Florida OKs New Black Bear Hunting Season

Florida will have its first bear-hunting season this year for the first time in a decade. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved highly regulated black hunting Wednesday at its August meeting in Havana, Fla. The approved amendments to bear hunting rules will take effect during the 2025 hunting season.

The last time bear hunting was allowed in Florida was in 2015, when hunting was reopened for one year after decades of being closed. Read more here.

New Rules for Bear Hunting in Florida

In a news release announcing the decision, the FWC commission said nearly 200 permits will be issued in designated areas, with a harvest limit of one bear. More from the news release:

The new rules establish Bear Hunting Zones within four of the seven existing Bear Management Units. [There will be] 187 permits … issued in total across the East Panhandle, North, Central and South BMUs, and each permit will allow the harvest of one bear within the assigned BHZ. Permits will be distributed through a random drawing. Those 18 years and older can apply as many times as they want for $5 per application.

“I am proud that Florida is joining the majority of states that manage black bears with regulated hunting,” said Rodney Barreto, Chairman of the FWC. “The components of the hunt are conservative and prioritize conservation, with a limited number of permits only being issued in the areas of the state with the largest bear populations.”

As one of the management tools included in the 2019 Florida Black Bear Management Plan,  regulated hunting will allow the FWC to start managing population growth rates in areas with the largest bear subpopulations. Balancing wildlife numbers with suitable habitat keeps populations healthy. Hunting is an important and effective tool for managing wildlife populations around the world, but it is important to acknowledge that managing bear populations does not manage human-bear conflicts. Conflict prevention and bear management practices will still need to continue.

For more information on regulated bear hunting, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit MyFWC.com/BearHunting. Tips to reduce conflicts and general information about bears are available at MyFWC.com/Bear and BearWise.org.

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