The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has released proposed rules for a coming black bear hunt. (File Photo)

BLACK BEAR HUNT

https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2025/05/15/fwc-black-bear-hunting

BY Emma Delamo Marion County

UPDATED 12:56 PM ET May. 17, 2025 PUBLISHED 5:24 PM ET May 15, 2025

OCALA, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently released its proposed rules for a black bear hunt ahead of its meeting next week.

Meanwhile, organizers of a group against the proposed hunt gathered Saturday at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando to voice their opinion. Members of the Animal Rights Foundation Florida say their is no justification for the hunt.

“The bears were here first,” said Bryan Wilson, foundation coordinator. “We’re moving into their areas. So any bear-human interaction is because we wound up taking their forest; taking their food source and where they live.” 

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What You Need To Know

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is meeting to discuss a proposed black bear hunt next week in Ocala
FWC’s proposed rules for the hunt limit hunters to one bear per permit — however, the number of permits issued depends on the bear population in a given area
If approved, this would bring back a black bear hunting season for the first time since 2015
FWC commissioners believe this will regulate the bear population in Florida

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FWC commissioners say they believe reopening black bear hunting will regulate the population and manage growth rates. This would be the first black bear hunting season since 2015.

According to the proposed rules, they plan to establish Bear Harvest Zones and Bear Harvest Permits. The zones would exist in areas where the bear population exceeds 200.

The limit is one bear per permit, but officials say the number of permits issued will depend on the bear population in each demographic.

President of Speak Up Wekiva Chuck O’Neal is against the bear hunt. Living near Wekiva Springs State Parks, he said his backyard has become a playground for bears, he and believes there are better ways to manage the population.

“If we come back with a black bear hunt every year, that’s going to drastically reduce the number of black bears in Florida, and specifically in the central bear management unit we’re in now,” said O’Neal.

He said one of his concerns is FWC removing check-in stations. They were used to making sure all bears were legally killed. Instead, bears must be tagged and reported using the commission’s harvest reporting system within 24 hours.

“They’re removing that one key element that we used in 2015 to track the number of bears that were actually killed,” said O’Neal.

On the contrary, Lewis Pryzstup says he grew up in a family of hunters and believes the current numbers justify the hunt.

FWC reports there are more than 4,000 bears living in the state.

“There’s always going to be a bag limit, especially on something as crucial as the bear population here in Florida,” said Przystup. “They’re not not going to have a bag limit. Last time, it was a single bear if you got drawn.”

Permits would be issued through a random draw. During the first year, the proposed season would last 23 days in December. Then, the future season would occur between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31.

Przystup says while the bear is a trophy to some, it’s also food that’s not going to go to waste.

“I don’t think people look at hunters the same way as another person would,” he said. “Us as hunters, we do things ethically, responsibly, we’re not going to do things that are going to make the bear suffer, do things like that. But it’s definitely something that needs to be done.”

The proposed ruling also discusses hunting with dogs, and would allow each permitted hunter bring up to nine guests with them. There is also discussion of implementing a Private Lands Bear Harvest Program, which would allow private landowners with at least 5,000 acres to bear hunt on their property.

FWC staff will discuss the black bear hunt during their commission meeting on May 21 and 22 in Ocala at the College of Central Florida.

Visit FWC’s website to read the entire draft proposal for the black bear hunt.

Avian influenza not going away, says professor

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• https://www.wesh.com/article/protestors-central-florida-against-black-bear-hunt-proposal/64802063

Updated: 10:28 PM EDT May 17, 2025Infinite Scroll Enabled

Senait Gebregiorgis   

Reporter

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Central Florida, FL, USA —

Protestors came together in Ocala, DeLand and downtown Orlando on Saturday to protect black bears.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will meet May 21-22 to hear options for brining a bear hunt back for the first time since 2015.

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If the proposal gets approved, the hunt will last for at least three weeks in December.

“I have personal experiences running into them, and I do not consider them a threat,” said Betsy McClain, a Longwood resident who joined a protest in Lake Eola Park. “So it’s cruelty at its finest.”

“I think it’s very wrong and I think it’s sad because they have feelings as well, but not many people understand they have feelings,” said Serenity McCallister, a 13-year-old animal advocate.

