Our black bear hunts are conducted on private and public hunting land in California. The general season opens in August and continues into late December but we prefer to hunt from the middle of September through the middle of November. Bear tags are over the counter first come first served. We will use 4x4 transportation and be on foot during this hunt. We will use highly trained veteran hounds to locate and pursue the bears. There are many bears in the locations that we hunt and most are color phased. The averaged sized bear is usually around 250 pounds. Our success ratio is high on this hunt. If you have never heard the sound that a pack of hounds makes while trailing and fighting a mean bear then you are missing out on one of the most exciting ways to hunt bear.

The general season for black bear opens with the general deer seasons in zones A, B, C, D, X8, X9A, X9B, X10, and X12 and will extend through December 28th, 2008. In the remaining X zones the season opens October 5th, 2006 and extends through December 28th, 2008. The season will be closed early if the Department of Fish and Game recieves 1,700 bear report cards from successful hunters. Licensed tag holders will be notified if this happens.

Archery season for black bears opens August 19th, 2006 and extends through September 10th, 2006. Archery hunting is also permitted during the general season.

Black bear tag applications are available for purchase if you are at least 12 years of age and possess a California hunting license.

(click here for license and game tag fees)

The bag limit is one adult black bear per season. Cubs and females with cubs may not be taken. A cub is a bear less than one year of age or bears weighing less than 50 pounds.

Validation of black bear tags is only permitted by Department of Fish and Game employees. Bear tags must be countersigned before transporting such bear except for the purpose of taking it to the nearest person authorized to countersign the tag. The report card portion of the tag must be returned to the Department of Fish and Game whether a bear was taken or not.

Presentation of the black bear skull must occur within 10 days of taking the bear to a Department of Fish and Game employee. The portion of the skull not needed for scientific purposes will be returned.