Florida Wildlife Officials Meet to Deliberate Bear Hunt Proposal

OCALA, Fla. – Wildlife officials are closing in on a decision to reinstate a regulated bear hunt in Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is set to discuss possible regulations for a proposed bear hunt during their quarterly meeting in Ocala this Wednesday and Thursday.

If given the green light, this hunt would take place for almost three weeks in December and would continue annually between October and December. This would mark the first black bear hunt in ten years.

FWC began considering a bear hunt in 2024 to control the population and reduce bear-human encounters.

[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]

Wildlife officials have noted a significant increase in the range of bears across Florida, which has expanded from 17% to 51% since 1992. The FWC currently estimates that the state is home to over 4,000 bears.

Lee Kramer lives in the Markham Woods area of Seminole County and said she had an encounter at her home in 2016.

“One of the bears got inside the laundry room, and as soon as he turned around, the door shut,” Kramer said. “I just ran inside and closed the door.”

While she doesn’t want to see the animals killed, Kramer said a regulated bear hunt could be beneficial.

“It will protect everyone,” she said. “Regulation is good for everything. Regulation and discipline.”

The FWC said the new plan would issue limited permits, and hunting would also be allowed within bear management units that have at least 200 bears. The FWC would like to limit the total harvest to around 187 bears.

While the commission will discuss bear hunting options during its meeting on Wednesday, a final vote isn’t expected to happen until August.