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The Florida black bear is a true conservation success story. The population has increased from just a few hundred bears in the 1970s to over 4,000 today, with the four largest subpopulations all showing positive annual growth rates. There are over 17,000 square miles of high-quality bear habitat, and almost half of it is protected through easements or public ownership. While habitat loss and fragmentation are concerns for all wildlife, estimates from FWC staff show there is enough suitable bear habitat to support our minimum and current population numbers.
When this information was presented at the Commission meeting last December, I knew it was time for us to act. As an avid outdoorsman, I believe in the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which supports the idea that our wildlife resources belong to the public, and with that comes our responsibility to manage them through science-based decision making. Hunting is a management tool that most states with resident bear populations use, and it’s proven to help balance population growth with suitable habitat. It also provides hunters with access to the resource, so they can use the meat, pelt, fat, and other parts of any bear they harvest. However, it’s important to acknowledge that reopening the black bear season would not eliminate human-bear conflicts and that conflict prevention will still need to continue regardless of how we vote in August.
Hunting is not only a management tool; it also directly funds conservation efforts. Each purchased hunting license is factored into a formula, which determines the amount of federal grant funding the state receives through the Wildlife Restoration Program. These funds come from excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. The more Florida licenses that are purchased, the more funding our state receives for projects such as habitat conservation, which benefit both game and nongame species.
The hunt components that our staff presented in May were conservative, pragmatic, and well thought out. For example, they proposed that for the 2025-26 hunting season, there would be 187 issued permits across the four largest subpopulations, accounting for population data, growth rates, non-hunting mortality figures, and management objectives. Each permit would allow a hunter to harvest only one bear, which could be taken at any point throughout the established season. By issuing a limited number of permits, we would give hunters the opportunity to be more selective. That means hunters wouldn’t feel pressure to harvest the first bear they see and would likely wait to harvest a male bear.
Hunting is about so much more than just the harvest. It’s a chance to connect with the natural world. As Florida grows, I want to continue to protect the outdoors and responsibly manage our wildlife so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy what our beautiful state has to offer. I will continue to listen to the experts who serve the public and conserve our natural resources, and I look forward to engaging with them and stakeholders again in August.
