Oklahoma · Bear · 2026 Edition
Oklahoma Bear Season 2026: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | Southeastern Oklahoma only — Choctaw, Haskell, Latimer, Le Flore, McCurtain, Pushmataha counties; the portions of McIntosh, Muskogee, Sequoyah counties south of I-40; and the portions of Atoka, Bryan, McIntosh, Pittsburg counties east of US-69 | Oct 1 – Oct 18 |
| Muzzleloader | Same southeastern Oklahoma open area as archery | Oct 24 – Nov 1 |
02 — Bag limits & check-in
| Statewide (open area only) | One bear per year, either sex, combined across archery and muzzleloader seasons |
|---|---|
| Protected animals | Shooting cubs, females with cubs, or a collared bear is prohibited; taking a denned bear is prohibited |
| Quota | As of the June 2026 Wildlife Commission rule change, neither the archery nor the muzzleloader season carries a harvest quota — historically the muzzleloader segment ran under a roughly 20-bear quota that closed the season within days; confirm current status with ODWC before hunting in case a quota is reinstated |
| Check-in | Immediately attach name and customer ID to the carcass, then call the ODWC bear-check contact (regional wildlife biologist/technician) — the hunter who harvested the bear must personally complete the check-in |
| License | Resident Annual Hunting License + Resident Bear License, or Nonresident Annual Hunting License + Nonresident Bear License; archery bear license must be purchased before archery season opens |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (October 1, 2026) 06:55 — 19:43
Rule: One-half hour before official sunrise to one-half hour after official sunset — stated on ODWC's Big Game Regulations page, which covers bear and deer together. Oklahoma's SMALL game runs different hours (half an hour before sunrise to official sunset), so the two do not share a rule. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Oklahoma sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Bear hunters in Oklahoma need an Oklahoma hunting license — a Resident or Nonresident Annual Hunting License plus a separate Resident or Nonresident Bear License for that season — archery bear licenses must be purchased before the first day of archery season; the 5-day nonresident license does not cover bear Check-in or reporting a harvest is typically mandatory; see the row above for Oklahoma's specific rule.
Oklahoma hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Oklahoma — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Patterning bear activity before Oklahoma'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 Oklahoma?
The earliest 2026 opener is October 1, 2026. See the table above for each method and zone.
When does bear season end in Oklahoma?
The latest 2026 closing date is November 1, 2026. Individual segments and zones can close earlier — see the table above.
Do I need a separate bear license or tag in Oklahoma?
a Resident or Nonresident Annual Hunting License plus a separate Resident or Nonresident Bear License for that season — archery bear licenses must be purchased before the first day of archery season; the 5-day nonresident license does not cover bear
How many bears can you shoot in Oklahoma?
2026 bag limits: Statewide (open area only) — One bear per year, either sex, combined across archery and muzzleloader seasons. Protected animals — Shooting cubs, females with cubs, or a collared bear is prohibited; taking a denned bear is prohibited. Quota — As of the June 2026 Wildlife Commission rule change, neither the archery nor the muzzleloader season carries a harvest quota — historically the muzzleloader segment ran under a roughly 20-bear quota that closed the season within days; confirm current status with ODWC before hunting in case a quota is reinstated. Check-in — Immediately attach name and customer ID to the carcass, then call the ODWC bear-check contact (regional wildlife biologist/technician) — the hunter who harvested the bear must personally complete the check-in. License — Resident Annual Hunting License + Resident Bear License, or Nonresident Annual Hunting License + Nonresident Bear License; archery bear license must be purchased before archery season opens. 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 Oklahoma?
On opening day (October 1, 2026) legal light runs 06:55 to 19:43. The rule is: One-half hour before official sunrise to one-half hour after official sunset — stated on ODWC's Big Game Regulations page, which covers bear and deer together. Oklahoma's SMALL game runs different hours (half an hour before sunrise to official sunset), so the two do not share a rule. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Oklahoma sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt bear on my own land in Oklahoma without a license?
Oklahoma resident landowners or agricultural tenants are exempt on land they own or lease — including the state waterfowl license and HIP for birds taken there — but big-game licenses (deer, elk, antelope, bear, turkey) are separate and not waived. A nonresident who owns Oklahoma land doesn't qualify.
Verified · Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. Dates, open-county description, bag limit, cub/sow and collared-bear protections, and license requirements read verbatim off ODWC's Bear Big Game Season regulations page. That page states as of June 2026 there is no quota on the muzzleloader season — cross-checked against ODWC's own newsroom post ('Wildlife Commission Approves Slate of Resolutions and Rule Changes') and independent coverage (NewsOn6, News9, Oklahoma Voice), which confirm the Wildlife Commission eliminated the black bear muzzleloader harvest quota at its June 22, 2026 meeting; archery season has never carried a quota. This is a real change from recent prior seasons (2019–2025), when a roughly 20-bear muzzleloader quota routinely closed that segment within days of opening — the task brief's warning about early quota closure describes that older structure, but for the 2026 season itself neither segment carries a hard cap, so the printed dates below are the actual legal window unless ODWC reinstates a quota before the season opens; hunters should still confirm current status directly with ODWC before hunting. The open area was expanded in 2019 from 4 to 12 counties/partial-counties in southeastern Oklahoma and has not changed since. Not found on the official page: any tooth/premolar biological-sample submission requirement (unlike NC, TN, and AR, Oklahoma's page has no such requirement — likely genuinely absent rather than unconfirmed) and exact license fee amounts.