“There is an overdevelopment, overpopulation, and a subdivision overpopulation. So, the bears’ habitat is getting destroyed,” said Raquel Levy, a Volusia County resident who joined the protest in DeLand.

“It is strictly a trophy hunt for the few individuals who are going to get permits to kill these bears,” said Bryan Wilson, the Central Florida coordinator for Animal Rights Foundation of Florida.

“The reality is that bear meat is actually delicious,” said Mark Barton, a supporter of bear hunting. “It’s a really great source of protein. especially if, like me, you don’t want to support the meat industry.”

Barton believes the outcomes could outweigh the risks.”

“By focusing this hunt in an area where there’s a lot of bears, you know, we can use that money to promote, more population growth in the areas where they still need help,” said Barton.

The FWC says there are more than 4,000 bears in the state.

A spokesperson said the staff started talking about the hunting last December.

“At the December 2024 Commission meeting, Commissioners directed staff to develop a range of options for the Commission’s consideration for black bear hunting in 2025. At the May 21-22, 2025, Commission meeting, staff will present options for amendments to hunting rules to implement a sustainable and repeatable hunt structure based on bear population information. Following direction from the Commission, staff will return to a future Commission meeting for a final hearing,” the FWC told WESH 2 News in an email.

Permits would be issued through a random draw.

A brand new poll shows that a supermajority of Florida voters, 81%, do not want a bear hunt

Kate MacFall

https://www.news-press.com/story/opinion/2025/05/18/black-bears-deserve-protection-not-a-trophy-hunt-opinion/83639208007/

• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) is proposing a new black bear hunting season despite public opposition and concerns about its impact on the bear population.
• The proposed hunt includes a three-week season, use of hounds, baiting, and potential for bow and arrow hunting, raising ethical and management concerns.
• Critics argue that focusing on human behavior changes, such as securing garbage and removing food attractants, is a more effective way to manage human-bear conflicts.
• The author contends that the hunt is unnecessary and poses a risk to the genetic diversity and survival of Florida’s black bear population.

The hunting of Florida black bears is a matter of science, numbers and stewardship, and right now, it looks like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is coming out wrong on all three. The FWC staff proposal refers to a new bear hunting season as a “highly regulated hunt.” It’s more likely a tragic trophy hunt on Florida’s black bears that will likely embarrass our state. It’s a hunt almost no one in Florida wants. A brand new poll shows that a supermajority of Florida voters, 81%, do not want a bear hunt, and even more — 89% — oppose hounding and 86% oppose baiting bears at “feeding stations.”

In 2014 and 2015, biologists conducted surveys of Florida’s bears in their core areas and suggested that there might be a mere 4,000 individuals spread across the entire state. Most of these subpopulations are not interconnected as their habitats are fragmented by human developments and highways.

In 2015, the FWC set a week-long season on bears but shut down the hunt in just 48 hours because trophy hunters killed over 300 of them. Sixty percent were females, many of them mothers.

Trophy hunters are even shamelessly taking advantage of the recent tragic bear-related death in Collier County; even as sound science shows hunting won’t prevent such incidents. Yet, FWC admits that randomly hunting bears won’t stop them from entering neighborhoods.

Changing human behaviors will. Securing garbage, removing bird feeders, and eliminating food attractants are far more effective than random hunts. In a Florida black bear study, FWC biologists found that securing bear attractants reduced human-bear interactions by 54% and reduced the chances of bears eating garbage to “zero percent.”Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

In data gathered from 34 bear-hunting states, we found that while the number of bears hunted has increased nationwide, conflicts did not decrease.

Instead of such sensible measures, FWC proposes to give trophy hunters a three-week-long season with 24 hours to call in their bear kills (to help determine when a unit quota has been filled). The 24-hour delay could result in hunters far exceeding the 187-bear quota.

FWC has in mind to permit up to ten people and six hounds to chase terrified bears through Florida’s swamps and wildlands. Once the bears were treed or cornered, hunters would get an easy and unfair shot. Hounding results in other terrible outcomes, as the hounds chase bears onto roads where they are struck by motorists, kill non-target animals including endangered panther kittens, bear cubs and deer fawns.

In addition, FWC is considering allowing private landowners to lure bears to bait piles to reinforce a taste for free, easy meals. Soon enough, however, they’ll become live targets for trophy hunters hiding behind blinds.

