Uncategorized
FWC releases guidelines for proposed Florida Black Bear hunt – Spectrum News 13
May
Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More
Continue in Browser
Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts.
Please enter a valid zipcode.
Save
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has just released a memo shedding new light on what a proposed black bear hunt could look like in our state.
The proposed rules outline several details including dates, saying it could only happen between October 1st and December 31st.
The guidelines don’t specify how many bears would be taken, but it said that the number would be based on assessments of the population in various regions. This comes as FWC reports the black bear population in the state has increased from just several hundred bears in the 1970s to over 4,000 today.
Members of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida say this Florida black bear hunt is not necessary.
They shared concerns from when the last hunt took place in 2015, saying nursing mothers and cubs that were supposed to be spared were killed, unlicensed people were caught hunting, and so many were killed so quickly officials called it off after just two days.
“There is no justification for these animals being overpopulated because the bears were here first, we are moving into their areas, so any bear human interactions are because we wind up taking up their forests taking up their food sources and taking up the places they live,” Central Florida Coordinator for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida Bryan Wilson said.
If approved, this would be the first bear hunting season since 2015. According to FWC’s website the main goals of regulated hunting are to balance species population numbers with suitable habitat and to maintain a healthy population.
Some of the proposed rules include the establishment of bear harvest zones and the number of bear harvest permits. A bear harvest zone will only be established within bear management units having a bear population estimate over 200.
To participate in this bear hunt, people will need to apply for a bear harvest permit through the commission’s online licensing system – and pay a non-refundable fee.
Applicants must be 18 years of age or older by October 1 of the application year and have complied with all tagging and reporting requirements associated with any bear harvest permit issued.
A group organized by the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida will gather on Saturday, May 17 at Lake Eola Park at 11:30 a.m. to express their opposition to the bear hunt.
“There is no reason for this hunt the Florida black bear is not overpopulated. The Florida black bears are not you know encroaching into our areas this is not a hunt about safety this is purely a hunt for trophies, and we really wish the FWC would continue the more than decade long ban on hunting black bears here in the state of Florida,” Wilson said.
According to the released memo, a big difference this time around is that the newly proposed rules don’t include check-in stations where hunters in 2015 were required to bring their kills. Those check-ins provided verification that the bears were legally taken and allowed for an assessment of the number killed. Instead of the stations, this year hunters would be required to provide details to the state within 24 hours of harvest.
Last month, FWC held a series of virtual public meetings to get feedback from Florida residents on the proposal for black bear hunting – that feedback will be presented at the next commission meeting.
The FWC commission meeting is set to take place next week on May 21 and22 in Ocala.
