You can hunt polar bears legally in only three countries, and in most cases only if you are indigenous to the region. Canada is the single place where a non-indigenous person can join a polar bear hunt, and only through a guided expedition with an Inuit outfitter using traditional methods like dog teams. In the United States, the hunt is restricted to Alaska Natives who meet a specific ancestry and residency test. Greenland allows subsistence hunting by its indigenous population under an annual quota. Norway and Russia prohibit polar bear hunting outright, with narrow exceptions for genuine self-defense and, in Russia’s case, a limited indigenous subsistence path along the Chukotka coast.
Where a Polar Bear Hunt Is Legal at All
Polar bears range across five countries: Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, and the United States. Only three of them permit any hunting.
Canada holds the largest share of the world’s polar bears and is the only nation that opens the door to non-indigenous guided hunts. These occur primarily in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories under quota systems run by regional wildlife boards and Hunters and Trappers Organizations.
Greenland allows subsistence hunting by indigenous residents under an annual quota set by the Minister of Fisheries and Hunting, limited to single adult bears.1Polar Bear Range States. Greenland
In Alaska, only coastal Alaska Natives who meet a one-quarter blood quantum threshold may hunt polar bears, and only for subsistence or to make authentic native handicrafts.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 1371 – Moratorium on Taking and Importing Marine Mammals and Marine Mammal Products
Norway protects polar bears completely across Svalbard and the rest of its territory. Killing one is permitted only in genuine self-defense with no other option. Russia banned polar bear hunting in 1957. A 2000 bilateral agreement with the United States later opened a narrow subsistence path for indigenous hunters from the shared Alaska-Chukotka population.3IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group. Harvest Regulations
Guided Polar Bear Hunts in Canada
If you are not indigenous, Canada is the only place you can hunt a polar bear legally. Hunts take place in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, where indigenous communities receive annual tag allocations from regional wildlife authorities. Each community decides how to use its tags. Some go entirely to subsistence hunting; others set aside a portion for guided hunts, which historically account for a maximum of about 20 percent of the overall harvest.
To hunt, you must purchase a tag from the community and hire a local Inuit guide. The hunt has to be conducted using traditional methods, which means travel by dog team or on foot rather than by snowmobile or truck. The meat goes back to the community.
The paper cost of the tag is small by big-game standards: roughly $50 for the tag plus a $1,200 surcharge in Nunavut for non-resident foreigners. The all-in cost of a guided expedition runs closer to $60,000 to $75,000 once guide fees, charter flights, logistics, and remote camp accommodation during the March–April season are covered.4Government of Nunavut. Nunavut Hunting Regulations 2024-25
Nunavut regulations prohibit hunting any bear that is part of a family group, meaning a female accompanied by a cub, yearling, or two-year-old. A successful hunter must turn in the lower jaw or an undamaged post-canine tooth, any lip tattoos or ear tags found on the bear, and evidence of sex. Unused tags must be returned to a Conservation Officer immediately after the hunt ends.4Government of Nunavut. Nunavut Hunting Regulations 2024-25
You Cannot Bring the Trophy Home to the United States
This is the part American hunters most often misunderstand. On May 15, 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The listing triggered an immediate and permanent ban on importing sport-hunted polar bear trophies from Canada.5Federal Register. Endangered Species Act Listing and MMPA Provisions for Polar Bear Once a species is listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA, the Marine Mammal Protection Act bars import of sport-hunted trophies. A federal court upheld the ban when Safari Club challenged it.
A narrow grandfather clause still permits imports of bears legally harvested in Canada before February 18, 1997, under permits issued before the listing took effect.6U.S. Department of the Interior. Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs Legislation For any hunt you might book today, the practical rule is simple: no part of the bear can come back into the United States. Most non-indigenous hunters who go through with these expeditions leave the hide with the community or arrange for it to stay in Canada. European hunters face parallel restrictions under EU wildlife trade rules.
Canada itself does allow international export of polar bear products with a CITES permit issued after documented legal harvest.7Government of Canada. Polar Bear Export: Information Note The bottleneck is on the importing side, not the Canadian side.
