CLAY COUNTY - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering opening the state’s first bear hunt in almost a decade next year. At a December meeting held in Lakeland, the …
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CLAY COUNTY - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering opening the state’s first bear hunt in almost a decade next year.
At a December meeting held in Lakeland, the FWC's Bear Management Program provided the commission with a five-year update on the 2019 Florida Black Bear Management Plan, a statewide framework for actions needed to ensure the long-term survival of bears and address bear management challenges.
The presentation featured new data as well as current and future research.
The FWC said that following the presentation, commissioners directed staff to develop proposed options for implementing a hunt.
It would be the first since 2015 when FWC Commissioners sanctioned a limited hunt to stabilize bear subpopulation numbers. The FWC said 304 bears were taken during that hunt.
According to the FWC biologists, about 4,050 black bears are left in the state, with Northeast Florida being considered a core area.
The Commission is set to reconvene on the matter at a future meeting.
Public comments on this topic can be submitted to FWC staff by emailing BearComments@MyFWC.com.
