JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Fifty-two – That\u2019s how many bears were harvested during Florida\u2019s first Black Bear hunt in a decade. <\/p>\n
The number is far lower than the 172 permits that were made available for the season that ran from December 6th through this Sunday, and conservation advocates are celebrating the lower-than-expected number as a success. <\/p>\n
At the same time, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Roger Young called the hunt a success.<\/p>\n
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe 2025 black bear hunt, rooted in sound scientific data, was a success,\u201d said Young. \u201dThe limited number of permits issued in areas with the largest bear populations and other components of the hunt prioritized a conservative approach that ensures the long-term health of bear populations in Florida, while providing opportunity for hunters.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the agency, there was only one warning issued for a \u201cminor Wildlife Management Area violation,\u201d and no citations were issued.<\/p>\n FWC characterized the hunt\u2019s results as having a \u201chunter success rate very close to other states with similar hunt parameters\u201d.<\/p>\n But Andrew Harris with the Sierra Club of Florida argued the final tally suggests the effort by advocates to protect bears may have been more successful than originally thought.<\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: <\/b>Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/b><\/a>]<\/b><\/p>\n Action News Jax previously reported 160,000 applications were submitted to try and secure a bear hunting tag, and as of December 15th, bear advocates claimed to have won at least 78 of them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have, as other environmental groups have, worked on what we call \u2018blunt the hunt,\u2019\u201d said Harris.<\/p>\n But Harris argued there\u2019s another possibility as well.<\/p>\n He theorized FWC may have overestimated Florida\u2019s Black Bear population, and hunters may have had a difficult time finding bears to hunt.<\/p>\n \u201cAssuming for a moment that number is correct, I think it anecdotally says that there were less bears in the woods for people to hunt,\u201d said Harris.<\/p>\n [SIGN UP: <\/b>Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter<\/b><\/a>] <\/b><\/p>\n Looking forward to next year, FWC\u2019s plans call for a longer season that would run from October through December.<\/p>\n There are also plans to introduce the use of dogs the following year.<\/p>\n Given the hunt totals this year, Harris said he wants to see FWC do a better job of showing its work to justify any future hunt.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need science to support the numbers, and we don\u2019t have it,\u201d said Harris.<\/p>\n FWC has indicated it will have a full hunt report available in the coming months.<\/p>\n Click here<\/b><\/a> to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, <\/b>click here<\/b><\/a> to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and <\/b>click here<\/b><\/a> to stream Action News Jax live.<\/b><\/p>\n Action News Jax Top Stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Fifty-two – That\u2019s how many bears were harvested during Florida\u2019s first Black Bear hunt 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