FWC may also authorize bow and arrow killing or archery hunting. The massive bones and thick coat of a bear make it hard for hunters to achieve a quick kill. All too often, bears wounded by bow-and-arrow hunters flee, only to die slowly from blood loss or infection.

Adding to the mayhem, FWC may allow trophy hunters to “dress” (gut and butcher) bears in the field. This could lead to misreporting the sex of bears to hide the number of females killed, particularly lactating mothers, or to cover up the killing of cubs. Nor does FWC intend to require hunters to immediately check in at an FWC station with their bears, perhaps to avoid public scrutiny. In Florida, less than 1% of residents hold hunting licenses, and only a fraction would ever hunt bears.

Bears have been balancing their ecosystems for millennia, spreading saw palmetto and other seeds across vast distances and helping to regenerate plant life. They break apart logs, speeding up decomposition and soil enrichment. Their movements through forests create spaces in which sunlight can reach the ground, encouraging diverse plant growth. We’d be doing bears no favor if we authorized a trophy hunt, which will certainly undermine the genetic diversity of their populations, with profound ramifications for their survival in Florida’s increasingly volatile weather systems.

It amounts to this. Black bears are too valuable to our state to see them put at risk in so reckless a fashion. There is no need to kill them for something so frivolous as a trophy part or bragging rights, and we simply shouldn’t let it happen. The simple truth in 21st century Florida is that black bears deserve both our mercy and our protection, and we should adopt public policies shaped by that conviction.

Kate MacFall is the Florida state director for Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States.

Become aggressive when hunting roosting gobblers in final days of the season

By Doyle Dietz | outdoors@republicanherald.com

PUBLISHED: May 17, 2025 at 7:30 PM EDT

It was 60 years ago that the group The Outsiders crooned the lyrics “I can’t wait forever; Even though you want me to.”

They could well have been singing about the frustration hunters feel that have not bagged a spring gobbler as the final days of the season slip away. Of course, it would be another three years before Pennsylvania had a spring gobbler season, but the message is not lost.

So, one of the best ways to have an encounter is by throwing caution to the wind and hunting turkeys on the roost in the morning or when they are returning to roost in the evening. Be advised, however, this strategy can result in busting the bird and spending what remains of the season searching out its new roost tree.

In the early days of the season the ideal distance when setting up on a roosted bird is generally within 100-150 yards, as the goal is to get close enough to potentially call them into shooting range, but not so close that you are easily seen or heard. As the days run out on the season, desperate times call for desperate tactics, so through caution to the wind, take advantage of the heavy foliage and quietly move in as close as possible without spooking the bird.

Some hunters prefer to get as close as 40-50 yards, especially if the turkey is roosting alone. If a gobbler is roosting with hens, it’s generally best to back off 50-60 yards away when setting up.

While being aggressive when hunting roosting birds in the late season can result in a tagged bird, avoid being careless and reckless. Just because the treetops are in full foliage avoid walking across open fields to set up and breaking limbs and branches when moving through the woods.

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Always be aware of wind direction that will carry sound to a roosted bird. One factor that remains constant – no matter if hunting the opening morning of the season or the final hours on the final day – is the importance of stealth.

If hunting in the morning, once set-up start calling softly to attract the bird and add some scratching in leaves to imitate the sound of feeding hens. As the goal is to get as close to the roost tree as possible without spooking the turkey, be prepared for the turkey to fly down and be in position to take a shot.

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Remember, turkeys roost in areas where they won’t be disturbed. Flying up in the evenings as sunset approaches and fly down in the morning near sunrise. Turkeys will rarely move to different roosts in the night, as they have poor night vision and they like relatively clear areas to fly up from and fly down to.

When scouting for roosting trees, which are often stained by droppings, concentrate on areas near water sources, large mature trees and open areas with good cover. Look for ridges, field edges and places where turkeys are likely to feed or travel.

Even if a bird goes quiet once it flies down, it will usually gobble on the roost in the mornings and evenings. Generally, soft calling is a beast in the morning and louder more aggressive calls in the afternoon will get a gobbler fired up that is working its way back to roost.

There is no mistaking a roosting area as the area should have droppings and feathers from birds dusting. Scratch marks and dusting bowls are easy to find, but also look for travel routes as turkeys establish specific routes along paths between feeding areas and roosting sites.

