You walk through the forest, with your X frame Smith and Wesson 500, chambered in Smith and Wesson 500. It is October 12th, 2025, the brown pine needles dot the floor. You find bear scats, and a trail of bear tracks. As you walk, you see a black figure, large and foreboding, its stocky limbs shake the ground. You come face to face, its eyes look into yours, not freaking out. You hold the revolver up to its head, and let loose a bullet. The cylinder clicks to the next round as you cock the hammer back. The bear lies there, holes through his head, you tear out a tooth, and you tag its ear. That is your first and only bear this season, and this guide will teach you how to properly hunt them.
The first thing you need to hunt a black bear is a valid hunting license, you require a big game license as well. You first need to complete a hunter education program and get your certificate, then you must apply for a hunting license from the fish and wildlife service, for $61.80 you can get a valid hunting license, and buy a black bear tag for $61.30. According to the Black Bear Conservation and Management Plan for California April 2025 it is required that you, “Since 1957, successful black bear hunters have been required to submit report cards that describe sex and age class of harvested black bears, along with the location and date of harvest. Beginning in 1982, report cards became required of all tag holders, regardless of success, and hunters were required to bring harvested black bears to CDFW for tag validation and removal of a premolar tooth, which is used to determine the black bear’s age in years” (California 26). All these requirements are for when you have hunted the bear. In the continental United States, California possesses the most black bears. For the weapons you must use, a select few stand out.
You can use shotguns, rifles, centerfire rifles, handguns, and bows to hunt black bears. However, depending on what season it is, certain weapons may not be allowed, make sure to check the wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Bear to see what weapons are in season. As for how many rounds you can carry, “Many regulations are in place that describe requirements for firearms and archery equipment that promote humane harvest and fair chase (e.g., centerfire rifle cartridges are required, shotguns may hold no more than 3 shells, there are draw weight requirements for bows, etc.)” (CA 28). So, as long as you follow these requirements you should be good, in the context of your weapon. Now for the recommended guns and bows. The best bear hunting weapon is objectively the X Frame Series Smith and Wesson 500, chambered in Smith and Wesson 500. It is a high caliber, very sound gun (it has few moving parts), it is durable, it is portable, it doesn’t malfunction easily, and it can kill bears. It holds five rounds, and is a very good choice for your first bear hunt. As for the choice in shotgun, the Mossberg 590 is your best choice. It is CA Compliant, it is a 12 gauge, standard pump action feature, and is effective in bear killing. As for the best rifle, the .308 Mossberg Patriot Vortex, is the best choice, it has a nice scope and good range, making you safe from the bear itself. It is relatively cheap for a gun as well, so it is the best for cheap hunters. The deermom compound bow is effective for killing bears, with 320 FPS, 30 inches, and a draw length of 23.5 – 28 inches, meaning it is powerful enough to kill a bear. Using this arsenal, you should be able to kill bears effectively, safely, and legally.
When hunting bears it is important to ask these four questions. How can I hunt bears legally? What measures should I take to legally harvest the bear? What weapons should I use to hunt the bear? And are you ready to kill a bear?
These are the Zones Bears can be hunted in the current year of 2025. Make sure to check the bear hunting website to see future zones. https://wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Bear And check the black bear management plan to see what weapons are allowed to hunt during the seasons. https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=231227&inline
