California rarely gets brought up in a bear hunting conversation, which is unfortunate because it is home to some great bear hunting! Maybe it is because it is the fall season. Bear tags are issued over-the-counter on a harvest quota basis. Ever since California banned the use of dogs for bear hunting, the quota of 1,700 has not been met. Any cub or sow accompanied by one or more cubs is illegal to harvest. If you kill a bear, you must have the tag countersigned (validated) by a CDFW employee. Bear tags must be validated prior to transporting the bear, except for the purpose of taking it to the nearest person authorized to validate the tag en route to your home from the point where the bear was taken.
The archery bear season starts in the middle of August and runs through the first week of September. The general rifle season opens concurrently with the general rifle deer hunting seasons in zones A, B, C, D, X8, X9A, X9B, X10, and X12 and extends through the end of December. The remaining deer X zones open in the middle of October and extend through the end of December. All seasons will close early if CDFW reports 1,700 bears being taken. All harvested bears must have a validated bear tag before transportation. Whether or not you are successful, all bear tags must be returned to the CDFW no later than February 1, 2025.
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