Citizens voice views about possible black bear hunt, other issues

Denise March of the Ocala National Forest holds a “Stop The Florida Bear Hunt” sign during a sparsely attended protest against the proposed Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Florida black bear hunt on the Ocala downtown square in Ocala, Fla. on Saturday, May 17, 2025. The protestors were among a handful of other protestors who came to show their disapproval against several other things, such as President Donald Trump’s policies, ICE and Black Lives Matter. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2025.

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Posted May 18, 2025 | By Andy Fillmore, [email protected]

Dozens of protestors lining both sides of Silver Springs Boulevard adjacent to the Ocala downtown square on May 17 drew a lot of honks and a few signs of disdain from passing motorists.

Bear Defenders, a group opposed to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission proposed regulated black bear hunt, held a protest Saturday morning. An unrelated “I.C.E. Melts, Democracy Doesn’t/Peaceful Protest” at 10 a.m. at an adjacent site was posted on at least one local political organization’s Facebook page Saturday, although the sponsoring organization was not stated.

Dozens of people held signs critical of the Trump administration policies on deportation and other issues while a sprinkling of people expressed opposition to a regulated black bear hunt proposed by the FWC.

Ellen Knight of Ocklawaha held an anti-black bear hunt sign.

“Hunters can shoot mama (bear) with cubs and (perhaps) hunt with dogs,” Knight said. She sees bears in her area and called them “shy” animals.

“Any (population) thinning should be done by the FWC,” as opposed to private hunters, she said.

Issues related to the proposed black bear hunt, including the use of dogs and how permits would be issued, possibly by random drawing, are set to be discussed at public meetings May 21 and 22 at the College of Central Florida, according to FWC literature. Information about the meetings is available at myfwc.com

An FWC survey in 2016 found Floridians were 48% for a black bear hunt and 43% were opposed to a black bear hunt, the website indicates.

“The black bear population has come back from just several hundred bears in the 1970s to over 4,000 today and is one of Florida’s most successful conservation efforts. Regulated black bear hunting occurred in Florida in the 1930s and continued until 1994,” according to myfwc.com

“The primary objectives of regulated hunting are to balance species population numbers with suitable habitat and to maintain a healthy population. FWC staff can use the most recent population estimates to base a regulated bear hunting harvest objective,” the website indicates.

Population estimates are derived from “hair corrals that collect tufts of hair when bears come to investigate scent lure and bait,” according to the website. “Samples of bear hair contain genetic material that is analyzed to identify individual bears” and uses “statistical analyses” to “reveal the abundance and density of bears in each study area.”

FWC literature indicates the state is divided into seven bear management units, with Marion County and 11 surrounding counties designated as the central unit, with an estimated black bear population of 1,198 and a “minimum abundance objective” of 1,030.

An email sent to the “Gazette” on May 19, from Ryan Sheets, Communications, Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, FWC, St. Petersburg, referenced a slide from the upcoming meeting presentation, which states: “As shared in December 2024, in North America, bears have stable and increasing populations. The same is true for Florida, with multiple indicators showing that bears are stable and increasing statewide. First, between the 2002 and 2015 abundance surveys, the bear population increased by almost 50%; second, recently completed and ongoing demographic studies indicate growing numbers in the four largest bear subpopulations. And finally, bears have also expanded their occupied range from 17% to 51% in Florida since 1992, another indicator that bear populations are growing.”

“Regardless of whether updated estimates are available, FWC staff can use the most recent population estimates to base a regulated bear hunting harvest objective, which would be conservative given that the four largest subpopulations all show increasing annual growth rates,” Sheets indicated.

Denise March, a resident of the Ocala National Forest, is a member of Bear Defenders, which intends to hold protests in 13 Florida cities from Jacksonville to Miami, according to beardefenders.org

March had signs including one that read “Stop the Florida Bear Hunt.” She also distributed a card with a picture of a bear face, which read “I am not your trophy” and contained a QR code that had information on an anti-black bear hunt petition organized by change.org, which had 33,964 signatures as of May 17.

March said she sees bears “all the time and never feels threatened.” Her activities include hiking and horse riding.

“I’d hate to see future generations not (get an opportunity to) see a bear. We moved into their backyard,” she said.

March said the effort on Saturday was about getting the protestors “voices heard.”

The Bear Defender website states “the FWC’s black bear population study will not be completed until 2029. Without updated, reliable data, any decision to reinstate a bear hunt is premature, unethical, and scientifically unsound.”

An email sent to an FWC spokesperson Saturday seeking a response to the statement was not returned by Sunday.

Meanwhile, James Elmore with Ocala Blue Dots, a group critical of many Trump administration policies and Ocala Demands Action, which he described as a group aimed at “building a non-violent civil rights movement,” said their protestors came out to primarily voice opposition to ICE methods in apprehending alleged illegal aliens and apparent lack of due process when they are deported. Elmore and one of the protestors spoke of other protestors being apprehensive of being identified and said some have even worn masks.