FWC looks at the opportunity to restart black bear hunting in Florida

Florida, USA – Florida Wildlife civil servants consider to restart the black bear hunting across the state.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will hold a virtual public meeting in March to get Feedback from Floridians about the idea, the state agency said on Wednesday.

“At the meeting of the Commission in December 2024, the FWC Bear Management Program gave the Commissioners a 5-year update for the implementation of the Florida Black Bear Management Plan 2019, in which the latest bear management and research efforts are emphasized,” said FWC on its website. “After the presentation, the Commissioners instructed the employees to return to a future meeting of the Commission to propose options for the implementation of a potential Bear hunt.”

The last time the Sunshine made the bear hunting possible in 2015. The FWC says that the bear population is growing throughout the state and that they have received more than 6,000 reports on bears per year in recent years.

“In the 1970s, the black bear population came back from only more hundred bears to over 4,000 and is one of the most successful nature conservation efforts in Florida,” the FWC also said on its website. “After the recent nationwide population estimate in 2015, it was found that several bears of bears are large and healthy enough to maintain a hunt.”

According to the FWC, the main goals of the bear hunting in Florida “to compensate for the population of the species with a suitable habitat and maintain a healthy population”. Officials say that bear hunting also creates funds for preservation.

The Virtual Public Meeting of the FWC will take place on March 13th at 6 p.m. The public can also send your comments by e -mail to FWC at beartramts@myfwc.com.