Wildlife Management and Conservation Policy

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.