Setting up along the route the bird will use to get to the roost can be highly effective in the afternoon. This means patterning your bird and then waiting for him to walk by, rather than calling to him to try to lure him in, and this technique can be a game changer.

Avoid using decoys with this afternoon strategy, as the bird wants everything to be normal – right up until the load of shot finds its mark.

By Philip Blenkinsop and Sybille de La Hamaide

May 19, 20254:55 AM PDTUpdated 11 hours ago

This official from the state’s agriculture secretariat says all chickens have been eliminated from the farm, and disinfection is under way.

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BRUSSELS/PARIS, May 19 (Reuters) – Brazil, the world’s largest poultry exporter and main poultry meat importer into the European Union, is no longer allowed to ship poultry and meat products to the EU due to the outbreak of bird flu, the European Commission said on Monday.

This comes after Brazil confirmed its first outbreak of bird flu on a poultry farm on Friday, triggering protocols for a country-wide trade ban from top buyer China and state-wide restrictions for other major consumers such as Japan.

Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here.

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“EU import conditions require that the country of export (Brazil) is free of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza,” a European Commission spokesperson said in an email.

“Brazilian authorities can no longer sign such animal health certificates for export into the EU and such certificates cannot be issued. No poultry/meat products can be exported to the EU from any part of the Brazilian territory.”

Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro said on Friday that under existing protocols, countries including China, the European Union and South Korea would ban poultry imports from Brazil for 60 days.

Item 1 of 2 A drone view shows an excavator moving earth next to a hole in the ground at a poultry farm, after Brazil confirmed its first outbreak of bird flu on Friday, triggering protocols for a country-wide trade ban from top buyer China and state-wide restrictions for other major consumers, in Montenegro, Brazil May 17, 2025. REUTERS/Diego Vara/File Photo

[1/2]A drone view shows an excavator moving earth next to a hole in the ground at a poultry farm, after Brazil confirmed its first outbreak of bird flu on Friday, triggering protocols for a country-wide trade ban from top buyer China and state-wide restrictions for other major consumers, in… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more

But the Commission did not give any timeframe. It noted that because of the outbreak, which was detected on a farm in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the entire territory of Brazil had suspended its official status of being “free of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza”. EU import conditions require that an export country be free of HPAI.

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The EU is only a small market for Brazil, which is dominated by China, the United Emirates, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

In 2024, Brazil exported more than 5 million tons of poultry meat. Of these approximately 4.4% headed to the EU, national pork and poultry group ABPA said.

Of total EU poultry imports, Brazil is the main origin, with a share of 32% last year, according to official EU data. However, the volume remained rather thin with most of the EU consumption supplied locally.

Still, despite the small volumes the cheaper, high added-value, Brazilian imports have pressured EU prices. A halt in imports is therefore likely to come as a relief for the local poultry industry.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/brazil-can-no-longer-export-poultry-meat-eu-due-bird-flu-2025-05-19/

The US hasn’t seen a human bird flu case in 3 months. Experts are wondering why

Lianna Norman

USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida

https://www.marconews.com/story/news/local/2025/05/18/gator-season-hunters-look-forward-to-preying-on-this-florida-predator/83715109007/

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• Florida’s alligator hunting season runs from August 15 to November 8, 2025.
• Permits are awarded via a multi-phase application process that started on May 2 and continues through June.
• Costs for licenses, permits, and tags vary for residents and non-residents.

Every May, thousands of Florida hunters look forward to preying on one of the state’s most iconic predators.

Summer doesn’t just bring alligator mating season – which often leads to gators popping up in unwanted places – but it also brings the application season for the yearly statewide alligator harvest.

It doesn’t get more Floridian than hunting gators … Unless, of course, you’re planning on wrestling an alligator while barefoot on a Florida highway. Here’s what you need to know ahead of the 2025 alligator hunting season in Florida, how to apply for alligator hunting permits and tags and how much it costs.

Alligator hunting season dates: When is gator hunting season in Florida?

Florida’s gator hunting season begins on August 15 and ends on November 8.

The season is broken up into four harvest periods. Depending on which harvest period you draw, you’ll be assigned to hunt for one of the first four weeks. 

Each person who’s selected to win a gator hunting permit is allowed two gators during their allotted harvest time. If you don’t harvest both of your gators during your assigned harvest week, you can hunt during the seven-week open season, which starts on September 12 and ends on November 8.

