Florida is one step closer to having a bear hunt during the 2025-2026 hunting season, despite protests and opposition to the hunt, including in Southwest Florida.
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.
At its December 2024 commission meeting, the FWC’s Bear Management Program gave commissioners a five-year update on implementing the 2019 Florida Black Bear Management Plan, highlighting recent bear management and research efforts. Following the presentation, the commissioners directed staff to return to a future commission meeting to propose options for implementing a potential bear hunt.
FWC staff presented bear hunt options at the May 2025 commission meeting. The options were developed with input from stakeholder groups and public meetings on March 13 and April 2, 3 and 5. Between Dec. 6, 2024, and April 20, staff received and compiled more than 3,900 comments from the public on this topic. An online comment tool was also open from April 2 to 20, resulting in more than 13,000 unique responses.
“The resurgence of the Florida black bear is not just a victory for conservationists; it’s a win for all Floridians,” said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the FWC. “Hunting is a biologically sound method to slow population growth, resulting in a healthy and well-managed Florida black bear population for the future.”
Ten years ago, Florida held a black bear hunt that resulted in more than 300 animals killed in just two days before it was halted early. It was controversial from the start and hasn't happened since — until possibly later this year amid strong opposition once again.
Two dozen opponents of the statewide black bear hunt protested the event in Naples on Saturday, hoping their voices would change the minds of those in support of the effort.
They were one of more than a dozen similar groups who planned rallies against any type of black bear hunt in cities throughout the state, including Fort Myers and Sarasota.
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