At a Glance
- 52 bears were killed in Florida’s first black bear hunt in a decade.
- 172 permits were issued through a lottery among over 160,000 applicants.
- The hunt sparked controversy over permit allocation and transparency.
Why it matters: The outcome raises questions about wildlife management and public trust.
The Florida black bear hunt began on Dec. 6 and ended on Sunday, drawing attention as the state’s first such event in ten years. A random lottery awarded 172 permits to applicants, while the Florida chapter of the Sierra Club reported that at least four dozen permits went to opponents who never intended to hunt. Each permit holder was allowed to kill one bear as part of the state’s wildlife management strategy.
Key details of the hunt:
- 52 bears were reported killed by the end of the event.
- The hunt was justified by the commission as “rooted in sound scientific data.”
- Critics argued that the population estimate may have been overstated.
Roger Young, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated:
> “The 2025 black bear hunt, rooted in sound scientific data, was a success,”
Susannah Randolph, director of the Sierra Club’s Florida chapter said:
> “They have designed it so that they don’t actually know the numbers, and they have been dodging the media,”
> “So that is super fishy right off the bat.”
The commission’s lack of check-in stations-present during the 2015 hunt-meant hunters self-reported kills via the hunting app, a practice that raised doubts about accuracy. Until Tuesday, the commission had refused to disclose any kill totals despite multiple media requests.
2015 vs. 2025: Permit and Kill Comparison
| Metric | 2015 Hunt | 2025 Hunt |
|---|---|---|
| Permits issued | >3,700 | 172 |
| Bears killed | 304 | 52 |
| Female bears with cubs killed | ≥38 | Not reported |
The 2015 event, which was halted days early, resulted in 304 bears killed, including at least 38 females with cubs. The youngest cub-a one-month-old male-was the youngest bear ever cared for by the San Diego Humane Society.
Key Takeaways
- The 2025 hunt killed 52 bears, a significant drop from the 304 killed in 2015.
- Permit allocation shifted from a pay-to-play model to a lottery, limiting permits to 172.
- Transparency issues persist, with hunters reporting kills via an app and the commission withholding detailed data.
Florida’s latest black bear hunt highlights the tension between wildlife management goals and public scrutiny over hunting practices.
