Black bears visit Ocala neighborhood
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is holding virtual meetings on April 2, 3 and 5 to collect feedback on proposals for regulated black bear hunting.
[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2025.
UPDATED ARTICLE:
Residents in an old Ocala neighborhood adjacent to the city of Ocala’s municipal golf course got a visit from an adult black bear and two cubs on March 21. The bears were “lounging” in in a big oak tree as if they hadn’t a care in the world.
When Lloyd Rawls Jr. pulled into his home from his 12-hour shift working for Geo-Tech, he knew something was unusual.
“I saw garbage strung out on the side of my house and knew something was wrong,” he said.
His wife saw the bear first, after being alerted by the barking of their Australian shepherd that something was in the backyard.
Brian Creekbaum, who has lived in the neighborhood for 58 years, told the “Gazette” this is the first time bears have visited the neighborhood that he knows of, but added, “I did see a bobcat once before.”
Elena Amesbury, a biologist who teaches at the College of Central Florida and has lived on the street for 11 years, said she was worried about how the bears got so far into town and how they would get back to a forested area without getting hurt.
Rawls called 911 and an Ocala Police Department officer came out and took pictures of the bears and then left.
“The city dispatcher reached out to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and they said they couldn’t send anyone out unless there was a threat, which is fine now,” Rawls said while looking up at the tree, “but what about if they come down from the tree and a jogger or someone walking their dogs comes by and the mother feels protective of her cubs?”
“I wish I had a trap to put down with some food so we can get them out of here safely,” Rawls added.
Meanwhile, Rawls left the fence around his pool open in case the bears got thirsty.
About 11 hours later, the bears moved on.
At its December 2024 commission meeting, FWC Bear Management Program officials gave commissioners a five-year update on implementing the 2019 Florida Black Bear Management Plan, highlighting recent bear management and research efforts. The commissioners directed staff to return to a future meeting to propose options for implementing a potential bear hunt.
The FWC is now holding a series of virtual public meetings to collect feedback from Florida residents on proposals for regulated black bear hunting in Florida, which will be presented to commissioners in May.
The meeting dates and times are:
• April 2 from noon to 3 p.m. EDT, fsu.zoom.us/j/96561628155#success, to join the meeting by telephone, dial (305) 224-1968 and enter Conference ID: 96561628155#
• April 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. EDT, fsu.zoom.us/j/94803064202#success, to join by meeting by telephone, dial (305) 224-1968 and enter Conference ID: 94803064202#
• April 5 from 9 a.m. to noon 12 EDT, fsu.zoom.us/j/91550331906#success, to join by telephone, dial (305) 224-1968 and enter Conference ID: 91550331906#
The last time there was a regulated black bear hunt in Florida was in 2015. According to the FWC, there were 46 wildlife management areas in the four bear management units that were open for hunting. Bears were harvested in seven wildlife management areas, with the majority—83 percent—taken in the Ocala National Forest.
For more information about the virtual meetings, go to myfwc.com/hunting/bear
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