Florida Black Bear Hunting Season is just 8 days in, and while we have no record of how many have been harvested, weāre anxious to see how itās gone!
More than 160,000 people applied for a chance to hunt Floridaās black bears, but only 172 permits were issued statewide. Shockingly, at least 43 of those permits went to activists who applied specifically to prevent bears from being killed by taking tags out of circulation.
The hunt began December 6th and will run through December 28th, allowing permit holders to kill one bear each in designated zones. State wildlife officials say the bear population has climbed from just a few hundred in the 1970s to more than 4,000 today, calling the hunt a āmanagement toolā to keep numbers stable.
Opponents argue the hunt is unnecessary, cruel, and driven by trophy-seeking rather than science. They point to Floridaās rapid development and habitat loss as the real issue. Their legal challenges failed to stop the hunt, but taking a quarter of the permits has guaranteed fewer bears will be killed.
Supporters say increased sightings near neighborhoods and trash cans show bearāhuman conflicts are rising and that regulated hunts help fund conservation programs.
What do you think about Florida bringing back bear hunting for the first time since 2015? Should the state be doing this, or is there a better way to manage the population?
Tell us below. Letās hear your thoughts. š š»