By Faith Montalvo
TAMPA, Fla. – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a black bear hunt for December and set guidelines for future hunts.
Proponents say the hunt is regulated and will generate funds while preserving bear habitat. But some activists are filing a lawsuit against the agency, saying that it will do more harm than good.
The hunt will allow 187 bears to be harvested across four of the seven bear management subpopulation areas. These areas are the East Panhandle, North, South, and Central units.
The FWC calculated this quota using black bear population estimates from 2015. The study shows there are at least 4,050 bears statewide. Of the six states that do not hunt black bears, Florida has the largest population.
FWC spokesperson Lauren Claerbout said in an email that the agency is currently conducting another population estimate study, but the black bear population is likely to fall between the 2015 figure of 4,050 and a 2019 prediction of 11,000.
Claerbout said that if the current growth rates continue in these areas, the bears will risk losing their habitat, and it will not sustain them. In three of the four bear management areas where the hunt will take place, the growth rate is over 10%, according to the FWC’s meeting presentation.
She said if the FWC does not take action now, it could cause problems in the future.
Meanwhile, nonprofit Bear Warriors United filed a lawsuit two days after the FWC commissioners voted in August.
The complaint states the new rules give “unbridled authority” to the executive director in deciding details about future hunts, rather than to the seven-member commission.
It also states that the FWC did not provide scientific evidence as proof that a hunt is necessary this year, and the agency misled the public about commenting on the hunting proposals.
Katrina Shadix, executive director of Bear Warriors United, said the FWC’s decision was a “slap in the face” to her organization that has spent 10 years educating the public about securing their trash.
“They [the FWC commissioners] already had their minds made up before the meeting started,” said Shadix. “And they didn’t have the common decency to have any relevant conversation about it.”
She also said that cars, habitat loss, and poachers are killing the bears, and there is no need for a hunt.
“There is never a situation where I feel that bear hunting is justified,” she said.
Mark Barton, an ecologist and board member for the Florida chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said that hunters generate funds for conservation by buying licenses and permits and paying taxes on hunting gear.
He said a hunt is necessary because it will generate funding for the FWC to continue conservation efforts, especially in areas where the bear populations are weaker.
Permits for the hunt will be issued through a lottery system. Anyone 18 and older can apply for an unlimited number of times for a $5 fee, and if selected, the permit fee will be $100 for residents and $300 for nonresidents.
“Ultimately, the application process is there to generate a lot of money,” said Barton.
The FWC’s website states that all funds will go to the State Game and Trust Fund and will be used for conservation.
Other rules that have drawn criticism allow hunters to hunt at feeding stations that are on private lands. Dogs will also be trained in 2026 and allowed to hunt in 2027. Barton said he understands why people disagree with these rules, but they will allow hunters to examine a bear’s weight and sex more carefully.
The hunt will take place this December. The FWC said this makes it less likely for females to be hunted since they tend to hibernate sooner than males. The minimum weight that a bear must be to be killed is 100 pounds, and hunters are prohibited from taking females with cubs in the area.
“At the end of the day, we want the same things: We want to see places stay green, we don’t want to see as much development,” said Barton. “The one thing we differ on is the hunting.”
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Photo courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
