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Bear unit
Piedmont BMU bear season, 2026-27
Bear seasons, harvest and dog rules.
Photo: MarkDoliner (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Piedmont BMU counties
In 2025 the Piedmont BMU counties reported 81 bears; with dogs, 17.
Alamance · Alexander · Anson · Cabarrus · Caswell · Catawba · Chatham · Davidson · Davie · Durham · Forsyth · Franklin · Gaston · Granville · Guilford · Harnett · Hoke · Iredell · Johnston · Lee · Lincoln · Mecklenburg · Montgomery · Moore · Orange · Person · Randolph · Richmond · Rockingham · Rowan · Scotland · Stanly · Stokes · Union · Vance · Wake · Warren · Yadkin
NCWRC bear seasons, checked October 25, 2026.
Piedmont BMU bear calendar
| Segment | Counties | Opens | Closes | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piedmont BMU group 1 | Franklin · Harnett · Hoke · Johnston · Moore · Richmond · Scotland · Vance · Wake · Warren | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | 77 |
| Piedmont BMU group 2 | 19 counties | Nov 14, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | 49 |
| Piedmont BMU group 3 | Alexander · Catawba · Davie · Forsyth · Gaston · Iredell · Lincoln · Stokes · Yadkin | Nov 21, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | 42 |
NCWRC bear seasons, checked October 25, 2026.
Where Piedmont BMU bears are taken
| County | 2025 | 2024 | 2020 | Still hunt 2025 | Dogs 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granville | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 4 |
| Warren | 12 | 22 | 17 | 8 | 4 |
| Stokes | 10 | 16 | 15 | 8 | 2 |
| Person | 9 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| Rockingham | 9 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 0 |
| Caswell | 8 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| Chatham | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Vance | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Franklin | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Johnston | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Alexander | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Cabarrus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Davidson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Orange | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Scotland | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Stanly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Wake | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Alamance | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anson | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Catawba | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Davie | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Durham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forsyth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gaston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Guilford | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harnett | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hoke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Iredell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lincoln | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mecklenburg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Montgomery | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Moore | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Randolph | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Richmond | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rowan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Union | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yadkin | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
NCWRC bear harvest, 2025 harvest by method, checked October 25, 2026.
Piedmont BMU dog and sanctuary rules
Bear dogs are banned in these Piedmont BMU counties or parts: Alamance (south of I-85), Anson (west of N.C. 742), Cabarrus, Chatham, Davie, Davidson, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Lee, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Orange (south of I-85), Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Union and Wake (south of N.C. 98).
NCWRC general regulations and digest bear management areas, checked October 25, 2026. All designated bear management areas.
Piedmont BMU FAQ
Piedmont BMU season dates?
Piedmont BMU group 1: Oct 17–Jan 1; Piedmont BMU group 2: Nov 14–Jan 1; Piedmont BMU group 3: Nov 21–Jan 1.
Where does the Piedmont BMU apply?
Alamance, Alexander, Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Forsyth, Franklin, Gaston, Granville, Guilford, Harnett, Hoke, Iredell, Johnston, Lee, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Orange, Person, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Scotland, Stanly, Stokes, Union, Vance, Wake, Warren and Yadkin.
Bear dogs in the Piedmont BMU?
Bear dogs are banned in these Piedmont BMU counties or parts: Alamance (south of I-85), Anson (west of N.C. 742), Cabarrus, Chatham, Davie, Davidson, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Lee, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Orange (south of I-85), Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Union and Wake (south of N.C. 98).
Piedmont BMU bears in 2025?
81 in 2025.