- July 12, 2025
Once abundant across our beautiful state, black bear populations declined significantly until becoming listed as threatened in the ’60’s. Conservation efforts helped populations recover and the Florida black bear was removed from the threatened species list in 2012.
Now, with an expanding human population, the bear’s habitats have shrunk. Bears are pushed into smaller, disconnected areas, making run-ins with humans more likely.
Black bears are smaller than most species of bear and their preferred diet is mostly plants, saw palmetto berries, acorns and insects. When there are natural food shortages, as happens in nature, bears end up coming closer to people and foraging for food. So when people leave food or trash out, it draws the bears.
It is essential that we all take easy, commonsense steps to eliminate food attractants by securing garbage cans with bear proof straps (found for as little as $20 on Amazon, Walmart and more).
Florida’s black bear population is less than 4,000. To put that in perspective, Florida has 1.3 million alligators, 65,000 coyotes and 300,000 bobcats, and let’s not forget the ever-increasing human population of 23 million.
Last month in Ocala, The Florida Wildlife Commission voted 4-1 in a preliminary approval to hold a Florida black bear hunt. It will be the first in 10 years. In 2015, only three years out from being on the threatened species list, a bear hunt was held. Hunters killed 304 bears in just two days, including 179 females. Sadly, 38 of them were mother bears still nursing cubs, which means dozens of baby bears undoubtedly died, too.
In the 2015 hunt, permits for anyone who could pay for them led to a chaotic event that was shut down days early. This year's proposed bear hunt is planned in December and annually into the future, allowing hunters the use of up to six dogs to corner the bears or chase them up into the trees to be shot. Methods could include bowhunting and bear hunting in baited feeding areas.
It’s a hunt almost no one in Florida wants. A new poll shows that a supermajority of Florida voters, 81%, do not want a bear hunt, and even more, 89%, oppose hounding, and 86% oppose baiting bears at “feeding stations.”
With bow and arrow hunting, the massive bones and thick coat of a bear make it hard to achieve a quick kill. All too often, bears wounded by bow-and-arrow hunters flee, only to die slowly from blood loss or infection.
This time, hunters will be allowed to field dress as well, leading to possible deception. A female can be reported as a male or hunters may misreport the weights, since there are weight limits.
We have one more chance for FWC to hear the voice of animal lovers to plea for education instead of lethal means of limiting human-bear encounters. A final vote is scheduled for Aug. 13 in Tallahassee. I plan on attending and speaking for the black bears. If you would like to speak for the bears, you may write to the commissioners (Be polite and respectful):
Preston Farrior, [email protected]; Rodney Barreto, [email protected]; Steve Hudson, [email protected]; Gary Lester, [email protected]; Albert Maury, [email protected]; Gary Nicklaus, [email protected]; Sonya Rood, [email protected].
Or better yet, join me for a field trip to Tallahassee. Perhaps we could rent a bus!
Amy Carotenuto is the executive director of Flagler Humane Society.