Who Qualifies to Hunt in Alaska
The MMPA carves out a subsistence exemption for Alaska Natives, but the criteria are specific. You must be a U.S. citizen with at least one-quarter Alaska Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut ancestry (or a combination) and reside on the coast of the North Pacific Ocean or the Arctic Ocean.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 1371 – Moratorium on Taking and Importing Marine Mammals and Marine Mammal Products If you cannot document the blood quantum, you may still qualify if the village or town you claim membership in regards you as Alaska Native and at least one parent was likewise regarded as Native.8eCFR. 50 CFR Part 18 Subpart A – Introduction
Eligible hunters may take polar bears for two purposes: subsistence (food, clothing, and other personal or community needs) or to create and sell authentic native handicrafts. The take cannot be wasteful. That means you cannot kill or injure more bears than needed, you must use methods likely to result in a successful capture or kill, and you must make a reasonable effort to retrieve the animal.8eCFR. 50 CFR Part 18 Subpart A – Introduction
After a legal harvest, the skin and skull must be presented to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel or an authorized local representative for marking and tagging. Numbered tags stay attached to the skin through tanning and until it is cut into handicraft pieces. No polar bear parts may be possessed, transported within Alaska, or exported from Alaska until they have been properly tagged.9eCFR. 50 CFR 18.23 – Native Exemptions
The federal government has never imposed hard harvest limits on Alaska Native subsistence hunters, but the MMPA authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to impose regulations if a population is determined to be depleted. Day-to-day management runs through co-management agreements under Section 119 of the MMPA between federal authorities and Alaska Native organizations.10Marine Mammal Commission. Co-Management and Alaska Native Tribal Consultation
Selling Parts and Handicrafts
Raw, unworked polar bear parts generally cannot be sold commercially. An Alaska Native who harvests a bear may sell edible portions within native villages and towns and may send raw hides to a registered tannery, but may not sell the raw skin or skull to a non-Native buyer.9eCFR. 50 CFR 18.23 – Native Exemptions
Once a polar bear part has been transformed into an authentic native article of handicraft or clothing, it may be sold in interstate commerce. Authentic means the item is made in significant part from natural materials and crafted using traditional techniques like carving, sewing, beading, or painting, without mass-copying devices.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 1371 – Moratorium on Taking and Importing Marine Mammals and Marine Mammal Products A raw polar bear skull on a shelf is contraband. That same skull carved and decorated by an Alaska Native artisan through traditional methods is a legal product.
Killing a Polar Bear in Self-Defense
Every range state allows a person to kill a polar bear to save a human life, but the rules that kick in afterward are strict. In Alaska, a defense-of-life kill must be reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement within 48 hours.11U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Safety in Polar Bear Habitat You must document the circumstances and the preventative measures you used before resorting to lethal force. The carcass, including hide and skull, must be surrendered to a law enforcement officer or designated representative. You may not keep any part of the animal unless the Service specifically authorizes it.
Alaska state regulations add a parallel requirement: a written report to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game within 15 days, with the skull and hide (claws attached) salvaged and surrendered.12Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Defense of Life or Property Game Animal Kill Report Both agencies need to be notified.
Norway treats defense kills the same way: the bear is fully protected, and killing one outside of genuine, immediate self-defense is a criminal offense. In quota jurisdictions, defense kills count against the regional harvest ceiling.
Penalties for Illegal Hunting or Importing
The penalties stack across three federal statutes. A violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act carries civil fines up to $10,000 per violation and, for knowing violations, criminal penalties of up to $20,000 per offense and up to one year in prison.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 1375 – Penalties
The Endangered Species Act adds a separate layer. A knowing violation can result in criminal fines up to $50,000 and imprisonment for up to one year. Civil penalties reach $25,000 per violation for knowing conduct and up to $500 for unintentional infractions.14U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Endangered Species Act Section 11 – Penalties and Enforcement
The Lacey Act covers polar bear products that cross state or international lines. Knowingly importing or exporting wildlife taken in violation of any underlying law is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and fines up to $250,000. A negligent violation, where you should have known the products were illegal, carries up to one year and fines up to $100,000. A single illegal kill that leads to an attempted export could trigger charges under all three statutes.
If you try to bring polar bear parts into the United States for personal use, the agency may simply seize and forfeit the items at the port of entry rather than pursue formal enforcement.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 1375 – Penalties That may sound lenient. Losing a $60,000 trophy at the border is its own penalty.