FWC approves rules for highly regulated black bear hunting

At this week’s Commission meeting in Havana, Commissioners of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted to approve amendments to bear hunting rules, which will take effect during the 2025 hunting season.

The new rules establish Bear Hunting Zones within four of the seven existing Bear Management Units. One hundred eighty-seven permits will be issued in total across the East Panhandle, North, Central and South BMUs, and each permit will allow the harvest of one bear within the assigned BHZ. Permits will be distributed through a random drawing. Those 18 years and older can apply as many times as they want for $5 per application.

“I am proud that Florida is joining the majority of states that manage black bears with regulated hunting,” said Rodney Barreto, Chairman of the FWC. “The components of the hunt are conservative and prioritize conservation, with a limited number of permits only being issued in the areas of the state with the largest bear populations.”

As one of the management tools included in the 2019 Florida Black Bear Management Plan, regulated hunting will allow the FWC to start managing population growth rates in areas with the largest bear subpopulations. Balancing wildlife numbers with suitable habitat keeps populations healthy. Hunting is an important and effective tool for managing wildlife populations around the world, but it is important to acknowledge that managing bear populations does not manage human-bear conflicts. Conflict prevention and bear management practices will still need to continue.

For more information on regulated bear hunting, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit MyFWC.com/BearHunting. Tips to reduce conflicts and general information about bears are available at MyFWC.com/Bear and BearWise.org.

For those interested in the Florida black bear hunt, you will be able to apply for one of the 187 bear permits (nontransferable) at gooutdoorsflorida.com beginning September 5 at 10 AM Eastern time and have through September 15. If you get drawn, you will have between September 19-29 to pay ($100 residents, $300 nonresi-dents) for the permit.

The hunting season will be December 6-28 on private lands and WMAs that are within the four bear hunting zones.

The East Panhandle zone would be bounded on the north by Interstate 10, on the east by the Aucilla River, which is Jefferson County’s eastern boundary, on the south by the Gulf, and on the west by State Road 79. The zone would notably include Apalachicola Wildlife Management Area and would encompass all or parts of Bay, Washington, Jackkson, Calhoun, Gulf, Franklin, Liberty, Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla, and Jefferson counties.