2026 Bear Season Wraps Up

2026 Bear Season Wraps Up

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources today announced preliminary results for the 2026 bear season.

This fall, bear hunters harvested 4,275 bears during the 35-day season, slightly above the overall harvest target of 4,160 bears. The 2026 bear season ran from Sept. 15 to Oct. 13. A total of 15,245 bear hunting licenses were awarded to hunters through the license lottery system.

“The big story across the northern part of the state was the ongoing drought conditions, particularly in northwest Wisconsin, and how the dry conditions might affect bear activity,” said Randy Johnson, DNR large carnivore specialist. “A different story emerged in southern parts of Wisconsin, with reports suggesting abundant acorns in many areas, along with agricultural crops, which often draw the attention of bears away from hunter baits in these areas. These patterns played out with bear harvest being above expectations in the northwest part of the state while at or near expectations across the rest of the state.”

Hunter success rates were above average in Zones A and D this year, appearing most pronounced in counties like Barron, Burnett, Polk and Washburn, which all contributed to the Zone D harvest being the largest to date for the area. Nevertheless, this harvest level remains consistent with the current management objective of bear population reduction for this area of the state.

Across central and southern Wisconsin, total harvest was predictably up somewhat this year compared to last, due in large part to increasing the number of licenses available in several management zones. Hunter success rates across Zones C, E and F were marginally lower compared to last year.

“One of our goals has been to increase bear harvest in parts of central and western Wisconsin (Zones C and E) to slow bear population growth in these areas, and this year’s bump in harvest in these areas reflects that goal,” said Johnson.

Statewide, about 28% of bear hunters were successful in taking a bear, on par with the five-year average hunter success rate of around 30%. Hunter success rates in individual zones varied from a high of 73% in Zone A to less than 10% in Zones E and F.

“The DNR’s bear management plan outlines an adaptive management strategy in which we evaluate a number of important parameters each year. We can then adjust license and harvest levels as needed in different regions of the state to affect the bear population and data trends. This strategy is what allows us to strive towards sustainable bear population levels, compatible with the habitat and public preferences,” said Johnson.

Zone-specific preliminary registration information is as follows:

Benefits Of Bear Hunting

Wisconsin has a thriving bear population, estimated around some 24,000 bears, with a range covering more than half the state. While bears have tremendous cultural and ecological value, they can also conflict with human interests, such as damaging agricultural crops or raiding residential trash and bird feeders.

Aside from being a management tool that ultimately supports healthy bear populations, bear hunting also provides wonderful opportunities to experience the outdoors with the company of family and friends. “Harvested bears provide both a source of sustainable protein as well as memories afield that can last a lifetime,” said Johnson.

Hunters provide critical data from every harvested bear, which serve as the backbone of population monitoring efforts and ensure a healthy and sustainable bear population into the future. Bear hunter license fees also supply key funding for bear management, research and outreach activities.

Reminders For Next Year

Hunters wishing to obtain a license or preference point for the 2027 season must apply in Go Wild or at an authorized license agent before the Dec. 10 deadline. State law requires bear permit applicants to apply at least once during any period of three consecutive years to retain their accumulated preference points, otherwise, all accumulated preference points will be lost.

Over 146,000 people applied for a bear hunting license or preference point for the 2026 season, again setting an all-time high record number of applicants. To help hunters make hunting plans, a full breakdown of the 2026 bear license drawing results and license wait times is available online.

Visit the DNR’s Bear Hunting webpage to learn more about black bear hunting, ecology and management in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin income taxes are not used to directly fund any wildlife projects or to facilitate the hunting/trapping seasons. Instead, 95% of the funding for the Wildlife Management Program comes from two sources: revenue from the sale of hunting, fishing and trapping licenses and a federal tax on firearm and ammunition purchases.

The Wildlife Management Program directly supports key wildlife projects, including population surveys, habitat restoration, wildlife disease monitoring, and the maintenance for 650,000 acres of public land managed for hunting, trapping and other outdoor recreation.

Wisconsin has seen the number of purchased licenses drop over the last 20 years, which directly limits available funding for current and future wildlife projects and limits the department’s ability to absorb rising costs from inflation.