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Kentucky bear zones · 2026-27
Kentucky Bear Zones
The three bear zones of 301 KAR 2:300: 47 counties, archery, hound and firearm dates by zone, closed areas and bears checked since 2016-17.
Photo: douglas haase (CC BY 2.0)
How Kentucky splits bear hunting into three zones
Black bear hunting in Kentucky is limited to 47 counties, divided into three zones by 301 KAR 2:300. Zone 1 is Bell, Harlan, Letcher and McCreary; Zone 3 is Clinton and Wayne; the other 41 counties make up Zone 2. The remaining 73 counties have no bear season.
No bear quota; bear permits are over the counter. Every hunter may take 1 bear per license year; 75 lb or more; no female with cubs. Zone 1 has the shortest archery and firearm seasons; Zone 3 alone gets an extra archery window in late September.
Telecheck counted 205 bears statewide in 2025-26 and 31 in 2016-17. A handful came from counties outside the bear zones (Allen, Hardin and Webster), which the app records but which have no bear season of their own.
Zones from 301 KAR 2:300 and the KDFWR bear zone layer; fees from the 2026-27 fee table; harvest from the Harvest Results app ({'2020': {'guide': 87, 'app': 87}, '2023': {'guide': 147, 'app': 148}, '2024': {'guide': 'over 200', 'app': 229}, '2025': {'guide': 'over 200', 'app': 205}}); checked November 10, 2026.
Kentucky bear season dates side by side
Bear Zone 1
4 counties; firearm Dec 12–14.
Bear Zone 2
41 counties; firearm Dec 12–16.
Bear Zone 3
2 counties; firearm Dec 12–16.
| Season | Zone 1 | Zone 2 | Zone 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery/Crossbow | Oct 24–26 | Oct 24–28 | Sep 19–Oct 2 Oct 24–28 |
| Hunt with Dogs | Oct 19–23 | Oct 19–23 Oct 29–Nov 6 | Oct 19–23 Oct 29–Nov 6 |
| Firearm | Dec 12–14 | Dec 12–16 | Dec 12–16 |
| Chase-only | Jun 1–Aug 31 Sep 9–30 | Jun 1–Aug 31 Sep 9–30 | Jun 1–Aug 31 Sep 9–30 |
Chase-only (dog training, no harvest) runs in all three zones under a bear chase permit; hunting with dogs for harvest needs the chase permit plus a bear permit, or the $52.85 combination permit.
From guide p. 16, the KDFWR Season Dates app and 301 KAR 2:300; checked November 10, 2026.
Find the bear zone for a Kentucky county
Type a county or seat; counties missing from the list have no bear season.
From 301 KAR 2:300 and the Harvest Results app; checked November 10, 2026.
Bear harvest by Kentucky bear zone
Summed by zone, Zone 1 accounted for 473 checked bears over ten license years, Zone 2 for 514 and Zone 3 for 89.
| Zone | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2016-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Zone 1 | 35 | 59 | 64 | 95 | 88 | 473 |
| Bear Zone 2 | 68 | 48 | 72 | 115 | 103 | 514 |
| Bear Zone 3 | 6 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 89 |
black bears checked by county, KDFWR Harvest Results app, license year: KDFWR Harvest Results app; summed by today’s bear zone counties. Checked November 10, 2026.
Bear closures, dogs, bait and reporting
Bear hunting is closed on these areas:
- Hensley-Pine Mountain WMA
- Kingdom Come State Park
Dogs may not be used for bears on these areas:
- Big South Fork NRRA
- Cane Creek WMA
- Cumberland Gap NHP
- Daniel Boone National Forest
- Beaver Creek WMA
- Hensley-Pine Mountain WMA
- Kingdom Come State Park
- Mill Creek WMA
- Miller-Welch Central Kentucky WMA
- Pioneer Weapons WMA
- Redbird WMA
Bear baiting is illegal everywhere in Kentucky: no bait or lures, garbage included, no hunting or chasing a site for 30 days after bait is removed, and no feeding bears. Every bear goes through Telecheck by 8 p.m. Eastern on the day it is taken, with a call within 24 hours for the physical check and tag.
From 301 KAR 2:300, guide p. 16, Guide p. 10 and Guide p. 8; checked November 10, 2026.
Valley view from Natural Arch Scenic Area in McCreary County in early springPhoto: Doug Kerr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Fall-colored forest filling the Red River Gorge seen from a rock ledgePhoto: Patrick Mueller (CC BY 2.0)
Red and yellow fall understory in the Red River Gorge woodsPhoto: Patrick Mueller (CC BY 2.0)
Kentucky bear zone questions
How many bear zones are drawn in 301 KAR 2:300?
Three, covering 47 counties: Zone 1 (4), Zone 2 (41) and Zone 3 (2).
Does a quota cap the Kentucky bear harvest?
No bear quota; bear permits are over the counter.
When is firearm bear season?
Zone 1 December 12 to December 14, 2026; Zones 2 and 3 December 12 to December 16, 2026.
Which bear zone has an early archery season?
Zone 3, September 19 to October 2, 2026.
Can I hunt bears outside the bear zones?
No. Only the 47 bear zone counties have a bear season.
When can bear dogs be trained?
Chase-only runs June 1 to August 31, 2026 and September 9 to September 30, 2026, no harvest, with a bear chase permit.
Is bear baiting allowed?
No. Bait and lures are illegal for bears, and so is feeding them.
Which areas are closed to bear hunting?
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Hensley-Pine Mountain WMA and Kingdom Come State Park in the guide; 301 KAR 2:300 does not list Kingdom Come State Park.
How many bears were checked last season?
205 in 2025-26, by the Harvest Results app.
From 301 KAR 2:300, the 2026-27 guide and the Harvest Results app; checked November 10, 2026.