Environmental radicals thought they had Florida’s wildlife commissioners cornered.
Professional activists organized protests and filed last-minute lawsuits to block common-sense conservation measures.
But Florida officials announced one decision that sent environmental extremists into a fit of rage.
Florida brings back black bear hunting after decade of environmental obstruction
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission just proved that sound science trumps activist hysteria every single time.
After enduring years of pressure from well-funded environmental groups, the FWC voted unanimously Wednesday to reinstate black bear hunting for the first time since 2015.
The commission approved a carefully regulated 23-day hunting season running from December 6th through December 28th – and the reaction from radical environmentalists was absolutely priceless.
More than 150 activists showed up to the meeting in Havana, Florida, many wearing black clothing with “Stop the Bear Hunt” slogans, desperately trying to guilt commissioners into abandoning scientific wildlife management.¹
But FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto wasn’t having any of their emotional manipulation.
“Is anybody surprised?” Barreto asked after the 5-0 vote, perfectly capturing how obvious this decision should have been to anyone paying attention to actual data instead of activist propaganda.²
The commission’s decision comes after Florida’s black bear population exploded from several hundred in the 1970s to over 4,000 today – a conservation success story that environmental groups somehow want to treat as a failure.³
Environmental extremists resort to lawfare after losing the science debate
When the facts don’t support your position, what do you do?
If you’re a radical environmental organization, you file frivolous lawsuits and hope activist judges will overrule scientific experts.
Bear Warriors United – because apparently we need professional organizations dedicated to specific animals now – filed an 11th-hour lawsuit Tuesday evening, trying to stop Wednesday’s vote through legal intimidation.⁴
Attorney Raquel Levy announced plans for even more litigation, proving these groups care more about keeping lawyers employed than actually managing wildlife populations.
Meanwhile, the Sierra Club’s Florida director had an absolute meltdown over the decision.
“Today’s vote is a disgrace to Florida’s wildlife legacy,” Susanna Rudolph wailed, apparently unaware that hunting has been the most successful wildlife conservation tool in American history.⁵
Kate MacFall from Humane World of Animals called it “the most discouraging and disheartening and really disappointing day in my 15 years of working with the FWC.”⁶
These people act like Florida just declared war on Teddy Bears instead of implementing basic wildlife management that 30 other states already use successfully.
The real story behind Florida’s bear population explosion
Here’s what environmental activists don’t want you to know about Florida’s black bear situation.
The state’s bear population hasn’t just grown – it’s tripled its range over the past 20 years and now covers more than half of Florida.⁷
That rapid expansion has led to exactly what you’d expect: more encounters between bears and humans, including Florida’s first fatal black bear attack this summer when 89-year-old Robert Markel was killed in Collier County.⁸
Professional wildlife managers understand that healthy animal populations require active management, not wishful thinking from suburban activists who’ve never dealt with a 300-pound bear in their backyard.
The FWC developed a conservative approach that will issue only 187 permits through a lottery system, with strict regulations protecting cubs and females with young.
Safari Club International exposes the real conservation science
Safari Club International celebrated the FWC’s “science-based decision” and thanked commissioners for “not bending to the ill-informed and emotionally driven objections to the hunt.”⁹
SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin praised the commission for “making this much-needed hunting season a reality.”
The organization pointed out what should be obvious to anyone who’s studied wildlife management: hunting provides wildlife agencies with a “very precise method to slow population growth while ensuring population sustainability.”
This isn’t rocket science – it’s basic conservation that’s worked successfully across America for over a century.
Theodore Roosevelt understood this when he helped establish our national wildlife system using hunting license fees and excise taxes on hunting equipment.
Apparently, modern environmental extremists think they know better than the father of American conservation.
The permits and procedures that have activists throwing tantrums
The hunting season will include several provisions that should satisfy anyone genuinely concerned about bear welfare.
Hunters can only harvest one bear per permit, and cubs under 100 pounds plus females with cubs are completely off-limits.
The 187 permits will be distributed across four regions: East Panhandle (68), North (46), Central (18), and South (55).
Resident permits cost $100 while nonresident permits run $300, with no more than 10% going to out-of-state hunters.
After two years, the program will expand to allow hunting with trained dogs – a method that actually helps hunters avoid accidentally taking protected females with cubs.
Environmental groups call dog hunting “legalized animal cruelty,” apparently unaware that professional hunting dogs are trained specifically to tree bears safely, allowing hunters to verify their target before making any decisions.
What this really means for Florida’s future
The FWC’s decision represents something much bigger than just bear management.
It’s a victory for science over emotion, facts over feelings, and professional wildlife management over social media activism.
Florida now joins 30 other states that successfully manage black bear populations through regulated hunting – states that don’t have the bear-human conflict problems that Florida has been experiencing.
This decision also sends a clear message to radical environmental groups that their intimidation tactics don’t work when commissioners stick to actual data instead of activist demands.
The real question is whether other states will follow Florida’s example and start prioritizing sound wildlife management over the feelings of professional protesters.
Don’t hold your breath for environmental groups to admit they were wrong when Florida’s bear population remains healthy while human-bear conflicts decrease.
These are the same people who opposed the hunting moratorium that helped bear numbers recover in the first place – they’re never satisfied with any solution that doesn’t involve stopping all human interaction with nature.
Florida wildlife officials just proved that good government means making decisions based on science, not the loudest voices in the room.
¹ Grace Velez, “How the Florida Black Bear hunt became a reality and the stark contrast of responses,” WMBB News, August 13, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Rebecca Schneid, “Florida Restarts Black Bear Hunts Again Despite Protests,” Associated Press, August 13, 2025.
⁴ Grace Velez, “How the Florida Black Bear hunt became a reality and the stark contrast of responses,” WMBB News, August 13, 2025.
⁵ NorthEscambia.com, “FWC Give Final Approval For Florida Black Bear Hunt (But Not In Escambia, Santa Rosa),” August 14, 2025.
⁶ Grace Velez, “How the Florida Black Bear hunt became a reality and the stark contrast of responses,” WMBB News, August 13, 2025.
⁷ Safari Club International, “SCI Celebrates FWC Decision to Reinstate Regulated Florida Bear Hunt,” August 13, 2025.
⁸ Rebecca Schneid, “Florida Restarts Black Bear Hunts Again Despite Protests,” Associated Press, August 13, 2025.
⁹ Safari Club International, “SCI Celebrates FWC Decision to Reinstate Regulated Florida Bear Hunt,” August 13, 2025.
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Author: rgcory
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