Game Species

Bear Identification Program

Washington is home to both grizzly bears and black bears. Grizzly bears are rare in Washington, but a small population exists in the Selkirk Mountains of northeast Washington, and their presence has been documented in the Okanogan Highlands and the North Cascades.

Can you tell which is a grizzly bear and which is a black bear?

Black bears are abundant in the west, northeast and the Blue Mountains in southeast Washington. Approximately 25,000 black bears are estimated to occur within Washington. They are a game species and are hunted annually. In any given year, approximately 29,000 hunters take about 1,300 black bears.

Grizzly bears are a federally threatened and state-listed endangered species. Killing one, either unintentionally or intentionally, can bring extremely costly fines and penalties. Just like with other similar looking game species such as elk, moose, caribou, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and others animal groups, Washington hunters are responsible for being able to tell the difference between black and grizzly bears. This knowledge and skill is critical in areas where the ranges of these two bear species overlap

This identification program is intended to prevent the killing of grizzly bears as a result of mistaken identity. Test your knowledge with a 16 question true or false quiz.

Launch the Interactive Bear Identification Program

Launch the Bear Identification Test

More Bear Identification and Information Resources

Grizzly/Black Bear Identification Card

Living with Wildlife in Washington: Black Bears

Who's Who? Washington's Grizzly and Black Bears

Bear Awareness Campaign

Protect yourself!  Carry and use Bear Spray

Grizzly Bear Outreach Project

Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee

BeBearAware.org Videos

Grizzly Bear – Black Bear Identification
In areas where both black bears and grizzly bears occur, it is critical for black bear hunters to be able to distinguish between black and grizzly bears before shooting.  Grizzly bears are an endangered species, and killing one (inadvertently or intentionally) will result in extremely costly fines and penalties.  This video, produced by BeBearAware shows how to tell if a bear is a grizzly or a black bear.  Hunters are encourage to also take the bear identification course and quiz located above.

Hunting in Bear Country
Produced by the Center for Wildlife Information’s BeBearAware campaign (BeBearAware.org) , this 12-minute movie gives important advice for all users who recreate in areas where bears may occur.  How to tell the difference between the common black bear and the rare grizzly bear, proper food storage techniques near camps, how to recognize bear sign, likely places for bears to occur, and how to avoid encounters are all covered in this production.