STATE NEWS BRIEFS
Bear hunt report; buy local crops
A Florida black bear peers down from a branch in a live oak tree in an Ocala backyard on March 21, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]
FWC releases bear hunt data
As the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission continues to analyze the state’s first permitted bear hunt in a decade, the agency has started to release more data.
A fact sheet posted Feb. 6 showed that all but six of the 172 permits purchased were by Florida residents and nearly half of the 52 bears killed during the 23-day hunt that started Dec. 6 were female.
None of the 24 female bears were reported to be lactating, which is a sign a female bear recently gave birth. The quota was said to be based on a formula that sought to reduce the number of females killed.
“All bears harvested met the size requirements of the hunt,” a release from the FWC stated. “No warnings or citations were issued for violations of bear hunting rules.”
The report states that a warning was issued for trespassing in a Wildlife Management Area.
And while the permits were said to be non-transferable, the report notes that one bear was killed by a “guest hunter.”
FWC Executive Director Roger Young said that “by all management measures, the hunt was a success.”
The hunt was held in four regions of the state where an estimated 3,609 bears lived.
A bear killed in Collier County weighed 697.4 pounds.
All but three of the bears were killed with a rifle. Two were killed with a shotgun. One death was attributed to a hunter with a bow.
The permits were awarded through a lottery style draw that required $5 per entry. Animal rights groups encouraged supporters to apply to limit the number of bears killed.
The fact sheet states that of the 163,459 applications received, they were submitted by 14,996 individuals.
Long a controversial issue in Florida, supporters say, in part, a hunt could help better manage bear populations as the animals interact with humans. They also point to a voter-approved ballot measure in 2024 that enshrined hunting and fishing rights in the state Constitution.
Opponents question if hunting reduces human-bear interactions and say the state should use non-lethal options to address bear populations.
Editor’s note: A public information request from the “Gazette” to the FWC yielded the overall report, which stated that four bears were killed in Marion County, which is in the Central area.
Simpson encourages buying local after cold snaps
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson wants Floridians to buy produce harvested in the state to help growers as they recover from several recent cold snaps.
“The Great Florida Freeze of 2026 has hit our farmers hard,” Simpson posted on X. “Under my direction, Fresh From Florida will begin running a new radio commercial to encourage people to buy Fresh From Florida.”
No preliminary numbers have been posted from Simpson’s office on the economic impact to growers.
The Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association posted on its website that harvesting continues, as they determine the impacts from the cold.
“While this assessment has already begun, it will take time to fully understand the extent of the impact, which will vary greatly by crop and farm location,” the association stated.
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Economic Impact Analysis Program has asked growers to share their impacts of recent winter freezes between late December and early February.
“Repeated exposure to freezing temperatures can cause significant losses and damages for agricultural operations, especially when exposure is prolonged,” a release from the schools stated.
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