A Florida black bear near I-75 on June 16, 2020. Credit: FWC photo by Karen Parker

For the first time in 10 years, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission is looking to make bear hunting available again—and there’s a chance for folks to say something about it.

Next Wednesday, buses will pick up bear lovers and conservationists from locations all around Florida and bring them to northern Florida for the final FWC meeting discussing the bear hunt.

The free rides come courtesy of Sierra Club’s Florida Chapter, which is taking a stand against the killing of Florida’s black bears.
“Together we can stop the FWC from approving this cruel and reckless plan,” Sierra Club FL wrote on social media. “No science backs it. Even FWC’s own data shows that bear populations have not exceeded their habitat capacity. Human-bear conflicts are preventable through education and smart waste management — not bullets. Trophy hunting is cruelty, not conservation.”

The nonprofit will offer three free round-trip buses with pickup locations including Tampa, Brooksville, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Orlando and Gainesville, along with a discounted hotel block for anyone who wants to drive themselves as well.

Food will be provided for the bus ride and the waiver must be completed by Sunday, Aug. 10.

Departure times are around 3 a.m. and are expected to bring activists back home no later than 10 p.m. Specific pickup location details will be sent as a response to RSVPs.

The next step for the FWC’s bear hunt proposal will be happening at a commission meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 13 in Havana—30 minutes outside of the state capitol—where the Sierra Club is hoping for a big turnout.

In 2015, Florida’s black bear population took a big hit with over 300 bears killed during the two-day hunt. Now, Governor DeSantis’ appointees to the FWC are planning another potentially-disastrous hunt according to the Sierra Club.

Florida wildlife officials are considering a three-week hunt (significantly longer than the 2015 hunt), which has not yet been approved.

As previously reported, on May 21, the commission voted 4-1 to support a draft of the proposal for the hunt that would take place in December. The stand alone vote came from Vice Chairman Steven Hudson suggesting that the hunt was unnecessary.

The Sierra Club argues the impact of the 2015 hunt took its toll on Florida’s black bear population and their population still isn’t fully recovered.

While bear-human interactions have increased over time, this can partially be attributed to deforestation. Consumer Affairs says over 360,000 people moved to Florida in 2023, creating the need for more housing. This has forced Florida black bears to move into more populated areas causing an increase in these human-bear encounters.

FWC data says the black bear population is nearing 4,000, and supporters of the bear hunt would argue they are working toward population management and safety from human-bear interactions.

In the past 50 years, Florida has recorded 42 incidents of bears physically making contact with people. The year with the most was in 2022 with eight. There were only two recorded in 2024.

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.