NO BEAR HUNT 4-21-17

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has decided not to hold a bear hunt for at least two years. After more than four hours of often emotional testimony from hunters and animal-rights activists, the Commission decided that public support isn’t as high as desired for a repeat of the controversial 2015 hunt. 304 bears were killed during the 2015 hunt, the first in more than two decades. The delay will allow staff members to complete an ongoing 10-year bear management plan which could be completed in two to three years. The bear population in Florida has grown from 300 to 500 in the late 1970s to over 4,000 last year, but the number of calls and incidents involving bears has declined over the past three-years.