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Conservationists Sue to Block Florida’s December Black Bear Hunt

The complaint asks a Leon County judge to halt the season over alleged violations of the state's science-based management duty.

FILE - Marion County sheriff Billy Woods is seen speaking on a monitor during a Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission hearing about proposed bear hunting, May 21, 2025, in Ocala, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
Animal rights activists and others opposed to Florida's proposed bear hunt, pictured at a rally at Orlando's Lake Eola Park in May, have likely helped swell the number of applications for a bear-hunting tag to more than 80,000 through Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. Opponents hope to win the 172 permits the state is distributing through a lottery and keep them out of the hands of hunters. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)
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Overview

  • Bear Warriors United filed the case in Leon County circuit court on Wednesday, seeking an injunction to stop the hunt.
  • The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in August unanimously approved a highly controlled, 23-day season starting Dec. 6, with permit applications open through Sept. 22.
  • The plan allows baiting and the use of dogs, which officials defend as science-driven management for an estimated 4,000 bears and growing human-bear conflicts.
  • The same group previously withdrew an administrative challenge after agency lawyers argued the issue was not subject to that process.
  • Opponents cite the 2015 hunt that ended early after more than 300 bears were killed, including at least 38 females with cubs, while officials say the new rules are more stringent.