Hunters Can Now Apply for the 2025 Maryland Black Bear Hunt Lottery
Photo by Nathaniel Peck, submitted to the 2023 Maryland DNR Photo Contest.
Hunters can now enter the lottery selection process for the annual six-day black bear hunt in Western Maryland. The cost to enter the lottery is $15 and applications can be purchased from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) through August 31.
The 2025 bear hunting season will be open October 20-25 in all of Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties. The bear hunt is an important part of managing Maryland’s expanding bear population, helping reduce conflicts between bears and humans such as collisions with vehicles and property damage.
Hunters who have entered multiple years in a row receive “preference points,” one additional entry for each consecutive year they have applied. Anyone who is not seeking a permit this year but may in the future can purchase a preference point for $15 – they will not be entered in the 2025 lottery, but will not lose their advantage for next year.
New for 2025, hunters may choose to enter a secondary lottery to hunt in Frederick and Washington counties if not drawn in the primary lottery. If a hunter opts into the secondary lottery, their preference points will be applied. The additional hunting opportunity is open to all applicants, but the permit is only valid in Frederick and Washington counties.
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.
After the lottery deadline closes, hunters will be able to check the DNR black bear hunt website on September 3. If a hunter’s DNRid number is drawn for either lottery, preference points will default to zero. If you have questions about the application process, please email [email protected].
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.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings