The first black bear hunt in Florida in a decade will take place in December under a rule adopted Wednesday by state wildlife officials despite strong opposition to the eventual use of dogs and targeting the animals in baited locations. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously in favor of the plan during a meeting that drew 168 people for a public hearing in the Panhandle town of Havana, with both supporters and opponents present, per the AP. The panel had given preliminary approval in May, citing a need to manage growing bear populations. "We make decisions based on science," said commission chair Rodney Barreto.
Susannah Randolph, director of the Sierra Club Florida chapter, countered that "this decision reflects political pressure, not ecological necessity or public will." Opponents called the hunt cruel, unnecessary, and an excuse for hunters to bag a trophy animal when the real issue is the encroaching human population in bear habitat. There are an estimated 4,000 black bears in Florida, one of the few states with sizable populations that do not have a bear hunting season. Several pro-hunt speakers noted that bears are much more commonly seen in many areas than in the past, causing interactions with humans that provoke fear and concern. The
only documented fatal black bear attack in Florida came in a rural part of Collier County, in southwest Florida, in May.
The plan adopted Wednesday has more stringent rules than the previous Florida hunt in 2015, in which hunting permits were provided to anyone who could pay for them. That led to a chaotic event shut down days early after 300-plus bears were killed, including at least 38 females with cubs, meaning the young bears probably died, too. Hunt opponents predict this year will be more of the same. However, under the new rule, there would be a random drawing of permits with a limit of 187. Hunters could kill only one bear each and only in certain parts of Florida where the bear population is large enough. There would be no killing of cubs and none of females with cubs, according to the FWC staff. A permit would cost $100 for Florida residents and $300 for nonresidents.
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