FL Allows Black Bear Hunting For First Time In 10 Years

Applications for black bear hunting permits are now being accepted in Florida for the first time in 10 years.

The application window opened at 10 a.m. Friday and will stay open until 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 22, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Hunting licenses are also required, unless hunters are exempt.

According to the FWC, the black bear population in Florida was just several hundred in the 1970s, and has now reached more than 4,000. Black bear hunting occurred in the 1930s in Florida before stopping in 1994. It was reopened in the fall of 2015 and has not been allowed since, WFLA reported.

Four bear harvest zones will be available from Dec. 6-28. They are:

• East Panhandle: includes the Apalachicola Wildlife Management Area and all or parts of Bay, Washington, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Franklin, Liberty, Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla and Jefferson counties.
• North: includes Osceola WMA and parts of Hamilton, Suwannee, Columbia, Union and Baker counties.
• Central: includes Ocala WMA and all or parts of Sumter, Marion, Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Putnam, Lake, Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns counties.
• South: does not include Big Cypress WMA and encompasses all or parts of Lee, Hendry and Collier counties.

To apply for a black bear hunting license, applicants must be at least age 18 by Oct. 1. People can apply more than once for $5 per application, plus handling fees, the FWC said.

Then, officials say permits will be allocated through a random drawing, and nontransferable permits will be given per person.

Permits are $100 for Florida residents, and $300 for non-residents, plus fees, the FWC said. Up to 10 percent of permits will be issued to non-residents.

There are more than 4,000 black bears in Florida, according to the FWC. Regulated black bear hunting began in the 1930s and ended in 1994, but by fall 2015, it was re-established.

To apply for a permit, visit Go Outdoors Florida.