The first application phase for the first harvest periods started on May 2 and will end on May 12.

Here are the dates for each application phase, according to the FWC:

• Phase I: May 2 through May 12, anyone may apply
• Phase II: May 16 through May 26, you can’t apply in Phase II if you were awarded a permit in Phase I
• Phase III: May 30 through June 9, you can’t apply in Phase III if you were awarded a permit in Phase II
• Phase IV (Leftovers): June 12 until all permits are sold out. Anyone may apply in this phase. If you were awarded a permit in any of the first three phases, additional permits drawn in Phase IV will cost $62, regardless of residency.

“Applicants may submit one application per phase and receive up to one permit in Phase I, II, or III of the application process. Those successful in any one of the first three phases cannot apply for additional permits until Phase IV Leftovers,” the FWC says.

“In the Phase IV Leftovers period, applicants can be awarded up to 10 permits cumulatively. Permits are issued by random drawing during Phase I, II, and III and issued on a first-come, first-served basis in Phase IV Leftovers.”Alligator mating season: Can I shoot a gator in my yard? Florida wildlife laws to know

How much is an alligator tag in Florida?

There is no cost to apply for an alligator trapping license in Florida, but if your application is approved you have to pay. And there are different prices for out-of-state hunters and Florida residents.

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Applying does require credit card information so that your card can be authorized, but you won’t be charged unless you’re approved and picked in the drawing.

If you’re a Florida resident, an alligator trapping license, a permit and your two permitted alligator tags will cost you $272.

If you already have a valid alligator trapping license, your permit and tags for the season will only cost you $62.

If you’re not a Florida resident, an alligator trapping license, a permit and your two permitted alligator tags will cost significantly more, at $1,022, according to the FWC.

How many gator tags does the FWC give out?

Florida’s statewide alligator hunt is highly-anticipated for a lot of Florida hunters and there are typically more applications than licenses and tags permitted. 

According to the FWC, there are often more than 15,000 applicants who will apply for the approximately 7,000 permits available each year. 

Who can apply for a gator hunting permit in Florida?

The only requirements to apply are that the applicant must be at least 18 years old by the beginning of alligator hunting season on August 15 and have a valid credit or debit card.

How many alligator tags do you get in Florida?

Each approved applicant will only get two tags each alligator hunting season, permitting each applicant to only harvest two alligators.

Can you shoot alligators in your yard in Florida?

It is illegal to kill, injure or possess an alligator without a permit in the state of Florida.’Never in my wildest dreams’: Watch barefoot Florida man wrangle alligator on I-95

When, where can you shoot alligators in Florida?

Each alligator hunt applicant who is accepted will receive an alligator trapping license, an area-specific harvest permit, and two tags, authorizing the holder to hunt and kill only two alligators. 

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The harvest areas and hunt dates are specific for each permit, and the permit specifies the boundaries or limitations of the harvest area. The first four weeks of the season are divided into four quota weeks, and each permit is assigned one of those weeks.

Alligator hunters can now hunt anytime during the day or night that they wish, 24 hours a day, in most of the designated hunting areas. In 2022, the FWC made the switch to allow for day hunting.

5 ways to avoid getting attacked or killed by a Florida alligator‘She’s lucky she didn’t lose her life’: Neighbor describes North Fort Myers gator attackAlligator mating season: Can I shoot a gator in my yard? Florida wildlife laws to knowCollier County man bitten by 11-foot alligator while walking dogs, FWC, sheriff’s office say‘There’s an alligator at my front door!’ Video shows 8-foot gator in Venice woman’s kitchenFlorida gators: A photo historyBarefoot wrangler helps police remove alligator from highway

FWC alligator harvesting methods

Here are the legal methods of harvesting alligators in the state of Florida as listed by the FWC:

• Fishing rods using a weighted treble hook
• Fishing rods using artificial lures
• Baited wooden pegs (must be less than two inches long) using a fishing rod or hand-held line
• Hand-line snatch hooks
• Hand-held catch poles or similar devices
• Bang sticks (the only firearm you’re allowed to use for alligator hunting)
• Bows
• Crossbows
• Pre-charged pneumatic airbows
• Gigs
• Harpoons
• Spears
• Spearguns

WUFT | By News Service of Florida

Published May 19, 2025 at 11:56 AM EDT

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State wildlife officials next week will hear a proposal to create an annual “limited-entry” black bear hunt, with a December hunting period the first in more than a decade.

