They’d finally managed to convince enough commissioners to consider the science, or more accurately, lack thereof, in determining whether a hunt was really necessary. The decision came months after a state-sanctioned hunt, the first of its kind in two decades, had taken place over an October weekend in 2015, during which hunters killed more than 300 bears — some of them lactating mothers — in forests throughout the state, and did it so quickly the FWC had to end the hunt early. There were no reliable population estimates, nor was there any evidence that killing bears that dwell in the deep woods would do anything more to reduce the number of human-bear interactions in freshly developed exurban subdivisions than investing in some good, sealable garbage cans would.
Now that nearly a year has passed since that decision, conservationists are increasingly concerned that commissioners who were on the fence but ultimately voted no may change their minds again.
If they were to do so, the process of initiating a hunt would likely start at their quarterly meeting, which takes place later this month.
A hunt is not specifically included on the April 19-20 meeting agenda, but a discussion of bear population management in general is — and some commissioners see shooting the animals for sport as a management tool.
“And by all accounts, certainly there are some commissioners who want a hunt,” said Laura Bevan, Southeast regional director for the Humane Society of the United States. “No one wants to discuss it yet, but at that meeting I think one of the commissioners who did not get the hunt last year is going to be bringing it up.”
A spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff said the presentation being given before the commission will be an update on the state’s bear management strategies, but they don’t plan on recommending a hunt. That, however, does not mean a commissioner wouldn’t propose one.
“We can’t speculate what the commissioners would say,” said the spokeswoman.
The April meeting would be the commission’s one shot at getting the hunt approved in time for the fall because they only meet quarterly and first have to direct Fish and Wildlife staff to create a proposal. Staff would then come back with one at the commission’s July meeting for a first reading, with a second reading taking place in early fall. Hence, Bevan and others hope the same impassioned group of activists that helped to shut down the 2016 hunt will turn out early to nip a 2017 hunt in the bud.
But no one on the commission is showing his or her cards at this point.
“They’re being very low-key on it right now. They’re not saying no,” Bevan said. “They’re just not saying.”
A population estimate, which is also expected at this month’s meeting, could help constitute a rationale, at least for people who think there is ever a rationale for unprovoked slaughter of hundreds of apex predators dwelling in the woods — especially if the study were to suggest a thriving bear population.
And while there’s an aging adage about how hunters are the original conservationists, Bevan said those who support a hunt are mostly looking forward to the financial windfall it could bring — gun dealers, etc. — or to the ego boost that comes along with “bagging” a large wild animal.
“Hunting bears is all about trophy-hunting. It’s not about the environment, it’s not about helping the bears, it’s not about eating the bears for sustenance. It’s about getting a trophy,” she said.
And when advocates cite safety concerns in their arguments for a hunt, Bevan said there’s a simpler, more humane solution: Don’t develop homes in Florida black bear habitat, but if you do, secure your garbage.
“If you’re moving into an area with bears, don’t be surprised if you see a bear. Live with them. Don’t be surprised if they get into your bird feeder,” she said.
But if there was dedicated opposition to a hunt in 2015 and 2016, the clamor of voices urging the commission to be compassionate in their approach to reducing the risk of bear attacks in residential areas may only get stronger in the Trump era, as the administration mows down federal-level environmental protections.
“Certainly the climate is such that the environmental issues are taking a hit, animal welfare issues are taking a hit. I don’t know how that’s going to play out at the state level,” Bevan said.
With a newly energized group of activists looking to block the Trump agenda, that could increase awareness of issues at the state level — including protecting the state’s bear population.
The commission will meet at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday, April 19 and 20, in Tallahassee. For more information, visit myfwc.com/about/commission.
This article appears in Apr 6-13, 2017.