This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Season dates, closed areas and bear rules are set each year, so check the current provincial Hunting and Trapping Guide and confirm the details with your outfitter.
Who can hunt and how
Non-resident big game hunters, including bear hunters, book through a licensed outfitter. The province states that non-resident bear, moose and caribou licences are only available through licensed outfitters, and that non-resident big game hunters must be accompanied by a licensed guide. In practice, your outfitter arranges the licence, the guide and the hunting area. See non-resident hunting rules for the wider picture.
You will also need proof that you meet your home jurisdiction's hunter education requirements, and you should carry it while hunting.
Spring and fall seasons
The province sets a spring and a fall season. For 2026 the provincial guide listed:
- Island of Newfoundland: spring May 1 to July 15, fall September 12 to November 30, with a fall bow season opening earlier (August 29 in 2026, crossbows excluded).
- Labrador: spring April 1 to July 13, fall August 10 to November 30.
These dates are an example of how the seasons fall, not a promise for future years. Several island bear management areas, mostly on the Avalon Peninsula and Port au Port, were closed to bear hunting in both seasons in 2026, so ask your outfitter exactly where their bear hunting takes place.
Spring or fall?
- Spring hunts follow bears coming out of their dens and feeding. Many outfitters run spring bear hunts as a standalone trip.
- Fall hunts overlap the moose season, which is why bear is often sold as an add-on to a moose hunt. If you want a combination hunt, ask how the outfitter handles two licences and two hunting styles in the same week.
Licence and bag limit
For 2026 the province described one black bear licence as valid for both the spring and fall seasons, with a bag limit of two bears per licence (two in one season, or one in each). Your outfitter's package may cover only one bear, so ask what is included before you assume a second.
Cubs under one year old, and females accompanied by cubs under one year old, may not be shot. The province clarified these rules in its spring 2026 regulations. Your guide should help you judge a bear before you shoot, but the responsibility is yours.
Bait or spot-and-stalk
Outfitters in the province generally offer one or both of two styles. Check with the outfitter, and with the current guide, for any rules that apply to bait sites.
Hunting over bait
- The outfitter maintains bait sites ahead of the season and you sit in a stand or blind near one.
- It gives you time to look a bear over, which helps with judging size and spotting cubs.
- Expect long, quiet sits, often into the evening. Insect protection matters in spring.
Spot-and-stalk
- You glass open country, cutovers or barrens for feeding bears, then close the distance on foot.
- It suits hunters who want to cover ground and who are comfortable with longer or less predictable shots.
- Success depends heavily on terrain, weather and how visible bears are that season.
Some outfitters price these separately or only offer one of them. Ask which method the package is built around, and what happens if conditions don't suit it.
Firearms and shot placement
Bear falls under the same big game firearm rules as moose and caribou. The current regulation summary sets a minimum calibre, a minimum bullet weight of 100 grains and a minimum muzzle energy of 1,500 foot-pounds, and prohibits full metal cased "service" ammunition. Shotgun slugs must be from a 20 gauge or larger. Hunting hours for big game run from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. See rifle and ammo for moose for calibre choice and for bringing a firearm into Canada.
Taking a bear home
- Export permit. You need a game export permit to take game out of the province. The province says these are free from Forestry, Agriculture and Lands offices and from licensed outfitters.
- CITES permit. Non-resident black bear hunters need a CITES permit to take black bear parts out of Canada. Ask your outfitter how they handle this.
- US customs. Hunters returning to the United States must declare all game entering the country.
Questions to ask an outfitter
- Is the hunt spring, fall or both, and which bear management area is it in?
- Bait, spot-and-stalk, or both? How many bait sites, and how often are they checked?
- Is one bear or two included in the price?
- How is the hide and skull handled, and who arranges the CITES and export permits?
- Can bear be combined with a moose hunt in the same trip?
Next step
Browse black bear outfitters, or look by area at the Western Region, the Central Region or Labrador. If you aren't sure where to start, get matched with a licensed outfitter.