FWC to host virtual public meeting about black bear hunting

FWC Bear Biologist Paige Parks, left, talks with FWC officers Lauren Dickson, center, and Cody Lambert, right, about the best location for a non-lethal bear trap in the backyard at the home of Chris and Wendy Davy in Ocala on June 10, 2024, after a young Florida black bear was a nuisance in their backyard. [File photo by Bruce Ackerman]

The last time there was a regulated black bear hunt in Florida was in 2015. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s follow-up report, there were 46 wildlife management areas in the four bear management units that were open for hunting during the 2015 bear season. Bears were harvested in seven wildlife management areas, with the majority, 83 percent, taken in the Ocala National Forest.

According to a recent FWC news release, at its December 2024 commission meeting 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. Following the presentation, the commissioners directed staff to return to a future commission meeting to propose options for implementing a potential bear hunt.

On March 13, the FWC will host a virtual public meeting, beginning at 6 p.m. Those interested in attending the meeting can join by going to myfwc.com/hunting and clicking “Florida black bear.” The public also can email comments to [email protected].

For more information about the virtual meeting, go to myfwc.com/hunting/bear
To read the 2015 report, go to myfwc.com/media/13669/2015-florida-black-bear-hunt-report.pdf

[This screengrab is from a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report about the 2015 bear hunt.]