News Features

Bear Hunt Begins Saturday

    Florida’s Black Bear Hunt will begin on Saturday, December 6. The season, first in ten years and only second in a generation, will run until December 28 with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issuing up to 172 permits to hunters. Bear hunting will be limited to certain areas of the state, and including much of the Ocala National Forest.
   This year’s hunt is expected to be the first of a regular season, with next year’s harvest tentatively scheduled from October 1 through December 31 in 2026 and years beyond.
   The last time the state held a hunt, hunters in the first weekend harvested over 300 bears, nearing the season-long quota of 320. That season was closed early and no hunts have been held since.
   The hunt was controversial then, and remains so today.
   The group Bear Warriors United has been fighting against the hunt, and held a rally in Tallahassee on November 17, and continues to fight the hunt in court. Additionally, the group, through its social media, is working to coordinate a $2,000 cash gift to any hunter agreeing not to use their state bear hunt tag. The idea of hunting bears has been a hot button with conservationists since it became a topic, with the 2015 hunt generating a large protest at Umatilla’s Florida Wildlife Festival, which was held near the hunt’s dates.
   Today, protests and group efforts are again part of the equation. Groups like Bear Defenders and One Protest, have been organizing protests throughout the state, and a petition drive against the hunt has raised over 56,000 signatures.
   The FWC has called for a coordinated management of the black bear population, citing data that indicates the bear population in Florida has grown to over 4,000. FWC officials have stated during the process of studying the potential of a bear hunt that limited harvest could reduce human/bear conflicts and prevent overpopulations.
   Permits to hunt bears were issued on a lottery basis, with Florida residents charged $100, and non residents $300.