ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014\u00a0Florida\u2019s 2025 bear hunt officially came to an end on Sunday.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
Florida’s bear hunting season ends Sunday, Dec. 28
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It started Dec. 6, with 172 permits available from FWC
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FWC have not released how many bears have been killed since the start of the hunting season
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FWC commissioners voted to bring back the bear hunt this past summer, which last happened in 2015<\/p>\n
The season started Dec. 6, making its return in Florida for the first time in a decade.<\/p>\n
Last December, FWC staff presented an update<\/a> on black bears in the state to commissioners. In March 2025, a virtual public meeting was held<\/a> to get Floridian\u2019s input on bringing back the bear hunt.<\/p>\n A meeting on May 21 in Ocala<\/a> included more than 160 people who signed up for public comment. FWC commissioners voted in favor 4-1 to move forward with a final approval in August.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI move that we establish bear hunting in Florida with the adoption of alternative two as outlined by our staff, which incorporates all of the options they\u2019ve provided,\u201d said FWC commissioner Gary Lester.<\/p>\n The final vote was approved August 13, allowing hunters to apply for a permit to kill black bears, which FWC says will manage the population. Spectrum News learned a month later more than 163,000 applications<\/a> were submitted for a total of 172 permits. Only 18 tags were available in Central Florida.<\/p>\n Since the start of the season, we’ve spoken to many in favor and against the hunt. Both sides said they applied to get a permit.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve sequestered around 50, maybe more of the permits, so that\u2019s 50 bears that won\u2019t be shot. It\u2019s tragic that 120 plus may be shot, but I think it was worth the effort and if it happens again next year, we\u2019ll come back even stronger,\u201d said Chuck O\u2019Neal, who is against the hunt, earlier this month.<\/p>\n Lewis Pryzstup, who supports it, told us earlier this month he will apply again next time.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way that they ran the bear hunt last time, I think should not have been ran the way that it is and I think they noticed that and they corrected a lot of things that they did wrong, and it\u2019s only going to be positive things out of this bear hunt I believe,\u201d said Pryzstup.<\/p>\n