Anti-hunting activists have secured at least 23% of the 172 permits issued or about 40 permits (possibly could be higher) for the Florida bear hunt

[Safiel]

Very strong opposition to Florida's bear hunt.

The existing season was permanently closed in 1994. In 2015, a special hunt was held and closed in just two days when the quota of 300 bears was met in that time.

A special season was authorized from December 6 to December 18, 2025, with a quota of 172 bears.

Recipients had to enter a lottery, but could enter as many times as they wished for $5 each. If they snagged a permit, that was $100.

The opposition decided to try to save as many bears as possible by trying to get permits and simply not use them. They were more successful than I thought they would be, snagging at least 40 of the 172 permits.

Meaning that the harvest will be no more then 132. There may be more non-hunt permits that haven't been reported, so the final number could drop.

In North Carolina, greater than 4,000 bears have been taken each year in recent years.

It is kind of interesting to note the very great opposition in Florida, when the total allotted permits, 172, is a trivial number. In most of the nation, bear hunting has been going on constantly and is not a big deal. But because it has been virtually non-existent in Florida for 30 years, drawing a very stalwart opposition, including people willing to spend their own money to reduce the harvest.

I am fine with this hunt. Florida does have a small bear population, but the small number of allotted bears (and the fact that number will be reduced) will not impose a harmful burden on the species.

Yes, I get that people like bears, but responsible management requires hunting in some instances. Particularly in central Florida, human/bear encounters are becoming more common.

Reducing the number of bears will result in urban bears returning to now vacant territories in the forest.

Edit to add: The season runs until December 28, not the 18th as I put above.

 

[Lursa]

Very strong opposition to Florida's bear hunt.

The existing season was permanently closed in 1994. In 2015, a special hunt was held and closed in just two days when the quota of 300 bears was met in that time.

A special season was authorized from December 6 to December 18, 2025, with a quota of 172 bears.

Recipients had to enter a lottery, but could enter as many times as they wished for $5 each. If they snagged a permit, that was $100.

The opposition decided to try to save as many bears as possible by trying to get permits and simply not use them. They were more successful than I thought they would be, snagging at least 40 of the 172 permits.

Meaning that the harvest will be no more then 132. There may be more non-hunt permits that haven't been reported, so the final number could drop.

In North Carolina, greater than 4,000 bears have been taken each year in recent years.

It is kind of interesting to note the very great opposition in Florida, when the total allotted permits, 172, is a trivial number. In most of the nation, bear hunting has been going on constantly and is not a big deal. But because it has been virtually non-existent in Florida for 30 years, drawing a very stalwart opposition, including people willing to spend their own money to reduce the harvest.

I am fine with this hunt. Florida does have a small bear population, but the small number of allotted bears (and the fact that number will be reduced) will not impose a harmful burden on the species.

Yes, I get that people like bears, but responsible management requires hunting in some instances. Particularly in central Florida, human/bear encounters are becoming more common.

Reducing the number of bears will result in urban bears returning to now vacant territories in the forest.

Edit to add: The season runs until December 28, not the 18th as I put above.

The problem is, the bears that are nuisances, coming in contact with people, are mostly in neighborhoods. These bears cannot be hunted.

So when they go into the woods to hunt them, those are bears that are a) where they belong and b) not generally bothering humans.

Anyone can shoot a treed bear. That's ***** shit.

 

[Peter]

Is there any legal reason why someone who doesn't plan on going hunting can apply for and get a hunting permit?
As protests go this is peaceful and effective.

I know nothing about this issue and while I'd rather the bears be left alone I'm happy to be shown why they need to be controlled by local experts.

 

[RF667799]

Is there any legal reason why someone who doesn't plan on going hunting can apply for and get a hunting permit?
As protests go this is peaceful and effective.

I know nothing about this issue and while I'd rather the bears be left alone I'm happy to be shown why they need to be controlled by local experts.

If the anti- hunting activists succeed in lowering the harvest ratio, the state will probably just make more permits available next time.

 

[reflechissez]

Very strong opposition to Florida's bear hunt.

The existing season was permanently closed in 1994. In 2015, a special hunt was held and closed in just two days when the quota of 300 bears was met in that time.

A special season was authorized from December 6 to December 18, 2025, with a quota of 172 bears.

Recipients had to enter a lottery, but could enter as many times as they wished for $5 each. If they snagged a permit, that was $100.

The opposition decided to try to save as many bears as possible by trying to get permits and simply not use them. They were more successful than I thought they would be, snagging at least 40 of the 172 permits.

Meaning that the harvest will be no more then 132. There may be more non-hunt permits that haven't been reported, so the final number could drop.

In North Carolina, greater than 4,000 bears have been taken each year in recent years.

It is kind of interesting to note the very great opposition in Florida, when the total allotted permits, 172, is a trivial number. In most of the nation, bear hunting has been going on constantly and is not a big deal. But because it has been virtually non-existent in Florida for 30 years, drawing a very stalwart opposition, including people willing to spend their own money to reduce the harvest.

