NEWS RELEASE
Oct. 2, 2025
PINETOP, Ariz. — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) advises bear hunters to confirm whether annual harvest thresholds have been met in their desired game management units before heading out for nonpermit-tag hunts that open Friday, Oct. 3.
At this time, annual harvest thresholds have already been met in units 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3B, 3C, 23 South, and 31, and will not open, even if a hunt is scheduled according to the regulations. The annual harvest thresholds throughout the state are based on female population estimates for the unit. When the number of harvested female bears reaches the annual harvest threshold, that unit will be closed to the additional harvest of bears.
“Harvest thresholds are used to distribute harvest more evenly across the state and to promote population stability,” said Rick Langley, terrestrial wildlife program manager for the department’s regional office in Pinetop, Ariz.
All hunters are responsible for determining the status of their preferred unit before heading into the field by visiting www.azgfd.gov/bearhunting or https://harvest-tracking.azgfd.gov/.
In addition:
- All hunters must report their harvest online at www.azgfd.gov/bearhunting, or by calling 1-800-970-BEAR (2327), or in person within 48 hours of taking a bear. The report shall include: hunter’s name, hunting license number, nonpermit-tag number, sex of the bear taken, game management unit in which the bear was taken, and telephone number at which the hunter can be reached to obtain additional information.
- Within 10 days of harvesting a bear, a hunter (or their designee) shall present the bear’s skull and hide with attached proof of sex, accessible and identifiable, to a designated AZGFD employee for inspection. If the skull and hide are frozen, they should be defrosted prior to presenting for inspection as a premolar tooth will be removed from the bear. If the skull and hide are frozen, the check-out cannot be completed and will need to be rescheduled. A hunter must contact the department office where they plan to bring the animal by telephone to coordinate the inspections.
For more information, refer to pages 43-45 in the “2025-2026 Arizona Hunting Regulations,” which are available online, at department offices, and license dealers statewide.