FWC to host series of virtual public meetings on highly regulated bear hunting proposals

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is holding a series of virtual public meetings to collect feedback directly from Florida residents on proposals for highly regulated black bear hunting in Florida that will be presented to Commissioners at our May meeting. The FWC met with stakeholder groups and the public in March to collect their comments on potential options for highly regulated bear hunting seasons, and those comments were used to inform the hunting proposals. The content covered in all meetings is identical, and it is not necessary to attend more than one virtual public meeting.

The meeting dates and times are as follows:

At the Dec. 2024 Commission Meeting, the FWC's Bear Management Program gave Commissioners a 5-year update on implementing the 2019 Florida Black Bear Management Plan, highlighting recent bear management and research efforts. Following the presentation, the Commissioners directed staff to return to a future Commission meeting to propose options for implementing a potential bear hunt.

For more information, visit MyFWC.com/Hunting and click on “Florida black bear.”