Massachusetts · Bear · 2026 Edition
Massachusetts Bear Season 2026: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Rifle (.23 caliber or larger) | Statewide, all Wildlife Management Zones | Sep 7 – Nov 28 |
| Revolver (.357 Magnum or larger) | Statewide, all Wildlife Management Zones — first segment only | Sep 7 – Oct 3 |
| Muzzleloader (.44-.755 caliber) | Statewide, all Wildlife Management Zones — legal the entire season | Sep 7 – Dec 12 |
| Archery | Statewide, all Wildlife Management Zones — legal the entire season | Sep 7 – Dec 12 |
| Shotgun (no larger than 10 gauge, slugs only) | Statewide, all Wildlife Management Zones — third segment only, concurrent with the shotgun deer season | Nov 30 – Dec 12 |
02 — Bag limits & check-in
| Statewide | 1 bear per calendar year |
|---|---|
| Method restrictions | Hunting bear with dogs is illegal; baiting bear is illegal (including lures, scents, or cover scents); rifle and revolver may not be used to hunt bear during any period when deer may be hunted with a shotgun |
| Harvest reporting | Attach the harvest tag from the bear permit to the carcass immediately; report the harvest online or at a check station within 48 hours; keep the resulting confirmation number (written on the tag) or metal seal attached to the bear until it is processed, with some part of the carcass visible while transporting it |
| Biological sample | MassWildlife requests (not stated as legally mandatory) a tooth from harvested bears for its age-structure study; hunters receive an age letter and MA Bear Hunter sticker the following late summer |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 7, 2026) 05:48 — 19:39
Rule: ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset, stated directly on MassWildlife's black bear hunting regulations page. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Massachusetts sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Bear hunters in Massachusetts need a Massachusetts hunting license — a Bear Permit (or a free Youth Bear Permit for hunters aged 12-17) is required in addition to a Hunting/Sporting License (residents) or Non-Resident Big Game Hunting License; hunters aged 12-14 need no license but must be accompanied by an appropriately licensed adult Check-in or reporting a harvest is typically mandatory; see the row above for Massachusetts's specific rule.
Massachusetts hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Massachusetts — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Patterning bear activity before Massachusetts'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 Massachusetts?
The earliest 2026 opener is September 7, 2026. See the table above for each method and zone.
When does bear season end in Massachusetts?
The latest 2026 closing date is December 12, 2026. Individual segments and zones can close earlier — see the table above.
Do I need a separate bear license or tag in Massachusetts?
a Bear Permit (or a free Youth Bear Permit for hunters aged 12-17) is required in addition to a Hunting/Sporting License (residents) or Non-Resident Big Game Hunting License; hunters aged 12-14 need no license but must be accompanied by an appropriately licensed adult
How many bears can you shoot in Massachusetts?
2026 bag limits: Statewide — 1 bear per calendar year. Method restrictions — Hunting bear with dogs is illegal; baiting bear is illegal (including lures, scents, or cover scents); rifle and revolver may not be used to hunt bear during any period when deer may be hunted with a shotgun. Harvest reporting — Attach the harvest tag from the bear permit to the carcass immediately; report the harvest online or at a check station within 48 hours; keep the resulting confirmation number (written on the tag) or metal seal attached to the bear until it is processed, with some part of the carcass visible while transporting it. Biological sample — MassWildlife requests (not stated as legally mandatory) a tooth from harvested bears for its age-structure study; hunters receive an age letter and MA Bear Hunter sticker the following late summer. 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 Massachusetts?
On opening day (September 7, 2026) legal light runs 05:48 to 19:39. The rule is: ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset, stated directly on MassWildlife's black bear hunting regulations page. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Massachusetts sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt bear on my own land in Massachusetts without a license?
A Massachusetts landowner with 300 or more contiguous undeveloped acres, or a farmer earning at least half their income from farming, may hunt small game on that land without a license. Deer, turkey, or bear on the same land needs a separate Farmer/Landowner permit, which also covers immediate family and resident tenants.
Verified · MassWildlife (Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife) · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. mass.gov blocks direct automated fetches on this project, so the official 'Black bear hunting regulations' page was read via a text-extraction proxy (r.jina.ai) instead. The page states the overall season plainly as 'Sept. 7 - Dec. 12, 2026' and then a per-implement table across three segments (Sept 7-Oct 3, Oct 5-Nov 28, Nov 30-Dec 12) — the one-day gaps (Oct 4 and Nov 29, both Sundays) are just Massachusetts' standing no-Sunday-hunting rule, not a bear-specific break, so each implement is modeled here as one continuous window across whichever segments it is legal in, matching the table exactly: rifle (segments 1-2), revolver (segment 1 only), muzzleloader and archery (all three segments, i.e. the full season), and shotgun (segment 3 only, concurrent with the shotgun deer season). All segments and the bag limit apply statewide across every Wildlife Management Zone — Massachusetts does not zone bear season geographically. Bag limit, license/permit, hunting-hours, and tagging/reporting rules read directly from the same page. Tooth submission is described as MassWildlife 'requesting' a tooth for its age study, not stated as a strict legal mandate, so it is recorded here as requested rather than mandatory. Not confirmed on an official page this round: the dollar cost of the Bear Permit (the Youth Bear Permit is explicitly free; the standard Bear Permit's fee was not stated on this page) — confirm directly with MassWildlife before relying on it.