On Wednesday, August 13, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted 5 to 0 to approve a limited entry bear hunt—the first in the Sunshine State since 2015. While hunters are cheering the decision as a conservation success story, anti-hunting groups say they'll fight the decision with lawsuits.
Florida has not held an annual bear hunt in decades. The state’s black bear population was once on the brink of collapse, with around 500 individual bears in the 1970s. But bear numbers have been expanding since the 1980s, according to the FWC. Since then, the population has ballooned to approximately 4,050 individuals. At the same time, human-bear conflicts have risen sharply, with annual calls about nuisance bears jumping from fewer than 2,000 in 2005 to nearly 6,000 in 2024. Officials have also been reporting malnourished bears indicative of overpopulation.
The last time the state held an annual bear hunt was 1994. The 2015 season was planned to last eight weeks but was quickly shut down when hunters killed 295 of the 300 bear quota in day one. The optics of that hunt heightened tensions around bear hunting in the Sunshine State.
FWC biologists unveiled several plans for Florida's new annual bear hunt back in May. Ultimately, the Commission went with a lottery hunt with just over 187 permits. Officials say the conservative quota will keep bear numbers stable. The hunt will run for just over three weeks this December. Commissioners also voted to allow baiting and hounds in the upcoming hunt.
“We applaud the FWC’s decision to vote unanimously in favor of returning bear hunting to Florida. The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation depends on science and active management to maintain healthy habitats and ecosystems, and should not be encumbered by human emotion and ballot box biology,” said Florida Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Chapter Chair Richard Martinez in a press release. “This is a huge win for sportsmen and women across the country, for our Florida ecosystems, and the people of Florida.”
At least one anti-hunting group has pledged to fight the decision in court; Bear Warriors United said it will file an administrative challenge to block the hunt, according to reporting from the Tallahassee Democrat. “We believe the FWC has violated their own rules,” said Bear Warriors United attorney Raquel Levy. “They're just acting on self-interest.”
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If the hunting season withstands legal challenges, it will begin on December 6 and remain open until December 23. Application fees to participate in the hunt are $5, and hunters who draw tags will pay $100 for residents and $300 for nonresidents. The application deadline has not yet been announced.
