The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to allow bear hunts to restart in the state.
In a meeting held Wednesday in Havana, Gadsden County, widely attended by hunters hoping for a hunt and opponents, commissioners took final action after a preliminary approval in May.
The first hunt since 2015 will take place in December and last for 23 days.
According to a description of the day’s schedule, the commission wants to control the bear population by conducting a bear hunt that is prudent and well-regulated.
Defined bear hunting areas, lottery-based licenses, and a cap on permits granted by the commission’s executive director are among the regulations. In 2027, bear hunting with dogs will be permitted under the new regulations, which also permit hunters to shoot bears at feeding stations.
The state reported receiving over 10,000 comments from the public in response to the possibility of a hunt. Hundreds of people attended the conference on Wednesday.
Proponents of the hunt have said that it will decrease human encounters with the animals, making communities safer, while detractors have referred to it as a trophy hunt and harsh to the animals, especially mother bears.
If chosen, permits would cost $100 for Floridians and $300 for visitors. Out-of-state permits will only account for 10% of all permits issued by the state.
Around 4,050 bears are thought to live in Florida, however the government made that estimate as long ago as 2015, when the last bear hunt was conducted.
Two days after almost 300 bears were killed, that hunt came to an abrupt end.
Just 23% of the more than 13,000 self-selected respondents to a survey undertaken by the FWC supported the proposition, while 75% opposed it. According to a survey conducted by Remington Research on behalf of the Humane World for Animals, 81% of Floridians are against the bear-hunting season reopening.
The FWC reports that 34 of the 40 states with black bear populations have bear hunting seasons that are regulated.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to allow bear hunts to restart in the state.
In a meeting held Wednesday in Havana, Gadsden County, widely attended by hunters hoping for a hunt and opponents, commissioners took final action after a preliminary approval in May.
The first hunt since 2015 will take place in December and last for 23 days.
Florida’s Jay Waagmeester The Phoenix
