Bear hunting and bear regulations in Oklahoma is largely miss-understood by Oklahoma hunters. Having hunted them for four-years, I have learned a lot and the more I learn the more I realize I do not know about successfully killing one. I thought I would provide a little very general info on what the bear hunting is and is not in the Sooner state.
In the late 1900s black bear were successful reintroduced in the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. That initial relocation of about 250 bears from northern Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada, turned into thousands of bears in the mountains of Arkansas, which then expanded into southwest Missouri and eastern Oklahoma. Today, bear can be found in about 34 Oklahoma counties in eastern Oklahoma and the panhandle. They continue to move west.
Bear hunting has been permitted since 2009 in only four counties in southeastern Oklahoma: Le Flore, Latimer, Pushmataha and McCurtain, these counties remain the only counties what allow bear hunting.
In 2015 hunters took only 52 black bears during the bear hunting seasons. Contrary to popular belief, there is no quota place on bear during the 15-day (Oct 1 to Oct 15) archery season. There is a quota of 20 bears during the limited muzzleloader season. There is a one bear limit per hunter.
Le Flore County produced the most bear in 2015 with 39 bear. Only two of Le Flore County’s bears were taken by muzzleloader hunters. Latimer County yielded only one bear in 2015. Usually about three-fourths of the total bear harvest each year occurs on private land. In all, 49 bears (27 males and 22 females) were harvested during the archery season with only three bears (two males and one female) were taken with muzzleloaders.
Bear licenses for the archery must be purchased prior to Oct. 1, 2017. An unfilled bear license from the archery season is valid for muzzleloader season. Bear licenses for the muzzleloader be purchased prior to Oct. 28, 2017. No baiting is allowed on wildlife management areas, baiting on private land is legal. Shooting of cubs or females with cubs and den shooting are prohibited. Pursuing bears with dogs is not allowed.
I hope this helps for those that are looking for general info on bear hunting in Oklahoma. For more information, consult the Oklahoma Hunting & Fishing Regulations Guide.
In the late 1900s black bear were successful reintroduced in the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. That initial relocation of about 250 bears from northern Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada, turned into thousands of bears in the mountains of Arkansas, which then expanded into southwest Missouri and eastern Oklahoma. Today, bear can be found in about 34 Oklahoma counties in eastern Oklahoma and the panhandle. They continue to move west.
Bear hunting has been permitted since 2009 in only four counties in southeastern Oklahoma: Le Flore, Latimer, Pushmataha and McCurtain, these counties remain the only counties what allow bear hunting.
In 2015 hunters took only 52 black bears during the bear hunting seasons. Contrary to popular belief, there is no quota place on bear during the 15-day (Oct 1 to Oct 15) archery season. There is a quota of 20 bears during the limited muzzleloader season. There is a one bear limit per hunter.
Le Flore County produced the most bear in 2015 with 39 bear. Only two of Le Flore County’s bears were taken by muzzleloader hunters. Latimer County yielded only one bear in 2015. Usually about three-fourths of the total bear harvest each year occurs on private land. In all, 49 bears (27 males and 22 females) were harvested during the archery season with only three bears (two males and one female) were taken with muzzleloaders.
Bear licenses for the archery must be purchased prior to Oct. 1, 2017. An unfilled bear license from the archery season is valid for muzzleloader season. Bear licenses for the muzzleloader be purchased prior to Oct. 28, 2017. No baiting is allowed on wildlife management areas, baiting on private land is legal. Shooting of cubs or females with cubs and den shooting are prohibited. Pursuing bears with dogs is not allowed.
I hope this helps for those that are looking for general info on bear hunting in Oklahoma. For more information, consult the Oklahoma Hunting & Fishing Regulations Guide.
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