Bear Hunting in Florida: How to Apply for Permit

Bear hunting in Florida returns for the first time in 10 years this December, but those hoping for a chance to tag a bruin will need to act fast.

The 2025 regulated bear hunting season, approved by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission board in August, will be open Dec. 6-28 for permit-only hunting in four selected Bear Harvest Zones.

Hunters can apply for bear harvest permits beginning at 10 am (ET) Sept. 12, and continuing through 11:59 pm Sept. 22. A hunting license is also required to hunt bears, unless exempt, the FWC says.

Bear Hunting Permit Info

• Application dates: Sept. 12-22
• Applicants must be at least 18 years old by Oct. 1
• Application fee: $5 per application (plus handling fee)
• Permit fees: $100 for residents and $300 for nonresidents (plus handling fees)
• No limit on number of applications
• Permits will be distributed by random drawing
• Only one nontransferable permit per person
• No more than 10% of permits will go to nonresidents
• Get more information on bear hunting in Florida

More About Bear Hunting

Submit online applications at gooutdoorsflorida.com by logging in and choosing “Apply for Limited Entry/Quota Permits,” or by completing an application worksheet and presenting it to a license agent or Florida tax collector's office. For more information on how to apply go to MyFWC.com/License and click on “Limited Entry and Quota Permits.”

In August’s board meeting, the FWC commission said 187 permits will be issued for bear hunting within four Bear Management Units (East Panhandle, North, Central and South BMUs), with a harvest limit of one bear.

This year’s regulated bear hunting season marks the first time Florida hunters can harvest a bear since 2015, when hunting was opened for just one season after having been closed for decades.

Black bear population has surged to more than 4,000 today, coming back from just several hundred during the 1970s, the agency says.

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