OCALA, Fla. – Wildlife officials are closing in on a decision to reinstate a regulated bear hunt in Florida.
At their quarterly meeting in Ocala on Wednesday and Thursday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will discuss rules for a bear hunt proposal.
If approved, the hunt would last nearly three weeks in December and then between October and December every year after. It would be the first black bear hunt in a decade.
FWC began considering a bear hunt in 2024 to control the population and reduce bear-human encounters.
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According to wildlife officials, the occupied range of bears in Florida has grown from 17% to 51% since 1992. FWC also estimates that more than 4,000 bears roam the state currently.
Lee Kramer lives in the Markham Woods area of Seminole County and said she had an encounter at her home in 2016.
“One of the bears got inside the laundry room, and as soon as he turned around, the door shut,” Kramer said. “I just ran inside and closed the door.”
While she doesn’t want to see the animals killed, Kramer said a regulated bear hunt could be beneficial.
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“It will protect everyone,” she said. “Regulation is good for everything. Regulation and discipline.”
Meanwhile, residents along the Seminole Wekiva Trail in Longwood said that bear sightings are common, and opinions are split on whether hunting is the answer.
“We see them every once in a while in the neighborhood. They mostly leave you alone,” said Longwood resident Kelly Molthrop. “There’s been like one incident in the past 20 years I’ve lived here. A lady walking her dog was attacked by a bear.”
The FWC said the new plan would issue limited permits, and hunting would also be allowed within bear management units that have at least 200 bears. The FWC would like to limit the total harvest to around 187 bears.
While the commission will discuss bear hunting options during its meeting on Wednesday, a final vote isn’t expected to happen until August.