New Mexico Bear

An OTC bear license is required to hunt bears in New Mexico, including to validate a draw permit. There are a total of seven draw permits, and of those, three are available to residents only, one bow only, and one youth only. The rest of the state is OTC. The bag limit is one bear. New Mexico is divided into bear management zones, enabling NMDGF to better manage regional bear populations. Each zone has two harvest limits – the total number of bears that may be harvested and the number of female bears that may be harvested. Bear management zones close when harvests reach 90% of the total limit, 90% of the female limit, or when the season has ended, whichever occurs first. Hunt dates vary from zone to zone, with most having an archery hunt in August/September and a rifle hunt that goes from September until November. Be sure to check your zone for four things – dates, weapons, use of dogs, and harvest quota – as all four of those are very volatile in New Mexico.

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