Florida votes to bring back black bear hunting season: See where they will be harvested
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissioners unanimously approved rules that will resume an annual black bear hunting season. The bear hunt will take place for 23 days, starting for the first time in a decade this December.
At the conclusion of more than two and half hours of public testimony nearly evenly divided between proponents and opponents, commissioners voted 5–0 to reinstate the hunting season in hopes of slowing the growth of the state's bear population.
Hunters can use bait traps, guns and archery to capture a total of 187 bears – one bear per permit – across 31 counties during the first two years. After two years of training, hunting dogs will be allowed starting in 2027.
Florida's last black bear hunt in 2015 – the first in 20 years, at the time – was marred by controversy. That hunt was planned to be seven-day event, but it was closed after just two days because bears were harvested too rapidly. Several rules were also violated:
- Some hunters were unlicensed.
- Cubs and pregnant females were killed.
- Hunters were caught using bait, which had been prohibited.
The Florida black bear population
Black bears are the only species of bear found in Florida. In the 1970s, the Florida black bear population fell its lowest point with an estimated 300-500 bears remaining in the wild. This dramatic decline stemmed from habitat loss and unregulated hunting. That led Florida officials to designate the bears as a Threatened species in 1974.
It's taken more than 50 years for Florida's black bears to recover. The last estimates – made in 2015 – showed the state's bear population has grown to 4,050.
Where is bear hunting being proposed in Florida?
The plan is to issue 187 permits to harvest black bears from 31 counties divided into four bear management areas. The hunting zones would exist in areas where the bear population exceeds 200.
Sixty-eight bears will be permitted for harvest from 11 eastern panhandle counties, including Franklin, Leon and Wakulla; 18 bears from 12 Central Florida counties; 46 from five North Florida counties; and 55 from Lee, Collier and Hendry counties.
When will the Florida bear hunting season take place?
The wildlife commission approved the hunt to take place from Dec. 6 to Dec. 28.
Black bears killed each year in Florida
Between 2005 and 2024, 5,967 bears were killed statewide by either road, management, illegal, harvest, or other causes of death.
What do we know about the bear hunt?
There will be a $5 application fee to enter a random drawing for a permit. If drawn, permits will cost $100 for Florida residents and $300 for out-of-state hunters.
One bear is allowed per permit, and the wildlife commission must be notified within 24 hours of a bear being taken. A tag must be attached to the bear's body before it can be removed.
Hunters may use all archery equipment, muzzle-loading guns, shotguns, centerfire rifles, revolvers and pistols and pre-charge pneumatic air guns to harvest bears.
The wildlife commission says black bears are not generally aggressive, but like any wild animal, they can become defensive if they feel threatened. If anyone encounters an injured, orphaned or dead bear, or observes someone harming bears or feeding them, call the commission’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
Visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website to read the entire draft proposal for the black bear hunt.
This story was updated to add new information.
CONTRIBUTING Amy Benett Williams, James Call
SOURCE Paste BN Network reporting and research; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission