Bear Hunt

Amid support from hunters and warnings of a “slaughter” from animal-rights advocates, state wildlife officials Wednesday moved forward with Florida’s first black bear hunt in a decade.Before a crowd that spread into at least four extra rooms at the College of Central Florida in Ocala, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-1 for staff members to return with rules for a December hunt that would be held in four parts of the state and could lead to as many as 187 bears being killed.Hunters could receive permits through a lottery system.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-1 at a meeting in favor of a bear hunt in December and annually into the future, allowing the use of up to six dogs to corner the bears.

Florida is one step closer to having a bear hunt during the 2025-2026 hunting season, despite protests and opposition to the hunt.At this week’s Commission meeting in Ocala on Wednesday, Commissioners of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted to approve proposed amendments to bear hunting rules for advertising in the Florida Administrative Register. The rule proposals are expected to be brought back before the commission at its August 2025 meeting for a final hearing and, if the final rules are approved, most changes would take effect during the 2025-26 hunting season.

Could a Black Bear Hunt return to The Sunshine State? Florida Fish and Wildlife are preparing to make their decision if the conservation effort takes place later this year.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will hold a series of virtual public meetings to collect feedback directly from Florida residents on proposals for highly regulated black bear hunting in Florida.

An independent researcher is confirming the state’s claims about a rebounding Florida black bear population.

Seminole County commissioners are adding their voices to the growing opposition to what would be the second bear hunting season in Florida since the 1970s.

Volusia County is urging the state not to hold another bear hunt. The county council wants the state to focus on other techniques to keep black bears...

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission got an earful at its regular meeting in Jupiter Florida this week. Even though it wasn’t on the...

Seminole County wants to ban bear hunting. Leaders are considering the plausibility of an ordinance that would prohibit bear hunting in Seminole County…