Hunting Bear

§365. Bear.

Except as provided in Section 366, bear may be taken only as follows: (Note: See subsection 265(c)(1) for restrictions on the use of dogs.)

(a) Areas:

(1) Northern California: In the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity; and those portions of Lassen and Modoc counties west of the following line: Beginning at Highway 395 and the Sierra-Lassen county line; north on Highway 395 to the junction of Highway 36; west on Highway 36 to the junction of Highway 139; north on Highway 139 to Highway 299; north on Highway 299 to County Road 87; west on County Road 87 to Lookout-Hackamore Road; north on Lookout-Hackamore Road to Highway 139; north on Highway 139 to the Modoc-Siskiyou county line; north on the Modoc-Siskiyou county line to the Oregon border.

(2) Central California: In the counties of Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba and those portions of Napa and Sonoma counties northeast of Highway 128.

(3) Southern Sierra: That portion of Kern County west of Highway 14 and east of the following line: Beginning at the intersection of Highway 99 and the Kern-Tulare county line; south on Highway 99 to Highway 166; west and south on Highway 166 to the Kern-Santa Barbara county line; and those portions of Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne counties east of Highway 99.

(4) Southern California: In the counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura; that portion of Riverside County north of Interstate 10 and west of Highway 62; and that portion of San Bernardino County south and west of the following line: Beginning at the intersection of Highway 18 and the Los Angeles-San Bernardino county line; east along Highway 18 to Highway 247; southeast on Highway 247 to Highway 62; southwest along Highway 62 to the Riverside-San Bernardino county line.

(5) Southeastern Sierra: Those portions of Inyo and Mono counties west of Highway 395; and that portion of Madera County within the following line: Beginning at the junction of the Fresno-Madera-Mono county lines; north and west along the Madera-Mono county line to the boundary of the Inyo-Sierra National Forest; south along the Inyo-Sierra National Forest boundary to the Fresno-Madera county line; north and east on the Fresno-Madera county line to the point of beginning. Also, that portion of Inyo county west of Highway 395; and that portion of Mono county beginning at the intersection of Highway 6 and the Mono county line; north along Highway 6 to the Nevada state line; north along the Nevada state line to the Alpine county line; south along the Mono-Alpine county line to the Mono-Tuolumne county line and the Inyo National Forest Boundary; south along the Inyo National Forest Boundary to the Inyo-Sierra Forest boundary; south along the Inyo-Sierra Forest boundary to the Fresno-Madera county line; north and east along the Fresno-Madera county line to the junction of the Fresno-Madera-Mono county line; south along the Mono-Fresno county line to the Mono-Inyo County line; east along the Mono-Inyo county line to the point of beginning.

(b) Seasons: Except in the deer hunt areas designated as zones X-1 through X-7b in subsection 360(b), the bear season shall open on the opening day of the general deer season as described in subsections 360(a) and (b) and extend until the last Sunday in December in the areas described in subsections 365(a)(1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) above. In those areas designated as deer hunting zones X-1 through X-7b, the bear season shall open on the second Saturday in October and extend for 79 consecutive days. The bear season shall be closed when the department determines that 1,700 bears have been taken pursuant to the reporting requirement in section 708(e). The department shall notify the commission, the public via the news media and bear tag holders via the U.S. mail and the news media when implementing this closure.

(c) Bag and Possession Limit: One adult bear per season. Cubs and females accompanied by cubs may not be taken. (Cubs are defined as bears less than one year of age or bears weighing less than 50 pounds.)

(d) No open season for bear in the balance of the state not included in subsection (a) above.

(e) Bait: No feed, bait or other materials capable of attracting a bear shall be placed or used for the purpose of taking or pursuing a bear. No bear shall be taken over such bait. No person may take a bear within a 400-yard radius of a garbage dump or bait.

Amended 2004.

§366. Archery Bear Hunting.

Bear may be taken with bow and arrow during the bear season as specified in section 365 and as follows:

(a) Areas: Those portions of the state as described in subsection (a) of section 365.

(b) Season: The archery bear season shall open on the third Saturday in August and extend for 23 consecutive days. There is no open season for taking bear with bow and arrow in the balance of the state.

(c) Bag and Possession Limit: One adult bear per season. Cubs and female accompanied by cubs may not be taken. (Cubs are defined as bears less than one year of age or bears weighing less than 50 pounds.)

(d) The use of dogs is prohibited during the archery season for bear.

(e) Bait. No feed, bait or other materials capable of attracting a bear to a feeding area shall be placed or used for the purpose of taking or pursuing a bear. No bear shall be taken over such bait. No person may take a bear within a 400 yard radius of a garbage dump or bait.

(f) No more than 15,000 bear tags shall be issued pursuant to section 367 (see subsection 365(b)).

Editorial correction deleting former History Note 5 and renumbering remaining History Notes, 1995.

§367.5. Presentation of Bear Skull.

Any person who takes a bear shall present the skull (even if damaged) to a department office/officer within 10 days of taking the bear. The skull shall become property of the department. That portion of the skull not needed for scientific purposes shall be returned.