OCALA, Fla. — Florida’s first black bear hunt in ten years could happen in December. Regulators are meeting this week in Ocala to finalize the plan.
Local animal advocate Laurie Hood is traveling to that meeting to make a last-ditch plea to stop the hunt. She’s the founder of Alaqua Animal Refuge, and a former vice-chair of the Florida Wildlife Federation.
Black bears were once a threatened species in Florida. Their population was just a few hundred in the 1970s, primarily because of unregulated hunting.
They were de-listed in 2012, and by 2015, a hunt was allowed, but it came to an abrupt end.
“In two days, nearly 300 bears were killed at that time,” Hood said. “They had to halt the hunt. This included lactating females, cubs, I mean it was brutal to watch.”
With the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission now estimating the black bear population at 4,000 and saying it’s able to withstand a regulated hunt, Hood fears another free-for-all that’s less about conservation, and more about killing.
“This is unethical,” Hood said. “I can’t imagine an ethical hunter thinking it’s OK to use a baiting station to bring these bears in.”
In addition to baiting stations, the proposed rules also allow what amounts to a hunting party, and the use of dogs.
“Up to nine guests to come and watch one bear get shot where a dog’s run it up a tree, it’s just unfathomable,” Hood said. “Even the use of bow and arrows, so I can’t imagine that death being kind. It’s such a cruel way to die all the way around, and it shows such a lack of empathy for our wildlife.”
Supporters of a hunt say the population needs to be managed, especially with bear and human interactions increasing.
Hood points out the hunt will be in remote areas, not in neighborhoods where humans and bears are getting too close.
“It’s just to satisfy a very small part of the population, and that just doesn’t seem right,” Hood said.
If the plan moves forward, permits to kill 187 black bears would be issued for this December. Then, there would be an annual hunt every winter.
Hood knows her odds of success are slim, but she’s not willing to give up. She encourages others to make their voices heard too.
“We have to go, and we have to stand up,” Hood said. “We have to let them know that this is not the Florida we want to live in. This is not my Florida.”
The bear hunt would not include our local area, the closest permits would be issued in Bay County.
After this week’s public hearing, there will be a final vote in August.
