Washington · Bear · 2026 Edition
Washington Bear Season 2026: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Any legal method (dogs & bait prohibited statewide) | BBMU 1 Northeast, 2 Columbia Basin, 3 Southeast, 6 Central Cascades East, 7 South Cascades East, 8 North Cascades West, 9 South Cascades West, 10 Urban, 11 Mount St. Helens, 12 Olympic Peninsula East, 13 Olympic Peninsula West | Aug 1 – Nov 15 |
| Any legal method (dogs & bait prohibited statewide) | BBMU 4 Okanogan Highlands (GMUs 101, 204), BBMU 5 Okanogan (GMUs 203, 209, 215, 218, 224, 231, 233, 239, 242, 243), BBMU 14 Willapa Hills (GMUs 501, 506, 530, 658, 660, 663, 672, 673, 681, 699) | Aug 15 – Nov 15 |
02 — Bag limits & check-in
| BBMU 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 | 2 black bear per license year |
|---|---|
| BBMU 4 Okanogan Highlands, 5 Okanogan, 14 Willapa Hills | 1 black bear |
| Closed area | GMUs 157, 410-417, 419-424, 490, 522 and 655 are closed to fall bear hunting statewide |
| GMU 485 | A special deer or elk permit is required to hunt bear in GMU 485 |
| Cub / sow-with-cub protection | Illegal to shoot or possess a cub (under 1 year old, roughly 30-50 lbs) or a female accompanied by cubs |
| Mandatory bear ID test | Required before hunting in GMUs 101, 105, 108, 111, 113, 117, 121, 203, 204, 209, 215, 218, 224, 231, 242-244, 418, 426, 437 and 450 — WDFW online test, 80% or higher, proof must be carried while hunting |
| Biological sample | All successful hunters must submit the complete, unbroken root of the first premolar tooth (or a canine if no premolar is available) by December 1, 2026 |
| Harvest reporting | All big game hunting activity, successful or not, must be reported by January 31, 2027 via the myWDFW app, online, or by phone |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (August 1, 2026) 05:11 — 21:05
Rule: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset for game animals and forest grouse during established seasons, per the WDFW hunting-hours table. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Washington sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Bear hunters in Washington need a Washington hunting license — a Bear License ($32.86 resident / $306.10 nonresident); a mandatory WDFW bear identification test (80%+ score) is required before hunting in a specific list of GMUs; a hunter may buy a second Bear License/transport tag (same price) to take a second bear where the BBMU's 2-bear limit applies Check-in or reporting a harvest is typically mandatory; see the row above for Washington's specific rule.
Washington hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Washington — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Patterning bear activity before Washington'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 Washington?
The earliest 2026 opener is August 1, 2026. See the table above for each method and zone.
When does bear season end in Washington?
The latest 2026 closing date is November 15, 2026. Individual segments and zones can close earlier — see the table above.
Do I need a separate bear license or tag in Washington?
a Bear License ($32.86 resident / $306.10 nonresident); a mandatory WDFW bear identification test (80%+ score) is required before hunting in a specific list of GMUs; a hunter may buy a second Bear License/transport tag (same price) to take a second bear where the BBMU's 2-bear limit applies
How many bears can you shoot in Washington?
2026 bag limits: BBMU 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 — 2 black bear per license year. BBMU 4 Okanogan Highlands, 5 Okanogan, 14 Willapa Hills — 1 black bear. Closed area — GMUs 157, 410-417, 419-424, 490, 522 and 655 are closed to fall bear hunting statewide. GMU 485 — A special deer or elk permit is required to hunt bear in GMU 485. Cub / sow-with-cub protection — Illegal to shoot or possess a cub (under 1 year old, roughly 30-50 lbs) or a female accompanied by cubs. Mandatory bear ID test — Required before hunting in GMUs 101, 105, 108, 111, 113, 117, 121, 203, 204, 209, 215, 218, 224, 231, 242-244, 418, 426, 437 and 450 — WDFW online test, 80% or higher, proof must be carried while hunting. Biological sample — All successful hunters must submit the complete, unbroken root of the first premolar tooth (or a canine if no premolar is available) by December 1, 2026. Harvest reporting — All big game hunting activity, successful or not, must be reported by January 31, 2027 via the myWDFW app, online, or by phone. 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 Washington?
On opening day (August 1, 2026) legal light runs 05:11 to 21:05. The rule is: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset for game animals and forest grouse during established seasons, per the WDFW hunting-hours table. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Washington sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt bear on my own land in Washington without a license?
No — Washington requires a recreational license to hunt or take wildlife, with no landowner exception; the statute's only carve-out is for bullfrogs. A separate, narrower rule lets an owner kill wildlife that's threatening safety or property without a license, but that's damage control, not a hunting exemption.
Verified · Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. Official '2026-2027 Washington Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules' pamphlet (effective April 1, 2026 - March 31, 2027), 'Fall Black Bear General Seasons' and 'Black Bear Management Units' pages read directly via pdftotext/pdfplumber (the BBMU table required word-position extraction to untangle a multi-column PDF layout). WDFW currently runs ONLY a fall general season for black bear; the special-permit spring bear hunt that used to run in select GMUs was discontinued after a Nov 2021 Fish and Wildlife Commission tie vote and has not been reinstated as of this pamphlet (confirmed via WDFW's own 'Spring black bear rule making petition' withdrawal page) — do not assume a spring season exists. All fall dates fall within calendar year 2026. Legal methods are broad (any legal hunting method) but baiting and hound-hunting are both banned statewide by RCW 77.15.245 — Washington does not split bear into weapon-specific method rows the way it does deer/elk. Shooting hours (one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset) are the pamphlet's general 'game animals' rule, explicitly stated to cover bear.