Important Notes for the 2026 Bear Hunting Season​

• ​​The 2026 bear hunting season will be open for six days (October 26-31, 2026)
• The black bear hunting zone includes all of Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties.
• Maryland’s black bear hunting season is not a quota hunt and hunters are not required to check in each evening.
• Sub-permittees may hunt black bears regardless of​ whether the permittee is actively hunting.
• As in previous seasons, only one black bear may be harvested by a permittee/sub-permittee hunting team.
• Permittees and sub-permittees are not required to maintain visual contact with one another while hunting black bears. Hunters are reminded that a permittee and sub-permittee team of hunters may kill o​nly one black bear. It is the responsibility of the hunting team to maintain some form of communication to ensure that only one bear is taken.
• At the conclusion of the lottery, winning DNRid numbers will be posted on this page.

​​​​2026​ Black Bear Hunt Lottery Results
Coming in September
​
​Black Bear Hunt Zone 1 (A​L,FR,GA,WA) TBD
Black Bear Hunt Zone 2 (FR,WA) TBD​
To search for a given number open the PDF and​ press CTRL+F​

Other Useful Links

• Black Bear Hunting Regulations and Season and Bag Limits​
• E​xplanation of the Preference Point System
• An Overview of the Black Bear Hunting Seasons: 2004-2023​​
• History of Bears/Bear Management in Maryland
• Public Land Hunting Opportunities
• General Hunting Regulations
• Bear Hunting Regulations
• Bear Hunting Area
• Bear Check-in Procedures
• Responsible Hunting
• Planning Your Bear Hunt
• Bear Hunting Techniques
• Care of Your Bear
• Contact Numbers​