Kentucky · Bear · 2026 Edition
Kentucky Bear Season 2026: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Archery/crossbow | Zone 3 (Clinton, Wayne) — segment 1 | Sep 19 – Oct 2 |
| Hunt with dogs | Zone 1 (Bell, Harlan, Letcher, McCreary) | Oct 19 – Oct 23 |
| Hunt with dogs | Zone 2 (43 eastern Kentucky counties, Adair through Wolfe) — segment 1 | Oct 19 – Oct 23 |
| Hunt with dogs | Zone 3 — segment 1 | Oct 19 – Oct 23 |
| Archery/crossbow | Zone 1 | Oct 24 – Oct 26 |
| Archery/crossbow | Zone 2 | Oct 24 – Oct 28 |
| Archery/crossbow | Zone 3 — segment 2 | Oct 24 – Oct 28 |
| Hunt with dogs | Zone 2 — segment 2 | Oct 29 – Nov 6 |
| Hunt with dogs | Zone 3 — segment 2 | Oct 29 – Nov 6 |
| Modern firearms | Zone 1 | Dec 12 – Dec 14 |
| Modern firearms | Zone 2 | Dec 12 – Dec 16 |
| Modern firearms | Zone 3 | Dec 12 – Dec 16 |
02 — Bag limits & check-in
| Statewide | 1 bear per person per year, regardless of zone or season type |
|---|---|
| Protected animals | Females with cubs and bears under 75 lbs may not be taken; disturbing or taking a bear from a den is prohibited |
| Quota | None — KDFWR removed zone harvest quotas and regulates take through fixed season length instead |
| Harvest reporting | Telecheck the harvest by 8 p.m. Eastern time on the day of harvest |
| Physical inspection | Call 1-800-858-1549 within 24 hours, before leaving the bear zone, to arrange physical inspection and receive a metal kill tag |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 19, 2026) 06:57 — 20:12
Rule: Thirty minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset — the Kentucky Hunting Guide's general rule, which lists its exceptions (waterfowl, migratory birds, raccoons, coyotes, turtles, frogs) and does not except bear. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Kentucky sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Bear hunters in Kentucky need a Kentucky hunting license — an annual Kentucky hunting license plus the bear permit matching the season type hunted (Bear Permit for harvest seasons, Bear Chase Permit for the chase-only season) — required for every member of a hunting/chase party; youth hunters need youth-specific permits Check-in or reporting a harvest is typically mandatory; see the row above for Kentucky's specific rule.
Kentucky hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Kentucky — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Patterning bear activity before Kentucky's opener usually means glassing feeding areas and running a trail camera through summer — check the state's own rules on baiting before you set one over bait.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does bear season open in Kentucky?
The earliest 2026 opener is September 19, 2026. See the table above for each method and zone.
When does bear season end in Kentucky?
The latest 2026 closing date is December 16, 2026. Individual segments and zones can close earlier — see the table above.
Do I need a separate bear license or tag in Kentucky?
an annual Kentucky hunting license plus the bear permit matching the season type hunted (Bear Permit for harvest seasons, Bear Chase Permit for the chase-only season) — required for every member of a hunting/chase party; youth hunters need youth-specific permits
How many bears can you shoot in Kentucky?
2026 bag limits: Statewide — 1 bear per person per year, regardless of zone or season type. Protected animals — Females with cubs and bears under 75 lbs may not be taken; disturbing or taking a bear from a den is prohibited. Quota — None — KDFWR removed zone harvest quotas and regulates take through fixed season length instead. Harvest reporting — Telecheck the harvest by 8 p.m. Eastern time on the day of harvest. Physical inspection — Call 1-800-858-1549 within 24 hours, before leaving the bear zone, to arrange physical inspection and receive a metal kill tag. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting bear in Kentucky?
On opening day (September 19, 2026) legal light runs 06:57 to 20:12. The rule is: Thirty minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset — the Kentucky Hunting Guide's general rule, which lists its exceptions (waterfowl, migratory birds, raccoons, coyotes, turtles, frogs) and does not except bear. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Kentucky sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt bear on my own land in Kentucky without a license?
Kentucky resident farmland owners — or their spouse or dependent children — may hunt (not trap) and fish that land without a license; resident tenants living there and their dependent children get the same right. Season dates, zone rules, bag limits, and telecheck reporting still apply.
Verified · Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. Read directly off KDFWR's Black Bear Hunting page (a direct fetch succeeded this round; fw.ky.gov has been unreliable for automated fetchers on prior projects, so this should be re-verified if it becomes unreachable again). Kentucky now has three bear zones — Zone 1 (Bell, Harlan, Letcher, McCreary, the historic core range), Zone 2 (43 eastern-Kentucky counties), and Zone 3 (Clinton, Wayne, a newer addition) — and the agency states explicitly that 'the quota has been removed, and harvest will be regulated by a set season length,' i.e. unlike Arkansas/Oklahoma-style quota states, Kentucky's printed dates are the actual legal window with no early-closure mechanism. Excluded from methods[] here: the June 1–Aug 31 and Sept 9–30 'Chase-Only' season, which is a dogs-pursuing-without-taking training period (no harvest allowed), analogous to how the Tennessee file excludes TWRA's dog-training season — including it would misrepresent a non-harvest window as huntable. Cub/weight protection, telecheck, and physical-inspection/kill-tag rules read verbatim off the page. Not found on the official page: any tooth/premolar biological-sample submission requirement (Kentucky's page does not mention one — likely genuinely absent rather than unconfirmed) and the exact dollar fees for the Bear Permit vs. Bear Chase Permit, which the page says vary by season type without listing amounts; confirm current fees directly with KDFWR.