the season and zone rules set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The statewide season runs from mid-August through late December, and it closes early if hunters take the annual quota of 1,700 bears first. Grizzlies are extinct in the state and fully protected; every legal bear hunt in California is a black bear hunt.
What You Need Before You Hunt
Two documents are non-negotiable: a California hunting license and a bear tag. The hunting license covers birds and mammals generally. The bear tag is bear-specific and limits you to one adult bear per license year.1California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Bear Hunting
First-time hunters who have never held a hunting license in any state or Canadian province must complete a hunter education course before buying a California license. If you already hold a hunter education certificate from another state or province, California accepts it. You also qualify without a certificate if you hold a current hunting license, or one from either of the two previous years, from another state or province.2California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Frequently Asked Questions About California Hunter Education
There is no minimum age for the hunter education course itself, but you must be at least 12 years old to buy a bear tag.3California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code 4751
Season Dates and Zones
California runs two phases. Archery season for the 2025–2026 license year opens August 16 and runs through September 7 in all bear zones. General season opens with deer season in zones A, B, C, D, X8, X9A, X9B, X10, and X12, and runs through December 28. Zones X1, X2, X3a, X4, X6a, X6b, X7a, and X7b open later, on October 11, and also close December 28.1California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Bear Hunting
CDFW closes the season statewide the moment its harvest count hits 1,700 bears, which can happen well before December 28. Check the current Black Bear Hunting Area Map on the CDFW website before you go. Zone boundaries and dates shift from year to year.
Legal Methods and What’s Banned
You can hunt bears with a centerfire rifle loaded with expanding or soft-nose projectiles, a shotgun firing single slugs, or a bow and arrow. Whatever firearm you carry, the ammunition must be nonlead. California banned lead ammunition for all wildlife hunting statewide effective July 1, 2019, under Assembly Bill 711. A first violation is a $500 fine; a second or later offense runs $1,000 to $5,000.4California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Nonlead Ammunition in California Copper and copper-alloy bullets are the common options, and CDFW maintains a list of certified projectiles.
Several methods are prohibited outright:
- Using dogs to pursue bears. SB 1221 banned this practice in 2012, and the ban runs year-round, not only during bear season.
- Baiting bears with food or attractants.
- Iron, steel-jawed, or other metal-jawed traps.5California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code 4750
- Shooting any cub, or any female bear accompanied by cubs.1California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Bear Hunting
License and Tag Costs
For the 2025–2026 license year:
- Resident hunting license: $62.90
- Nonresident hunting license: $219.81
- Resident bear tag: $61.30
- Nonresident bear tag: $387.85
These fees adjust annually under Fish and Game Code section 713, so confirm the numbers before you buy.6California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hunting License Items and Fees
You can buy your tag online through the CDFW Automated License Data System, at a CDFW license sales office, or from any authorized license agent. You need a valid hunting license number to purchase a bear tag, and you are capped at one tag per license year. Trying to buy a second can lead to denial of future tags. Sign the tag as soon as you get it. An unsigned tag is not valid.7Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 708.12 – Bear License Tags
What to Do After You Kill a Bear
Fill in every portion of the tag legibly and permanently, and punch out the notches for the month and day of the kill. Attach one part of the tag to the bear’s ear right away. That tag must stay on the ear for the rest of the open season and for 15 days after the season closes.5California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code 4750
Within 10 days of the kill, bring the bear’s skull to CDFW. A department representative will inspect and tag the skull and pull a premolar tooth for biological data. Keep the skull and the portion of the head including both ears intact until that inspection is done.1California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Bear Hunting
Then there’s the report card. If you harvested a bear, return the report card portion of your tag to CDFW immediately after it is countersigned. If you did not harvest a bear, you still have to return the report card by February 1 of the current license year. Drop it at any CDFW office or mail it in. Failing to return the card is a violation whether or not you ever hunted.7Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 708.12 – Bear License Tags
Bear Parts: Personal Use Yes, Sale No
You can keep and eat the meat from a bear you legally harvested. What you cannot do is sell or buy any bear part, including meat, skin, hide, teeth, claws, or gall bladders. Possessing more than one bear gall bladder is treated as presumptive evidence that you hold them for sale.8Justia Law. California Fish and Game Code – Chapter 9 Bear
You must also keep the skin and the portion of the head with both ears attached during the open season and for 15 days afterward, so CDFW can verify the harvest.
Penalties
Most Fish and Game Code violations are misdemeanors by default.9California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code 12000 Hunting-specific violations carry enhanced penalties. Hunting a bear without a valid license or tag, hunting out of season, or exceeding the bag limit is punishable by a fine of $250 to $2,000, up to one year in county jail, or both.10California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code 12002.1
One narrow break: if you were cited only for not having your license or tag on your person, and you can produce a valid one in court, and the hunt was otherwise fully legal, the court may reduce the charge to an infraction with a fine of $50 to $250. This does not help someone who never had a license or tag in the first place.
Lead ammunition is a separate violation, with the fine structure noted above. Courts can also revoke hunting licenses and seize firearms in poaching cases, and penalties stack across code sections.
Taking the Bear Across State Lines
The federal Lacey Act makes it a separate offense to transport any wildlife across state lines if it was taken in violation of state law. A California harvest that complies with every state rule can travel to your home state without a Lacey Act problem. Any California violation during the hunt turns the interstate trip itself into a federal case.11U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lacey Act Complete your CDFW reporting before you leave, and keep the validated tag and CDFW paperwork with the animal.