Florida Hunters Take 52 Black Bears During 2025 Season
Posted 2026-01-21 by
A total of 172 permits were awarded for the bear season, which covered four hunting zones
Hunters took 52 black bears during the first bear season in almost 10 years. (Photo by Jean Blom)
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says 52 black bears were harvested during the 2025 bear season, which was the first bear hunt in the state in nearly a decade.
According to fox35orlando, a total of 172 permits were issued, and the bears were harvested within the four bear hunting zones.
The FWC noted in a press release that the "harvest success rate" is similar to other states with comparable hunt guidelines.
"The 2025 black bear hunt, rooted in sound scientific data, was a success. We’re proud to have joined the more than 30 states that manage black bears with regulated hunting," FWC Executive Director Roger Young said in a prepared statement.
"The limited number of permits issued in areas with the largest bear populations and other components of the hunt prioritized a conservative approach that ensures the long-term health of bear populations in Florida, while providing opportunity for hunters."
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FWC Chief Conservation Officer George Warthen said that hunting is an effective tool for managing wildlife populations. "It’s about helping bears succeed over the long term in our state and is a way for us to guide an iconic Florida species into the future, for their benefit and ours."
Regulated bear hunting was legal in Florida from the 1930s through 1994 when it was halted. It briefly reopened in 2015, but the season ended early when harvest objectives were met more quickly than expected, triggering controversy and legal challenges.
In December 2024, commissioners requested that the FWC staff develop options for a potential hunt. Proposed rules were released in May 2025 and approved in August.
The decision to offer a limited number of permits reflects lessons learned from the 2015 season, when unlimited permit sales led to intense pressure on hunters to take the first available bear.
Permit totals are now tied to the maximum number of female bears that can be removed without decreasing populations, which the agency says is a more conservative and science-driven approach.
Despite the scientific and conservation justification for the hunt, wildlife activist organizations filed lawsuits, arguing the hunt was unnecessary. The suits were dismissed, but some activist organizations paid hunters not to use their tags.
