Florida bear hunt reignites debate as conservationists push for federal protection

Florida bear hunt: 52 black bears killed, FWC says

A total of 52 black bears in Florida were harvested during the 2025 bear hunt, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

ORLANDO, Fla. - After Florida’s first black bear hunt in nearly a decade ended with far fewer animals killed than allowed, conservation groups say their efforts are shifting toward a larger legal fight. 

State wildlife officials, however, are calling the hunt a success and defending regulated bear management.

What we know:

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said 52 black bears were killed during the Dec. 6–Sunday hunt, far below the 172 bears that could have been taken under permits issued by the state. 

Each of the 172 permits allowed the killing of one bear, and the hunt was limited to areas with the largest bear populations. 

What they're saying:

Conservation groups opposed to the hunt say they helped reduce the toll by securing permits and persuading hunters not to use them.

"We made a significant impact on the number of bears killed this season," Chuck O’Neal of Speak Up Wekiva said in an email, comparing the results to the 2015 hunt. "After 304 were killed in two days in 2015, 52 killed in three weeks is a significant improvement."

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However, O’Neal said the group’s efforts are not finished. 

"Buying up the tags was a stopgap measure, not a long-term solution. Now we move to get the Florida black bear listed as threatened at the federal level, through federal court action if necessary."

State officials defended the hunt.

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"We’re proud to have joined the more than 30 states that manage black bears with regulated hunting," FWC Executive Director Roger Young said in a prepared statement. He said the permit limits and structure reflected "a conservative approach that ensures the long-term health of bear populations in Florida."

What we don't know:

It remains unclear whether conservation groups will formally petition the federal government to list Florida black bears as threatened or pursue court action, and how quickly such efforts could move forward. 

The backstory:

Florida listed black bears as a threatened species in 1974, when the population was estimated at just 300 to 500 animals. 

Bear hunting was gradually restricted and then closed statewide in 1994. By 2002, the population had rebounded to about 3,000, and bears were removed from the state’s threatened list about a decade later. 

The last hunt, in 2015, resulted in more than 300 bears killed in two days, prompting widespread backlash.