A summary of the proposal was posted online Wednesday in advance of a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting next week at the College of Central Florida in Ocala.

“Managing (bear) population growth is important to balance species numbers with suitable habitat and maintain a healthy population,” according to the summary by Hunting and Game Management Director Morgan Richardson.

The proposal would allow the first hunt since October 2015 to run from the first Saturday in December through the last Sunday in December, with future hunts held each year between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. In 2015, 304 bears were killed in two days after permits were distributed to anyone who paid.

The new proposal includes issuing permits through a random draw. The number of permits would be based on factors such as female bear survival and mortality data that would include prior year “hunting success rates.”

Hunting would be allowed within what are known as “bear management units” that have at least 200 bears.

Bear hunting has long been a controversial issue in Florida.

Supporters say, in part, a hunt could help better manage bear populations as the animals interact with humans. They also point to a voter-approved ballot measure in November that enshrined hunting and fishing rights in the state Constitution.

Opponents have argued that hunting doesn’t reduce human-bear interactions and say the state should use non-lethal options to address bear populations.

They say unsecured trash continues to be a lure for bears on residential and commercial properties.

The commission on Friday confirmed an 89-year old Collier County man was the first recorded fatal victim of a bear attack in Florida. The state has recorded 42 incidents since the 1970s of wild bears making physical contact with people.

https://www.wuft.org/environment/2025-05-19/bear-hunting-florida-what-you-need-know-proposal

State wildlife commissioners will consider new rules at their May quarterly meeting, with a final vote expected in August.

James Call

USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2025/05/19/bear-hunt-returns-florida-faces-uproar-over-new-rules/83674529007/

• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is considering a proposal to reinstate an annual bear hunt.
• Opponents argue the proposal relies on outdated data and contradicts the FWC’s bear management plan.
• Public hearings and a final vote on the proposal are scheduled for May and August, respectively.

Florida is on the cusp of having an annual and regulated bear hunt that environmentalists and wildlife advocates likened to “barbarism” and say is informed by “outdated data.”   

At a December Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) meeting after receiving an update on the commission’s bear management plan, board chair Rodney Barreto told staff to develop a bear hunting option for commissioners to consider.  

Five months later, the option is ready for a public hearing. And it comes not long after the first fatal Florida bear attack ever recorded.

A ‘conservative’ plan

The FWC said it was developed with input from four virtual public meetings. Once it was published, a public comment period for the proposal was open for three days – May 14-16.  

The 31 pages of rules include a 23-day bear season this December and, starting in 2026, annual bear hunting between the first of October and the end of December. 

Commissioners will consider the rules at their May 21-22 quarterly meeting in Ocala, with a final vote expected in August. 

Morgan Richardson, the FWC’s director of hunting and game management said the rules create “a conservative, well-regulated hunt” to manage the bear population. 

But opponents like James C. Scott of Speak Up for Wildlife said they “are riddled with contradictions and sloppy math.” 

Scott has more than a half-dozen objections to the proposal including the FWC reliance on data that is at least a decade old to decide whether the bear population is healthy enough to sustain a hunt. 

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“It is outdated data. This proposal was advanced and inspired by the appointees on the commission, not the scientists, not the agency staff,” Scott said. 

The FWC’s Bear Management Coordinator Mike Orlando said the agency is relying on figures from 2015, which he characterizes as “conservative.” “We don’t detect any decreasing (numbers statewide),” Orlando told the Naples Daily News. 

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The Florida black bear, a distinct subspecies of the American black bear, was listed as a threatened species as recently as 2012; the population had dwindled to about 500 in the mid-1970s and has rebounded to an estimated 4,000 today. 

Florida ended an annual bear hunt in 1994. 

A week-long hunt was attempted in 2015 but was closed after two days when hunters had killed 300 of the 320 bears allotted for harvest.  

$100 permit for three-week season

The proposal that will be considered in Ocala divides the state into seven “Bear Management Units” and declares any area with more than 200 bears a “Bear Harvest Zone” – there is no cap on how many bears can be taken from one BMU. 

Hunting permits would be issued through a random drawing and cost $100 for a Florida resident and $300 for anyone else; 187 permits would be issued this year.