GOING TRIPLE DIGITS OR DOUBLE THE SPEED LIMIT ALONG ANY FLORIDA ROAD. FROM YOUR COLLIER COUNTY NEWS TEAM. ONE NAPLES BUSINESS OWNERS TURNING FLORIDA’S CONTROVERSIAL BEAR HUNT INTO A CASH COW. HUNTERS ARE DROPPING OFF CARCASSES FOR HIM TO MAKE INTO TROPHIES AND TURN A PROFIT. GULF COAST NEWS REPORTER JAYLAND FAIRNESS TAKING YOU ON A TOUR. >> AND WHAT THE SELECTIVE OUTRAGE IS ABOUT THE MAYOR. BECAUSE EVERY YEAR WE HUNT DEER HOGS, TURKEY GATORS. BOBCAT’S OTTER SQUIRRELS, RABBITS FOR DECADES. BUCKY FLOWERS AND HIS CREW HAVE PROCESS BEARS FROM FAR BEYOND FLORIDA’S BORDERS. BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY 10 YEARS, THESE BEARS ARE COMING FROM RIGHT HERE AT HOME. >> FLORIDA’S LATEST BEAR HUNT HAS BEEN OPEN SINCE DECEMBER 6TH. >> FLOWERS TELLS ME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER AND INSTRUCTION SHEET FOR THIS BEAR HUNTING SEASON WAS SENT TO HIS STORE TO ENSURE THE HUNTERS IN FLORIDA WERE APPROVED FOR A PERMIT AND HAVE THE PROPER TAGS FOR THE BEAR. >> WE GET THEM IN. WE FIND OUT WHAT THE CUSTOMER WANTS TO DO. AND WE KNOW MOST OF THEM ARE ROADS. THIS ONE HAPPENS TO BE A LIFE-SIZE, OBVIOUSLY. YOU KNOW, SO WE JUST PRETTY MUCH DO WHAT THE CUSTOMER HAS. SOME FACIAL. >> 172 BLACK BEAR HUNTING PERMITS WERE ISSUED THE LOTTERY FOR FLORIDA’S HUNT SPECIFIC ZONES ARE DESIGNATED ACROSS THE STATE FOR HUNTING, FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE SAYS THE HUNT WILL MANAGE POPULATION GROWTH. HOWEVER, FWC HAS NOT RELEASED INFORMATION ON HOW MANY BEARS HAD BEEN KILLED OR WHERE DESPITE MULTIPLE PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS. >> BUT NOW EVERYBODY IS DEVELOPING EVERYTHING AND NOW THEY’RE IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND GETTING GARBAGE CANS AND WE WE DON’T REALLY NEED BIG PREDATORS. ROMA NEIGHBORHOOD. FLORIDA’S BLACK BEAR HUNT CONTINUES UNTIL THIS SUNDAY. >> T
Florida’s black bear hunt brings taxidermy demand to the Gulf Coast
Updated: 7:56 PM EST Dec 23, 2025
Florida’s black bear hunting season, which began on Dec. 6 and continues until Sunday, has led to a surge in local taxidermy demand as hunters seek to preserve their trophies. For more than a decade, black bears in Florida had not been hunted, leaving taxidermist Bucky Flowers to receive bear skins from Canada and Alaska. However, with the state now allowing black bears to be hunted, Flowers is seeing a change.”We get them in, we find out what the customer wants to do. And most of them are rugs. This one happens to be a life-size, obviously. But we just pretty much do what the customer has and pays for,” Flowers said.For the first time in his career, an instruction sheet for this bear hunting season was sent to Flowers’ store to ensure hunters in Florida were approved for a permit and had the proper tags for the bear. “There’s only 170-something permits were allocated for the whole state. So obviously we’re not going to get them all here. So, but you know, we have gotten a few already and we may get a few more, and we may not,” Flowers said.The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has not released information on how many bears have been killed or where, despite multiple public records requests.Flowers, a Florida native, expressed confusion over the controversy surrounding the bear hunt, pointing out that every year the state allows hunts for deer, hogs, turkey, gators, bobcats, otters, squirrels, and rabbits. “I don’t understand what the selective outrage is about the bear hunt, because every year we hunt deer, hogs, turkey, gators, bobcats, otters, squirrels, rabbits,” he said.”But now that everybody is developing everything and now they’re in neighborhoods and getting in garbage cans, and we don’t really need big predators, roaming neighborhoods, you know,” Flowers said.Florida’s black bear hunt continues until Sunday, Dec. 28.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. —
Florida’s black bear hunting season, which began on Dec. 6 and continues until Sunday, has led to a surge in local taxidermy demand as hunters seek to preserve their trophies.
For more than a decade, black bears in Florida had not been hunted, leaving taxidermist Bucky Flowers to receive bear skins from Canada and Alaska. However, with the state now allowing black bears to be hunted, Flowers is seeing a change.
“We get them in, we find out what the customer wants to do. And most of them are rugs. This one happens to be a life-size, obviously. But we just pretty much do what the customer has and pays for,” Flowers said.
For the first time in his career, an instruction sheet for this bear hunting season was sent to Flowers’ store to ensure hunters in Florida were approved for a permit and had the proper tags for the bear.
“There’s only 170-something permits were allocated for the whole state. So obviously we’re not going to get them all here. So, but you know, we have gotten a few already and we may get a few more, and we may not,” Flowers said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has not released information on how many bears have been killed or where, despite multiple public records requests.
Flowers, a Florida native, expressed confusion over the controversy surrounding the bear hunt, pointing out that every year the state allows hunts for deer, hogs, turkey, gators, bobcats, otters, squirrels, and rabbits.
“I don’t understand what the selective outrage is about the bear hunt, because every year we hunt deer, hogs, turkey, gators, bobcats, otters, squirrels, rabbits,” he said.
“But now that everybody is developing everything and now they’re in neighborhoods and getting in garbage cans, and we don’t really need big predators, roaming neighborhoods, you know,” Flowers said.
Florida’s black bear hunt continues until Sunday, Dec. 28.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.