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6h ago

Florida Reports 52 Bears Taken in First Regulated Hunt Since 2015

Wildlife officials call the tightly capped, data-driven season a success.

Arix Zalace, the director and co-writer of “The Paper Bear,” spent years following Florida black bears in the Florida Panhandle. The film premieres at the Florida Film Festival. (Courtesy of Arix Zalace)
Donald Register, of Lake City, holds a sign in support of a bear hunt while attending a public meeting of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on May 21 at the College of Central Florida in Ocala, where commissioners presented and discussed proposed rules to reinstate a limited-entry black bear hunt—the first since 2015.
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Overview

  • The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said 52 black bears were harvested during the Dec. 6–28 season, with 172 permits issued by lottery from more than 160,000 applications.
  • FWC characterized the outcome as a conservative, science-based effort, citing an estimated statewide bear population of roughly 4,000 and a hunter success rate of about 30%.
  • This year’s structure limited tags by zone and contrasted with 2015, when more than 3,700 permits yielded 304 kills and an early shutdown.
  • Opponents questioned transparency, noting hunters reported kills through an FWC app, while the agency said all harvested bears were physically checked by staff and contractors.
  • Advocacy groups said dozens of permits went to critics who did not intend to hunt, and a lawsuit challenging the hunt is proceeding toward an August trial in Tallahassee.