ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is set to vote next week to bring back a bear hunt for the first time in a decade.
The scheduled vote is sparking protests, petitions, and passionate pleas on both sides.
The FWC says the bear hunt is needed to manage bear population growth.
FWC says from the 1970s to present date, the black bear population has gone from just several hundred to over 4,000.
They’ve called the population growth “One of Florida’s most successful conservation efforts,” but now say a hunting season will help prevent possible negative consequences of overpopulation, which the agency says could risk the species’ overall chances of survival.
In May FWC commissioners voted 4 to 1 to approve amended bear hunting rules which would create a permit-based system where the number of permits would vary annually based on hunter success rates, bear population, and bear mortality data.
The FWC says the bear hunt season would allow for hunting in designated Bear Hunt Zones within designated Bear Management Units, which FWC says is a more limited geographic scope than currently allowed by law.
During the May FWC meeting, dozens of speakers packed the commission room for and against the proposed hunt and had the opportunity to address the commission.
At the time, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods told FWC Commissioners the county had 107 bear interactions in a 9-month period. He cited safety concerns and told commissioners he supported the amended rules for bringing back a hunt.
“You have my support voting for a bear hunt this season and to come,” said Woods, “It should be regulated, and we need to control them.”
But more than 55,000 people have signed a petition opposing the bear hunt.
The organization Bear Defenders is planning state-wide protests on Saturday, August 9th, between 10:00 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Apopka resident Erin Cieslak has signed the petition to stop the vote and has worked to advocate for the bears through a film project.
He blames development for encroaching on wildlife habitat and is hoping commissioners reverse course on the bear hunting season.
“Wooded areas and stuff like that is getting torn down. And it just has the wildlife just coming into our neighborhoods,” said Cieslak.
The FWC says regulated black bear hunting occurred in Florida from the 1930s to 1994, then again for one season in 2015, but no bear hunting seasons have been open since.
If FWC approves amended rules Wednesday, the bear hunt season for 2025 would run from the first Saturday in December through the last Sunday in December for 23 days total.
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