California Officially Doubles the Bear Harvest Limit for Individual Hunters

California bear hunters are heading into the next season with a notable rule change in their favor. The California Fish and Game Commission voted earlier this month to raise the individual bear harvest limit from one to two tags per hunter per year, a meaningful shift for those who pursue black bears across the state.

Beyond the tag increase, the Commission also redrew hunt area boundaries to bring all of Lassen and Modoc counties fully within designated bear hunting zones, an expansion that opens up more ground for NorCal hunters specifically.

The statewide harvest cap of 1,700 bears remains unchanged. That ceiling hasn’t been hit since 2012, and if reached during any future season, would trigger an automatic closure. California’s black bear population is currently estimated at around 60,000 animals across suitable habitat statewide. CDFW scientists project the regulation changes will result in roughly 100 to 200 additional bears taken per season, a modest increase relative to overall population size.

The changes were adopted at the Commission’s April 15-16 meeting alongside separate discussions on marine protected area petitions, which will continue through a series of regional public meetings later this spring.

For NorCal hunters, the combination of an expanded tag allowance and broader hunt boundaries in the northeast corner of the state makes this one of the more significant bear hunting regulation updates in recent years. Full regulation details are available through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.