CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — Florida's bear hunting season has returned for 2025, with only 172 permits granted out of nearly 20,000 applicants statewide. Of those permits, 11 were issued to Southwest Florida residents.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the hunt is necessary to manage growing bear populations. The agency wants to slow population growth in the four most dense bear areas before habitat becomes overcrowded.
Officials said waiting too long could cause dramatic population swings that threaten the bears' long-term survival. Hunting will be allowed in designated harvest zones within the four bear management units.
Mike Elfenbein with the Izaak Walton League supports the hunt.
Click here to see Fox 4 Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo speak with Elfenbein.
"It's a really great day for science based conservation. It's a big win when our conservation organizations restore populations of our wild animals to a level where science dictates that it's sustainable to harvest a select amount of that population," Elfenbein said.
But the season faces opposition from some groups. Elfenbein said opponents of the hunt are reportedly paying hunters up to $2,000 not to use their hunting tags.
"There was a group of people who applied for the bear hunting permits, the lottery tags, who don't intend to use them. And last I heard is now they're paying or offering hunters who have tags $2,000 not to use their tag," Elfenbein said.
Elfenbein said hunting provides more than just conservation benefits.
"Bear hunting allows people to bring home a natural source of protein from the field. It gives people an opportunity to be connected to the landscape and understand where their food comes from," Elfenbein said.
FWC said regulated hunting is an effective tool used worldwide to manage wildlife populations. The 2025 bear hunting season runs from December 6 through December 28.
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