I am fine with this hunt. Florida does have a small bear population, but the small number of allotted bears (and the fact that number will be reduced) will not impose a harmful burden on the species.

Yes, I get that people like bears, but responsible management requires hunting in some instances. Particularly in central Florida, human/bear encounters are becoming more common.

Reducing the number of bears will result in urban bears returning to now vacant territories in the forest.

Edit to add: The season runs until December 28, not the 18th as I put above.

Can you bottom line this?

 

[Logophile]

If the anti- hunting activists succeed in lowering the harvest ratio, the state will probably just make more permits available next time.

The majority of Floridians are not sadistic butchers, so my guess is, the issuing of bear hunting permits in the future will come to a grinding halt

 

[RF667799]

The majority of Floridians are not sadistic butchers, so my guess is, the issuing of bear hunting permits in the future will come to a grinding halt

Killing less than a couple hundred bears a year doesn't require a majority to be "sadistic butchers"...or whatever other hyperbolic derogatory you want to use.

 

[hecatmoggie]

simple solution - like Arkansas, when you kill a bear like I did this fall, you have to send in a tooth and hair samples ..... that makes it difficult for non-hunters to fill tags illegally

or in this case, buying tags with no intent to use them


the oddest part here is .... sportsmen in Florida though licenses/taxes have successfully brought bears back in Florida.... non-hunter and anti-hunters? they did nothing to save the black bears in Florida. They should be THANKING sportsmen in Florida, not thwarting them - frickin idiots

Florida Black Bear Management - The Full Story About the Potential 2025 Hunt

Will bear hunting in Florida be a reality in the future? At the December 2024 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) commission meeting the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) staff gave an update on black bear management in Florida. After concluding that the bear...

www.backcountryhunters.org

Prior to the rapid urban development at the expense of Florida’s natural ecosystems, Black Bears were ubiquitous across the landscape, with some estimates as high as 11,000 bears in Florida. In the 1900s, bears we considered a pest and were killed and extirpated down to approximately 500 bears remaining in Florida. In the 1970s, bears were listed as a State-designated threatened species, triggering efforts to manage bears for recovery. By 2002 bears had recovered to 2,500 bears, by 2015 there were more than 4,000 bears. A new stock assessment is expected to be published in 2029.

 

[hecatmoggie]

The majority of Floridians are not sadistic butchers, so my guess is, the issuing of bear hunting permits in the future will come to a grinding halt

how much did you contribute to the reintroduction/building back the black bear population in Florida?

I'm guessing nothing

 

[hecatmoggie]

Reasons to support a bear hunt in Florida​

• The 2015 bear hunt generated close to $400k in revenue, which was reallocated to conservation efforts in the state. Establishing an annual hunt can generate similar funding on a yearly basis to be allocated toward habitat restoration and land acquisitions to improve connectivity between bear subpopulations
• The available data suggests that bear populations are steadily increasing. Populations were already above targeted population objectives during the 2015 hunt, and their numbers are likely even higher now.
• In the 4 BMUs where bear densities are particularly high, bear-human conflicts have become a huge problem. Bear-human conflicts often lead to the death of bears through vehicle collisions or euthanization of nuisance bears. While FWC has clarified that the proposed hunt is not designed to reduce bear-human conflicts, a reduction in bear densities in areas where bear-human conflicts have become a problem, may help reduce vehicle strikes and direct conflicts, though data suggests it is not likely to reduce trash raiding issues.
• Bears that are hit by cars and left to rot or nuisance bears that are euthanized are wasted, and in many cases suffer physical trauma, broken bones, and slow deaths, whereas when bears are harvested the hunters take care to make it quick and as painless as possible and the meat will go to feeding fellow Floridians.
• While staff and state resources are depleted to clean up vehicle collisions, transport or euthanize nuisance bears, a bear hunt could generate funding through license and tag sales that could be allocated toward future management objectives such as expanding on the bear-proof trashcan initiative, habitat restoration, and appropriate habitat corridors.

 

[Logophile]

Killing anything for "sport" - causing and watching animals to suffer like that - is in fact a sadistic act, and without any moral or ethical justification. The well fed butchers that go out and kill for fun have contributed nothing to the lives of the creatures they sadistically torture. I have the same view of them as I have of a man pretending to be a woman and slugging her in the face in a legal boxing match. As far as I'm concerned, it's all immoral

 

[RF667799]

Killing anything for "sport" - causing and watching animals to suffer like that - is in fact a sadistic act, and without any moral or ethical justification. The well fed butchers that go out and kill for fun have contributed nothing to the lives of the creatures they sadistically torture. I have the same view of them as I have of a man pretending to be a woman and slugging her in the face in a legal boxing match. As far as I'm concerned, it's all immoral

So how do you insure that you never enjoy a meal?

 

[Logophile]

Is there any legal reason why someone who doesn't plan on going hunting can apply for and get a hunting permit?
As protests go this is peaceful and effective.

