Wyoming Spring Black Bear Hunting 2026: Season, Licenses & Where to Hunt

Wyoming offers one of the most talked-about spring black bear opportunities in the Lower 48—long season windows, bait hunting where registered, spot-and-stalk in open country, and millions of acres of national forest and BLM. Spring dates and weapon types vary by hunt area and license type (e.g., archery-only vs. any legal weapon). Grizzly bears occur in some areas—identify your target and carry bear spray. Always read the current Black Bear page and the 2026 spring table before you hunt.

• Spring season: area-specific—often April into June with method splits
• Bait sites: registration required—watch renewal and application windows
• Bag limit: one black bear per valid license year where regulations allow—see license
• Grizzly: not a legal black bear—know the difference in Grizzly Country

When Is Wyoming Spring Bear Season?

Wyoming Game & Fish publishes spring black bear seasons by hunt area and license. Typical spring frameworks include:

• Archery-only segments opening in April in many areas
• General or any-weapon segments after archery in some areas
• Later openings in high-elevation units (e.g., some Snowy Range areas historically open mid-April—verify current year)

Do not rely on blog summaries alone. Download the current season PDF from Wyoming Game & Fish—Black Bear and match your license to the hunt area map.

How Wyoming Spring Bear Licenses Work

Wyoming spring bear falls under trophy game licensing—license type and hunt area must match on the ground.

• Resident licenses: see resident pricing and limited quota vs. general options
• Nonresident licenses: limited quota spring bear licenses often sell out or require draw—apply during published windows
• Preference points: may apply to limited draws—read the big game prospectus

Purchase through Wyoming Game & Fish or authorized agents. Leftover licenses may appear after draws—monitor WGFD announcements.

Bait Hunting in Wyoming

Where baited hunting is allowed, Wyoming requires bait site registration and compliance with site placement, distance, and renewal rules. Baiting is not legal everywhere—some units are spot-and-stalk or calling only.

• Renewal and new site applications open on published dates each spring—watch March news on wgfd.wyo.gov
• First-come, first-served bait opportunities may begin after a fixed calendar date—confirm with WGFD
• Ethics: clean sites, secure attractants from non-target species, and plan for early den emergence in warm winters

Where to Hunt Spring Bears in Wyoming

Spring bears move from den to green-up—south-facing slopes, creek bottoms, burns, and grass parks are high-percentage glassing.

• Bighorn Mountains: deep public land; road access varies with snow—spring can stay mud and snow in drifts
• Wyoming Range / Salt River Range: steep timber and edges—good bears, hard hiking
• Laramie Peak / Snowies: later green-up—bears may be lower on warm years
• Southeast Wyoming: lower elevation oakbrush and sage—different optics needs than western timber

Use WGFD Hunt Planner and USFS motor-vehicle maps—mud season closures can block access unexpectedly.

For optics and layers, our gear we use elk hunting translates well to spring bear.

Key Regulations

• Evidence of sex: evidence must remain attached as required—read the digest
• Cubs and sows with cubs: unlawful to harvest—verify cubs
• Grizzly bears: protected—misidentification is not a defense—take a bear identification course
• Check-in / reporting: follow mandatory check and reporting rules for your license

Plan Your Wyoming Spring Bear Hunt

Wyoming rewards homework: license matches area, bait is registered, and weather shapes access. Pair this with the Wyoming hunting guide for big-picture seasons and species.

Read how to improve shooting accuracy before you range a spring bear across a canyon.

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Sources

1. Wyoming Game & Fish Department. "Black Bear." WGFD, wgfd.wyo.gov/Regulations/Trophy-Game/Black-Bear. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
2. Wyoming Game & Fish Department. "Hunting Seasons and Dates." eRegulations Wyoming, eregulations.com/wyoming/hunting. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
3. Wyoming Game & Fish Department. News—bait site registration and season updates. WGFD, wgfd.wyo.gov/News. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
4. Wyoming Game & Fish Department. License purchase, wgfd.wyo.gov. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.