Black Bear Hunt In Florida Nets 52 Harvested

After FWC staff presented options on highly regulated black bear hunting and the public provided their comments at the August and November 2025 Commission meetings, FWC Commissioners approved final proposed amendments to bear hunting rules, which took effect during the 2025 hunting season.

The new rules established Bear Hunting Zones (BHZ) within four of the seven existing Bear Management Units. Through a random drawing a total of 172 permits were issued across the East Panhandle, North, Central and South BMUs, and each permit allowed the harvest of one bear within the assigned BHZ.

There were 52 bears harvested during the 2025 bear hunt, which is a hunter success rate very close to other states with similar hunt parameters. All harvested bears were physically checked by FWC staff and bear response contractors, providing valuable data that will influence future management strategies. Analysis of the data collected is underway, and a full harvest report will be released in the coming months.

The FWC Division of Law Enforcement allocated additional resources to support a productive hunt while maintaining accountability among participants. Increased officer engagement and hunter education led to strong compliance with hunting regulations. Out of numerous positive interactions between officers and hunters, only one hunter received a warning for a minor Wildlife Management Area violation, and no citations were issued. Additionally, the Division of Law Enforcement investigated all reported wildlife violations, and no wildlife violations were found.

As one of the management tools included in the 2019 Florida Black Bear Management Plan, regulated hunting allows the FWC to manage population growth rates in areas with the largest bear subpopulations. Balancing wildlife numbers with suitable habitat keeps populations healthy. Hunting is an important and effective tool for managing wildlife populations worldwide, but it is essential to recognize that managing bear populations does not necessarily mitigate human-bear conflicts. Conflict prevention and bear management practices will still need to continue.

For more information on regulated bear hunting, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit MyFWC.com/hunting/bear. Tips to reduce conflicts and general information about bears are available at MyFWC.com/wildlifehabitats followed by selecting “Wildlife” and then “Black Bears” and at BearWise.org.