The Florida Committee approves the next step towards the proposed bear hunt

A committee of the Florida Wildlife Committee Greenlittled a set of rules that will set the foundation for the first bear hunt within a decade after more than three hours of intense public comments on Wednesday.

Plans to amend Florida’s hunting rules have been presented to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissioner in Ocala. The 4-1 vote is a step towards the official bear hunt that takes place this year. The committee will pending changes to other proposals and consider final approval in August.

In a note to the commissioners, Morgan Richardson, director of hunting and game management, wrote that the number of bear permits issued each year is determined based on bear population and mortality data.

State wildlife officials said the proposal would grant permission to kill 187 Black Bears this year. Only one permit is permitted per person, and each person is allowed to kill one bear.

If the proposal is approved, the 23-day hunt will begin in December. The following year, the season will be held from October to December.

Public comments were carried out for over three hours and included divisive opinions from both sides of the proposal. The room, a mixture of people wearing camouflage and dress shirts, was so full that the firefighter told the commissioner that some attendees would need to move to another area.

Hunt advocates said the interaction between bears and humans has escalated over the years, and hunting is a “science-backed” way of managing the population.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods first spoke, saying that his county’s population has grown, and with that, there’s a call about sightings of bears. He told the commissioner he supported the proposal.

“Other things I know about citizens, I love them, they are gun-hitting individuals,” Woods said. “They protect themselves, protect their property, and they will receive my support.”

Opponents of the hunt call it inhumane and unnecessary, often questioning why the proposal was made without current black bear population data.

Steve Wonderly, president of the Sierra Club Volusia-Flagler Group, sought better data in the form of a new bear census.

“Good science relies on great data to take as big a step as we’re thinking about here today,” says Wonderly. “Follow science with the best possible data.”

The Wildlife Commission, dubbed “one of Florida’s most successful conservation efforts,” says there are “multiple indicators” of the 1970s with over 4,000 wild black bears compared to hundreds, and Florida has “multiple indicators” of a steady population growth.

However, the agency has not completed the census in about 10 years, claiming that any soon-coming study could double count individual bears.

George Warsen, the agency’s chief maintenance officer, told the committee he believes Florida has the best black bear data in the country. He said the survey data is intended to be used over a 10-year time frame.

According to the committee, Florida is one of six states in the country that has an established bear population that does not allow hunting.

The proposal is the first fatal attack in the state, weeks after killing a black bear and his dog in a rural area east of Naples.

Gary Lester, vice president of village community relations who became a wildlife commissioner for DeSantis in 2022, first proposed a bear hunt at a committee meeting in December.

Rodney Barrett, the developer who chairs the Wildlife Agency, responded to Leicester, said that commissioners had internal conversations about the state bear “hotspots” and whether hunting would be possible in the future.

More than 13,000 people on the proposal participated in the public survey. According to Warthen, three-quarters of respondents opposed the plan, with 23% supporting it.

From the 1950s to 1994, Black Hear Hunting was regulated and allowed in Florida. It was reopened for a short time in 2015.

Many of the committee meetings were plagued by the last hunt that took place a decade ago.

In 2015, 295 bears were killed in just two days, according to previous reports from the Tampa Bay Times. The hunt was expected to run for a week, but closed five days earlier after being in charge of exceeding the 320 bear limit set by the Wildlife Commission.

The hunters have killed over 300 bears.

The newly proposed rule divides the state into seven bear management zones, but hunting will be permitted in four of these areas. According to a report from the Orlando Sentinel, authorities estimate that there are less than 200 bears in three other areas.

Hunting permits are given through random drawings, costing $100 for Florida residents and $300 for non-residents.

Staff have made several recommendations, including using dogs in hunting and allowing hunting at feeding stations. The measure was approved by the Commissioner.

Hunters are not allowed to kill Cubs, defined as less than 100 pounds.

The rules require hunters to report the bear murder to the state within 24 hours. The rules change does not mention a 2015 provision requiring hunters to bring kills to official wildlife check-in stations.

Officials said that this is because the hunt will take place several weeks ahead rather than days, and it would not be feasible to have staff in the check-in area.

A favorable vote on the proposed rules comes as public scrutiny of the Desantis-appointed Wildlife Commission has reached new heights in recent weeks.

Rep. Anna Eskamani, a leading Democrat for D-Orlando, went to the point of introducing this legislative session proposal to reform the board to create room for more scientists, ranchers, conservationists and wildlife experts. The measure never gained hearing.

Still, public outrage towards those sitting on the state’s top wildlife board can be seen on a handful of signs around the committee on Wednesday.

Elise Bennett, director of Florida and Caribbean at the Center for Biodiversity, said he was concerned that staff members were not considering weaker, smaller bear populations in Florida.

“This rushing decision is against the weight of the committee’s black bear management plan and public opinion,” Bennett said.

“The commission’s rush decision only further undermines Floridians’ unstable confidence in our state’s conservation staff.”

Times staff reporter Max Chesnes contributed to this report.