I know nothing about this issue and while I'd rather the bears be left alone I'm happy to be shown why they need to be controlled by local experts.

God bless the activists

 

[poppopfox]

Killing anything for "sport" - causing and watching animals to suffer like that - is in fact a sadistic act, and without any moral or ethical justification. The well fed butchers that go out and kill for fun have contributed nothing to the lives of the creatures they sadistically torture. I have the same view of them as I have of a man pretending to be a woman and slugging her in the face in a legal boxing match. As far as I'm concerned, it's all immoral

 

[Allan]

I didn't know Florida had bears. Were they reintroduced?

 

[Safiel]

Can you bottom line this?

I am not sure what answer you are seeking.

But an effective bottom line would be this.

In my State of North Carolina, greater than 4,000 bears will be killed this year and during the last several years.

Florida proposes to kill a minuscule percentage. Just 172.

I may take some pressure off human/animal encounters, but will clearly not overly stress the bear population.

I would note that if the hunt is relatively successful, there may not need to be a hunt in 2026. And because of the much smaller size of the Florida bear population, the hunt should be restricted to what is necessary. I have no problem with the way the State is conducting this.

I would note that I have not personally hunted bear in well over 15 years and don't intend to do so. I am sticking to deer, birds and waterfowl.

 

[Safiel]

I didn't know Florida had bears. Were they reintroduced?

There have always been bears in Florida, just more noticeable in recent years as suburban sprawl extends into traditional habitat.

 

[anatta]

I didn't know Florida had bears. Were they reintroduced?

central Florida here. they have always been arond but the expansion of human development into the wood has fragments populations and attractants like garbage cans makes them seen as conflicting with people

 

[Safiel]

simple solution - like Arkansas, when you kill a bear like I did this fall, you have to send in a tooth and hair samples ..... that makes it difficult for non-hunters to fill tags illegally

or in this case, buying tags with no intent to use them

I think they will redesign the permit lottery in the future.

Perhaps show proof that you have had a hunting license in Florida or elsewhere for several years and have harvested deer. Something to show that you are an earnest hunter and are getting the bear tag in good faith.

I am sure they will fix it so there isn't a repeat of what just happened.

By the way, perfectly legal what these people did. I don't agree with what they did, but it was legal for them to do it under the current system.

And at least they contributed to bear management through the money they spent entering the lottery and paying for the permit.

 

[Safiel]

The problem is, the bears that are nuisances, coming in contact with people, are mostly in neighborhoods. These bears cannot be hunted.

So when they go into the woods to hunt them, those are bears that are a) where they belong and b) not generally bothering humans.

Anyone can shoot a treed bear. That's ***** shit.

I agree on this issue.

I despise bear hunting with dogs.

 

[RF667799]

It's always expected that a certain percentage of hunters will be unsuccessful, and the number of permits is decided based on that and the desired number of animals to be removed from the population.

The activists are increasing the number of unfilled permits. The state department overseeing the hunt can take this into account when deciding how many permits to issue.

If the activists grow bored with their virtue signaling and don't consistently maintain their efforts, they could ironically be responsible for more bears killed in a given year than would otherwise be the case.

 

[RF667799]

I agree on this issue.

I despise bear hunting with dogs.

I used to enjoy racoon hunting with good dogs, the times I had the opportunity. What's so bad about hunting bears in that manner?

 

[hecatmoggie]

I think they will redesign the permit lottery in the future.

Perhaps show proof that you have had a hunting license in Florida or elsewhere for several years and have harvested deer. Something to show that you are an earnest hunter and are getting the bear tag in good faith.

I am sure they will fix it so there isn't a repeat of what just happened.

By the way, perfectly legal what these people did. I don't agree with what they did, but it was legal for them to do it under the current system.

And at least they contributed to bear management through the money they spent entering the lottery and paying for the permit.

sure its legal - it does nothing for conservation other than the cost of the permit

which is what anti-hunters normally do ... they care nothing about conservation, they just want to be part of a movement for all the wrong reasons without logic and reason

 

[hecatmoggie]

I agree on this issue.

I despise bear hunting with dogs.

I don't really like dog hunting for anything

Some people don't like baiting bears .... but when you spend 40-50 hours gathering bait, 20-30 hours driving back and forth to the places you spent weeks or months getting permission on, hanging stands, putting it all out, and then factor in all the money/cost for the gas/travel/baits etc .... I probably have $1000 invested and 75 hours this year for a 4 hour hunt and a 224# bear

and all that work? I fed multiple sows with cubs and young bears, gave them a heck of a boost before the acorns dropped. They ate ... probably 1750# of bait? Maybe 2000# .... its incredible how much they can eat

 

[hecatmoggie]

I used to enjoy racoon hunting with good dogs, the times I had the opportunity. What's so bad about hunting bears in that manner?

my problem with dogs is they don't read no trespassing signs and they have no way to know private from public lands or chasing a sow with cubs etc