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Florida Targets October For Black Bear Hunt
April 7, 2015
The state this October would open its first black-bear hunting season in two decades, under a set of rules that will be reviewed next week.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has proposed that about 275 black bears be killed in mid-October as part of a two-pronged effort to control the woodland creatures and reduce the risk of dangerous interactions between bears and the state’s growing population.
Along with the proposal about reducing the bear population through a one-bear-per-hunter hunt, the commission during an April 14 meeting at Florida A&M University also will consider rules about the proper maintenance of garbage containers for businesses and homeowners. Bears are often attracted to populated areas by garbage.
The commission could vote on the changes during a June meeting.
Diane Eggeman, director of the commission’s Division of Hunting and Game Management, said the hunt is simply another step in managing the bear population.
“The bear population has grown for the last 15 years or 20 years, steadily and pretty rapidly, based upon all the information that we have,” Eggeman said. “So our job, of the agency, is to manage that growing population and the best tool to manage that population growth across the board is to use hunting.”
The feeding rules for bears are intended to clarify when people might be in violation for repeatedly failing to secure garbage cans or dumpsters.
The call to re-implement the hunt follows a number of bear attacks that occurred across Central Florida the past couple of years.
However, the proposal is opposed by the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida and the Humane Society of the United States.
Kate MacFall, the Humane Society’s Florida director, said the state is only listening to a handful of “trophy hunters” instead of doing more to make people aware of bears and to enforce codes regarding trash containment.
“We don’t think we need to decrease the bear population, we need to reduce the conflicts for everyone’s benefit,” MacFall said.
She also questioned how the hunt will reduce conflicts.
“The bears being hunted are the big bears deep in the woods, because you can’t go hunting in the neighborhoods. That’s not how it works,” MacFall said. “Those deep in the woods, those are not the problem bears. And the bears going into human trash are the problem. And those are the ones not being hunted.”
Eggeman responded that the hunt is needed to keep the bear population in check.
“The more the (bear) population grows, the more likely bears move out of the wildlife and into neighborhoods,” Eggeman said.
While the current number of black bears in Florida is an estimate, Eggeman noted that Florida is the only state that has more than 600 but doesn’t have a hunting season.
Florida has an estimated 2,500 black bears in the four regions of the state — the eastern Panhandle, Northeast Florida, east-central Florida and South Florida — where the hunts would be conducted. Each area had more than 200 bears by a 2002 estimate.
Black bears were placed on the state’s threatened list in 1974, when there were between 300 and 500 across Florida. At the time, hunting black bear was limited to three counties.
In 1994, the hunting season was closed statewide.
By 2002, the state black-bear population was estimated at 3,000. A decade later the bear was removed from the state’s list of threatened animals.
Meanwhile, the state has recorded a 400 percent increase in bear-related calls over the past decade.
This year, the hunt would begin Oct. 24 and continue for a week. However, the number of days could be shortened if the “harvest objective” is reached in fewer days.
“The season timing would coincide with high bear activity and before denning begins,” a commission staff presentation on bear hunting says. “Cubs would be old enough to be independent. This timing was chosen to avoid overlap with deer-dog hunting or training seasons.”
The cost for a bear permit is proposed at $100 for Floridians, $300 for non-Florida residents. The daytime hunts would be prohibited within 100 yards of any game-feeding station. Hunters would be allowed to use bows, crossbows, muzzle loading guns, rifles, pistols, revolvers and shotguns. Dogs would be prohibited from hunting bear, but leashed canines could be used to trail shot bears.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Pictured: A black bear at the Wild Oak Farms Apartments in Cantonment in 2012. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
13 Responses to “Florida Targets October For Black Bear Hunt”
whats the difference in a drunk person driving drunk and all…hits a person and kills them or wait what bout a raged human on drugs with a gun pistol whipping a pregeant woman…or better yet..what bout a pimp postituting a girl for money and drugs….is this the way human beings behave?????….the black bear who doesnt act as stupid as some humans…and yet we kill’em off with guns because they over populated or heaven forbid are hungry after a long winter nap and wonder into a neighborhood……shame shame shame….The only humane answer is population control of which i’m sure there are plenty of veternarians who can fix it and without killing.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Just because a person does not approve of the killing of wildlife, such as bears, deer, elk, etc. that doesn’t mean they are tree huggers or vegetarians (as most rednecks think). It means there are some of us that don’t like wholesale killing of wildlife that we moved into their habitat and now its time to get rid of them. And yes, I am opposed to killing deer as well. I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this killing debate.
It will take several years of relocating nuisance bears to where the hunted bears are killed out of.
The hunted bears will not be where the nuisance incidents are happening because hunting won’t be allowed there.
Bearface, I’m just curious! Are you a vegetarian??
Humans are the black bears worst enemy. If you want to kill a bear and hang it head on your wall for show and all….at least make it FAIR. Try hunting and killing animals without guns and bow and arrows. Maybe face to face..yeahhhhhh…. See whose head would be hanging….good lawdy Cant believe hunting and stalking animals is still legal. What a HORRIBLE tradition to pass on to our kids.
Jason, You mean like the deer and turkeys that hunters made extinct? Oh wait, the deer and turkey populations are at all-time highs, that can’t be it. Maybe those extinct elk…no, the elk populations are so healthy, that they are transplanting elk into new states like Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Kentucky.
Just exactly what animals has regulated hunting resulting in “killing them all”?.
I wanted to see one in the wild before they killed them all
How is the hunting of black bears any more “terrible” than the hunting of deer, turkeys, alligators or any other creature? Is it because you have a Teddy Bear, and you think all bears are warm and cuddly? Managed hunting will maintain the bear herd at a healthy population, and more importantly, re-instill the fear of humans into them.
Two years ago, I was deer hunting in the Ocala National Forest during bow season, and had a 200+ pound black bear come in to my hunting area and charge me. That bear had absolutely no fear of humans, and that’s a dangerous thing. Rather than associating humans with fear and danger, the bears now associate us with food.
Bravo to the FWC for ignoring the tree-huggers and relying on SCIENCE, rather than emotions to effectively manage the bear population.
this is the best thing the FWC could have proposed to do the incline in bears is very dangerous they’ve destroyed several pieces of property of mine lets get rid of them
I will be one of the ones doing these bear hunt, these the best thing i have herd!!!
My life long best friend lives in the Escambia Bay area and not long ago his garbage cans and neighbors garbage was torn up by bears. Only difference is my friend met his face to face in which he gave the bear his garbage without argument.
I live in North Carolina but plan to move to his area before long (as soon as I can retire) and wish to know if bear season does come open; will anyone from out of state be allowed to purchase a bear tag?
I see this as a win-win for Florida as it will increase revenue and decrease the bear population. Like everything else when they become over populated they begin to spread out in search of food. Decreasing the bear population in the woods will decrease the bear population in the garbage cans!
Florida has come a very long ways in the past few years for fish and wildlife; keep up the good work guys..and gals
This hunting of black bears is terrible.
Hey Booboo let’s get some picinic baskets……….Gee no Yogi…..they seem to be angry at us bears……..I told you that peanut butter and Jelly sandwich was gonna get you shot…..Where is ranger Smith when you need him.