Photo by by Mitch Adolph, submitted to the 2023 Maryland DNR Photo Contest.
Annapolis, MD - The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ black bear hunt lottery will be open Now through August 31. Entry is required to participate in the 2026 Maryland bear hunting season from October 26 – 31 in all of Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties.
The bear hunt is an important part of managing Maryland’s expanding bear population by helping to reduce conflicts between humans and bears such as collisions with vehicles and property damage.
Hunters can check the DNR black bear hunt website on September 3 to see if they were selected. Applicants of the lottery who are not selected receive one preference point for each year that they enter the lottery but are not selected. Each preference point represents one chance in the next bear permit lottery the hunter enters. Anyone who is not seeking a permit this year, but may in the future, can purchase a preference point for $15 without entering the 2026 lottery.
New for 2026, preference points will no longer expire if a hunter fails to enter the lottery or purchase a preference point in a given year. Hunters not selected in the primary lottery also may choose to enter a secondary lottery for a permit to hunt only in Frederick and Washington counties.
If a hunter opts into the secondary lottery, their preference points will be applied. If a hunter’s DNRid number is drawn for either lottery, preference points will default to zero.
This year, 950 bear harvest permits will be issued through the primary lottery selection process with an additional 100 for the secondary lottery, for a total of 1,050 available permits. DNR uses population data to ensure the black bear hunt is sustainable.
Lottery entries and preference points may be purchased through the MD Outdoors licensing website, at a license agent, or by calling 866-344-8889 between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Anyone with questions about the application process should email blackbear.dnr@maryland.gov.
Unless exempt from the hunting license requirement, participating in the black bear hunt also requires a Maryland hunting license, which can be purchased online at MD Outdoors, at DNR service centers, or at sport license agent retailers.
