The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is considering implementing a black bear hunt this December, a move that comes after the release of a five-year progress report on the 2019 Florida Black Bear Management Plan.
Florida previously allowed black bear hunting but ended it in 1994. A brief hunt was held in October 2015, but it was halted after only two days when 304 bears were harvested.
Following a review of bear management and research efforts, FWC commissioners decided to draft proposals for a 2025 hunt. Three public meetings were held to discuss these proposals and gather public input, and a final proposal will be presented to the commissioners in May.
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The proposed harvest quota is 187 bears, a number calculated by the FWC to achieve a zero percent population growth rate, based on the number of females that would need to be removed.
While the exact population of black bears in Florida is unknown, the FWC estimates it to be around 4,036.
One of the proposed changes from the 2015 hunt is the regulation of permit sales. In 2015, 3,778 bear hunting permits were sold, despite the quota being much lower.
The FWC plans to use a lottery system to issue only the quota number of permits to selected hunters. The application would cost $5 per entry (unlimited entries per person), and the permit fee would be $100 for residents and $300 for non-residents.
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According to the FWC Hunting and Game Management, the revenue generated from permit sales will go to the game state trust fund. In 2015, permit sales generated $376,900, which was allocated to BearWise funding, a program that assists local governments in purchasing bear-resistant equipment.
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