TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Florida will open its first bear hunting season in a decade Saturday, marking a significant shift in the state’s wildlife management approach.
The 23-day bear hunting season begins after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the hunt several months ago. FWC officials said the hunt is designed to help manage a growing bear population.
Wildlife officials estimate more than 4,000 black bears now live in Florida. A constitutional amendment approved last year makes hunting Florida’s preferred wildlife management method.
The decision has drawn opposition from animal advocacy groups, who say they will continue fighting the policy.
“The effort could be put on making bear-wise communities, and how we can cohabitate with bears safely, we’d be in a much better place,” said Kate MacFall, Florida director of Humane World for Animals. “But we’re sticking around, as are many other groups. We’ll continue to advocate protection of Florida’s black bears.”
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Hunting supporters say the season addresses overpopulation concerns in specific areas.
“It’s good for the bears to start with. We have bear management units; four of them are overpopulated,” said Newton Cook, president of United Waterfowl of Florida. “When an area gets overpopulated, the male bear kills the cub.”
This will be the first legal hunt since 2015, when Florida briefly reopened bear hunting after a 21-year ban.
That season was cut short after hunters killed 300 bears in just two days.
Permits for this year’s hunt were awarded through a lottery system. It is too late for hunters to obtain permits for this season.
FWC has a section on its website with details about the bear hunt.
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