For the first time in a decade, hunters armed with rifles and crossbows are fanning out throughout Florida’s swamps and flatwoods to legally hunt the Florida black bear, over the vocal opposition of critics.
The state-sanctioned hunt started Saturday, after drawing greater than 160,000 functions for a much more restricted variety of looking permits, together with from opponents who’re attempting to cut back the variety of bears killed in this yr’s hunt, the state’s first since 2015.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee awarded 172 bear hunt permits by random lottery for this yr’s season, permitting hunters to kill one bear every in areas the place the inhabitants is deemed massive sufficient.
No less than 43 of the permits went to opponents of the hunt who by no means intend to make use of them, in accordance with the Florida chapter of the Sierra Membership, which inspired critics to use within the hopes of saving bears.
The Florida black bear inhabitants is taken into account one of many state’s conservation success tales, having grown from simply a number of hundred bears within the Seventies to an estimated greater than 4,000 in the present day.
Opponents have questioned whether or not the hunt was obligatory, however they have been unable to persuade the courts to halt it.
Right here’s what to know:
A restrict of 1 bear per hunter
The 172 individuals who have been awarded a allow by a random lottery will be capable of kill one bear every throughout the 2025 season, which runs from Dec. 6 to Dec. 28.
The permits are particular to one of many state’s 4 designated bear looking zones, every of which have a looking quota set by state officers primarily based on the bear inhabitants in every area.
With a view to take part, hunters should maintain a sound looking license and a bear harvest allow, which prices $100 for residents and $300 for nonresidents, plus charges. Purposes for the permits value $5 every.
The regulated hunt will assist incentivize sustaining wholesome bear populations, and assist fund the work that’s wanted, in accordance with Mark Barton of the Florida chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, an advocacy group that supported the hunt.
Having an annual hunt will assist assure funding to “hold shifting conservation for bears ahead,” Barton mentioned.
Searching as a administration instrument
In response to state wildlife officers, the bear inhabitants has grown sufficient to assist a regulated hunt and warrant inhabitants administration.
The state company sees looking as an efficient instrument that’s used to handle wildlife populations around the globe, and permits the state to monetize conservation efforts by allow and utility charges.
“Whereas now we have sufficient appropriate bear habitat to assist our present bear inhabitants ranges, if the 4 largest subpopulations proceed to develop at present charges, we won’t have sufficient habitat sooner or later sooner or later,” reads a bear looking information printed by the state wildlife fee.
Opponents in the meantime have known as the hunt merciless, pointless and an excuse for hunters to bag a trophy animal when the actual subject is the ever-growing human inhabitants encroaching on bear habitat.
Stricter laws than the final hunt
This yr’s looking plan has extra stringent guidelines than the 2015 hunt, during which permits have been supplied to anybody who may pay for them, leading to greater than 3,700 permits issued.
That led to a chaotic occasion that was shut down days early.
Of the 304 bears killed, no less than 38 have been females with cubs, that means the younger bears could have died too.
Finally, wildlife officers determined to name off the hunt after its second day after a better than anticipated variety of bears have been killed, although hunters didn’t exceed the statewide quota.
Doug Moore recurrently sees bears on the greater than 6,000 acres of timberland that he manages in northeast Florida.
The president of an area looking membership, Moore is usually supportive of the brand new laws for the bear hunt, though he and his members of the family weren’t issued a allow this yr.
Moore described the administration of the 2015 hunt as “fouled up” and “completely mistaken” however mentioned, “they’re doing it proper this time.”
Activists have been issued dozens of permits
Backers of the hunt have mentioned that rising numbers of bears current a security drawback, with native officers sharing experiences of bears on porches, rooting by rubbish cans and roaming neighborhoods and playgrounds.
Activists have argued that the state ought to as a substitute deal with different technique of curbing nuisance bears and assuring security by higher trash administration.
Whereas opponents didn’t persuade a decide to cease the hunt, they have been issued a few quarter of the general permits, after activists utilized for looking tags they by no means intend to make use of.
“Someplace on the market a bear will probably be strolling the grounds of the Panhandle, and I gave them a keep of execution,” mentioned Joel Cleveland, an opponent of the hunt who was issued one of many permits.
