ORLANDO, Fla. – Starting this weekend, hunters will be able to hunt Florida’s black bears, provided they have a permit.
From Dec. 6 through Dec. 28, hunters who received a permit will be able to harvest black bears on private property, with permission of the property owner, and in specified Bear Harvest Zones, which are located within four of Florida’s Bear Management Units.
The state issued 172 permits through a lottery system. Each permit entitles the hunter to kill one bear during the hunting period.
However, the hunt may not lead to 172 bears being killed.
Groups against the hunt attempted to reduce hunting numbers by buying entries into the lottery system.
[WATCH: Non-hunters snagged at least 44 Florida bear hunt permits, records show]
A News 6 analysis found that at least 44 people selected for the hunt have permits that will likely go unused. Chuck O’Neal, president of Speak Up For Wildlife, estimated that more than 50 people have snagged permits and don’t plan to hunt a bear.
In a statement to News 6, FWC says they are aware that non-hunters may have permits:
“The goal was to put the permits in the hands of those who will use them for hunting. We have heard that some groups opposing the hunt purchased permits; however, we have not seen this have an impact on previous hunts. We will collect and evaluate data to inform future hunts, including the number of unused permits and hunter success rates.”
Advocates also sued to stop the hunt, but the courts said it could go forward. The group Bear Warriors told News 6 they plan to amend their lawsuit to seek “additional legal recourse” against FWC.
Meanwhile, Bear Warrior attorney Raquel Levy said in a statement to News 6 that the group’s volunteers will be watching the hunt:
“We have over one thousand volunteers monitoring the four hunting zones with thousands of trail cams set up in both public and private lands. Bear advocates who got tags will also be in the woods to document and provide the oversight that FWC should be providing.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the hunt, the first in 10 years, back in August. FWC commissioners said the hunt was a tool to slow population growth.
A count conducted in 2015 found approximately 4,050 bears in Florida. FWC says studies show an annual growth rate ranging from 2.2% in the central Bear Management Unit, which includes much of our area, to 15.4% in the north BMU, including the Jacksonville area west to Suwannee and Hamilton counties.
Scientists are working on a new population study, but results will not be available until 2029.
Here’s what else you should know about the bear hunt.
Types of hunting weapons allowed
Hunters are allowed to use:
- Bows, crossbows and air bows. Arrows must have broadheads at least 7/8 inch in width.
- Muzzleloaders, with at least .30 caliber if firing a single bullet, and at least 20 gauge if using multiple balls.
- Rifles, pistols and revolvers that use centerfire rounds. No semi-automatic rifles that have magazines that can hold more than five rounds.
- Shotguns.
- Pre-charged pneumatic or PCP air guns with .30 caliber rounds.
The rules also say it’s illegal to use fully-automatic weapons, set guns, artificial light, nets, traps, snares, drugs or poisons.
Hunters are also not allowed to herd or drive bears using vehicles, and they are not allowed to shoot bears from moving vehicles.
[WATCH: People in bear areas react to proposed Florida bear hunt (from March 2025]
Size and sex of bears allowed to be killed
Hunters can kill male or female bears that weigh at least 100 pounds. They cannot have any cubs with them.
According to the FWC guide to the hunt, it’s best to wait for a bear that is clearly larger than 100 pounds, but one way to check is to look at the ears. A mature bear will have ears that are proportional to the size of its head. If a bear appears to have big ears, it’s young and/or a small bear.
Larger bears are also at least three feet high at the shoulder when on all fours.
How will the state know if a hunter has harvested a bear?
Hunters are all given a bear tag before the hunt. The tag must be attached, and then the hunter must report the harvest to FWC via the Fish|Hunt FL app, or by calling 888-HUNT-Florida (486-8356).
Hunters also must call the Wildlife Alert Hotline, and FWC staff will arrange a time and location to collect data from the bear.
Hunters have 24 hours to report a harvest. They are not allowed to transfer the bear to a meat processor, taxidermist, or out of the state until it is reported to FWC.
Hunters also are not allowed to remove evidence of the bear’s sex, and they are not allowed to quarter skin or dismember the bear.
There will be no check-in stations for hunters to bring in bears as they did in 2015. The state says this is more efficient.
[WATCH: Bear hunt ends in Florida after 295 bears killed (from 2015)]
What happens once the hunt reaches 172 bears harvested?
The state will close the hunt. During the 2015 hunt, the state sold thousands of permits. The hunt was closed within three days of starting, with 295 bears killed.
What can the hunters do with the bears they kill?
The hunters are allowed to keep or give away any of the parts, meat, or hide. The state does not allow the sale or purchase of bear meat or parts.
Check the FWC guide to bear hunting in Florida for more details on what hunters can do with the bear harvest, and specifics on where and how they can hunt.
For questions on the decision to open a bear hunt itself, FWC has a frequently asked questions section on its website.