Bear harvest has trended upward over the past two decades. But this year, hunters took nearly twice as many bears as last year — 147 bears, compared to 77 in 2025.
"We did set a whopping record bear harvest of 147 bears harvested," ODWC Director Wade Free told wildlife commissioners at their monthly meeting Wednesday. "The previous record of 86 was really just shattered."
Oklahoma's bear population has been growing—estimates show a few thousand bears in the state, mostly in the southeastern corner. Oklahoma State University recently announced a four-year study to better inform black bear conservation and management efforts.
This spring, state lawmakers introduced a measure to extend bear season. The goal was to encourage higher bear harvests and reduce the state's bear population, according to bill author Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee.
"In southeast Oklahoma, those constituents have a problem with bears tearing up their property," Fetgatter said on March 4. "And some of them are in fear because they walk out on the front porch and they may find a bear out on the front porch."
The effort failed after wildlife officials pushed back, saying the bear population is well-balanced and growing slowly.
"We want to provide as much hunting opportunity for the public as we can before it starts harming the resource," ODWC spokesperson Micah Holmes said in March.
Holmes said opening archery season for black bears early would likely result in many more bear kills. Oklahoma's black bears start finding dens in October and November, but before that, they're still out and about and more likely to be drawn by bait.
There's no cap on how many bears can be harvested during Oklahoma's hunting season. The season's length and timing are intended to provide balanced hunting opportunities.
"Some of the issues we dealt with at the Capitol on bear season really shows that we kind of know what we're doing," Free told commissioners Monday. "We even estimated it. We know that harvest trends follow population trends."
Free said the banner bear season may have also been the result of this year's acorn crop "or lack thereof."
The biggest bear bagged last month weighed in at around 300 pounds, Free said.
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