10 states with the largest bear populations

If you spend much time in big woods or high country, you start to think in terms of bear country versus everywhere else. Some states hold a handful of bruins, others are absolutely loaded. Here I am looking at the 10 states with the largest bear populations, leaning on current black bear estimates and the big strongholds for grizzlies, and focusing on what that means for hunters, hikers, and anyone who shares the hills with them.

1. Alaska

Alaska is in a league of its own for bears. One detailed breakdown notes that Alaska is home to an estimated 100,000 black bears and 30,000 brown bears, including grizzlies, which gives the state the largest bear population in the United States. Another analysis of Alaska underscores how much wild habitat is still intact, from coastal rainforests to Arctic tundra, which keeps those numbers high.

For anyone traveling or hunting there, those figures are not trivia, they are a safety briefing. With that many predators on the landscape, meat care, campsite cleanliness, and firearm or spray readiness are nonnegotiable. At the same time, those dense bear populations support world class hunting and wildlife viewing, and they drive strict management rules that balance opportunity with keeping those 100,000 and 30,000 figures sustainable.

2. California

California carries the heaviest black bear load in the Lower 48. State biologists report that California’s black bear population is “between 25,000 and 35,000” in one widely cited estimate, while another agency assessment pegs it between 49,000 and 71,000, reflecting different modeling approaches. Either way, that is a massive Black Bear Population for a single State, and it makes California the heavyweight among contiguous states.

Most of those bears are packed into the North Coast and Cascade ranges, where mixed conifer forests, oak, and berry cover give them food from spring through late fall. For hunters, that means plenty of opportunity but also real responsibility around carcass handling and shot selection in steep, brushy country. For rural communities, it means more trash raids, more depredation calls, and a constant debate over hunting quotas and non lethal tools.

3. Montana

Montana earns its spot because it holds strong populations of both black bears and grizzlies. Grizzly Bear Population data show that the Northern Continental Divide and Greater Yellowstone ecosystems together support several thousand grizzlies, while black bears are widespread in the western half of the state. A broader look at Montana highlights how much public land and wilderness still exist, which is the real engine behind those numbers.

For anyone who spends time in the Bob Marshall, the Beartooths, or the Yaak, that dual species reality shapes every trip. You hang food, you carry spray, and you think hard about where you break down an elk. Managers here juggle livestock conflicts, growing recreation pressure, and calls to delist grizzlies, all while trying to keep both bear species on an upward or at least stable trend.

4. Wyoming

Wyoming’s bear reputation is built on the Greater Yellowstone grizzly, but its black bears are no slouch either. Grizzly Bear Population summaries point out that the Yellowstone region holds one of the densest grizzly concentrations in the Lower 48, spilling across the Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho borders. Within Wyoming, that means the national parks and surrounding national forests carry a high density of large, food conditioned bears in some drainages.

Black bears fill in much of the forested country outside the core grizzly zone, especially in the Bighorns and the Snowy Range. For hunters and anglers, that mix means you can glass a black bear on one ridge and bump into a grizzly on the next. It also forces game agencies to keep tight rules on carcass storage, campsite food, and even trailhead signage to keep both people and bears alive.

5. Idaho

Idaho is another two bear state, with a healthy black bear population and a slice of the Lower 48 grizzly range. Population tables that track black bears by State list Idaho among the higher tier, and grizzly data show small but important recovery zones in the Selkirks and Bitterroots. A quick look at Idaho makes the reason obvious, the state is dominated by steep, timbered mountains and big roadless blocks.

For backcountry hunters, Idaho’s bear numbers translate into real opportunity, especially in spring seasons where spot and stalk over green slides is the norm. They also mean more bait sites, more hounds, and more chances for user conflict on crowded trailheads. Managers have to walk a line between liberal seasons that keep bears wary of people and maintaining enough older age class animals to satisfy hunters and ecological goals.

6. Washington

Washington’s coastal rainforests and Cascade peaks hold one of the densest black bear populations in the Pacific Northwest. Black Bear Population tables put the state in the upper ranks, and grizzly bear references still note a tiny, struggling population in the North Cascades. The rugged terrain highlighted in overviews of Washington gives bears deep cover, long berry seasons, and relatively mild winters west of the crest.

For hikers and mushroom pickers, that means you are sharing drainages with a lot of bruins, even if you rarely see them. The state’s recent debates over spring bear hunting and grizzly reintroduction show how emotional bear management can get when you mix dense human populations with healthy predator numbers. Every policy shift here is watched closely by other states wrestling with similar questions.

7. Oregon

Oregon’s black bears are spread from the Coast Range to the Blue Mountains, and population estimates consistently place the state in the upper tier nationally. Habitat descriptions for Oregon emphasize dense conifer forests, heavy rainfall, and long growing seasons, all of which translate into good mast crops and long feeding windows for bears.

Most of Oregon’s bears are black phase animals, with no established grizzly population, which simplifies identification for hunters but does not reduce the need for caution. As more people move into the wildland urban fringe, conflicts over garbage, bird feeders, and hobby livestock are climbing. That puts pressure on agencies to expand education and, in some cases, adjust hunting frameworks to keep bears wary of backyards.

8. Maine

Maine is the bear capital of the Northeast. Black Bear Population tables list it among the top states, and regional profiles of Maine highlight how much of the state is still commercial timberland and big woods. That mix of regenerating cuts, soft mast, and wetlands gives bears food from spring green up through fall beechnuts and acorns.

Guided bait hunts are a major economic driver in rural Maine, and they are one of the main tools managers use to keep the population in check. Without them, nuisance complaints and crop damage would spike fast. For anyone who spends September in a Maine bear camp, those numbers are not abstract, they are the reason you hear barrels rattling and claws on steel every evening.

9. North Carolina

North Carolina has quietly built one of the largest black bear populations east of the Mississippi. Habitat summaries for North Carolina point to two strongholds, the coastal swamps and the Appalachian mountains, both of which offer thick cover and long growing seasons. Population tables rank the state high, with bears expanding into farm country and even the outskirts of fast growing towns.

For hunters, that has meant more opportunity and some enormous coastal bears that tip the scales well beyond 500 pounds. For farmers and homeowners, it has meant more crop damage, more broken feeders, and more calls for targeted control. Managers here are trying to keep that growth from turning into a backlash that could threaten long term support for bears on the landscape.

10. Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania rounds out the list with a booming black bear population that has become a point of pride and frustration. Population rankings put the state among the leaders, and overviews of Pennsylvania note how its mix of second growth hardwoods and expanding suburbs creates perfect edge habitat. Bears have taken full advantage, recolonizing areas where they were scarce a few decades ago.

Modern Pennsylvania bear seasons routinely produce high harvests and some record book giants, yet nuisance calls in small towns and exurbs keep climbing. That tension forces wildlife managers to keep tweaking season lengths, tag allocations, and education campaigns. For anyone who hunts or hikes here, the odds of seeing a bear are better than ever, and that is exactly why the state belongs on any list of bear strongholds.