Florida’s first bear hunt in decade kills 52
Florida wildlife officials report that the state’s first black bear hunt in 10 years, held from Dec. 6–28, 2025, resulted in 52 bears killed under 172 tightly limited permits issued by lottery from more than 160,000 applicants. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, calling the hunt a success based on “sound scientific data,” says it is part of a broader bear‑management strategy as the population tops 4,000, while Sierra Club–led opponents, some of whom deliberately drew permits to avoid using them, question whether the hunt was needed and criticize self-reported kill tallies and a lack of check-in stations as undermining transparency. The commission had declined to release interim kill numbers until Dec. 30, prompting further scrutiny compared with a 2015 hunt that was halted early after 304 bears were taken.
📌 Key Facts
- Florida’s 2025 black bear hunt ran Dec. 6–28 and killed 52 bears, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
- Only 172 permits were issued via a random lottery from more than 160,000 applicants, and each permit allowed one bear.
- Sierra Club Florida says at least several dozen permits went to anti-hunt applicants who did not intend to hunt, and its director Susannah Randolph questions the accuracy of the self‑reported kill data due to the absence of physical check-in stations.
- FWC Executive Director Roger Young called the hunt a success grounded in scientific data, while opponents had failed to persuade courts to block it.
- The 2015 Florida bear hunt, by contrast, issued about 3,700 permits, was shut down early and resulted in 304 bears killed, including at least 38 females with cubs.
📊 Relevant Data
Human-black bear conflict incidents in Florida increased significantly from 217 in 2002 to 6,572 in 2022, with a notable rise in recent years contributing to the need for population management.
Beware of Bear? Long-Term Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Human-Black Bear Conflicts in Florida, USA — PMC (PubMed Central)
Florida's black bear population is divided into management units, with the four largest subpopulations having grown annually since 2015, exceeding minimum population objectives in some areas.
Florida Black Bear Recovery and Future Hunting Plans — Florida Specifier
Florida's human population grew from approximately 20 million in 2015 to over 23 million in 2025, driven primarily by net migration, which has led to increased habitat fragmentation for black bears.
In 2024, Florida had the highest net migration in the US with a gain of 475,339 people from domestic and international sources, contributing to urban expansion and wildlife conflicts.
Florida was No. 1 in net migration last year — Scotsman Guide
The proportion of Hispanic residents in Florida increased from 24.1% in 2015 to 26.8% in 2022, reflecting demographic shifts due to migration patterns that exacerbate habitat pressures on wildlife.
Bear-related calls to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the Northeast Region totaled 26,163 from 2015 to 2024, indicating rising human-bear interactions.
Bears by the Numbers — Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)