Bears: hunting: use of dogs.

Assembly Member Hadwick's legislation to modify California's bear hunting regulations would permit the use of dogs to pursue bears under specific conditions, reversing restrictions enacted in 2012. The Fish and Game Commission would establish designated seasons during which individuals could use dogs to pursue bears without causing injury or death to the animals.

The bill creates a framework for regulated bear hunting with dogs once the Department of Fish and Wildlife finalizes its updated Bear Management Plan. Under this framework, the Commission would determine geographic areas where licensed hunters with valid bear tags could use dogs during established hunting seasons. The legislation maintains existing prohibitions on pursuing bears in game refuges and ecological reserves where hunting is unlawful.

According to the bill's findings, California's black bear population now ranges from 60,000 to 80,000 animals - double previous estimates. Annual hunter harvests have decreased from nearly 1,700 bears before the 2012 restrictions to approximately 1,000 bears in recent years. The findings note California's first human fatality from a black bear attack occurred in 2024, amid increasing human-bear encounters in suburban and urban areas.