After hours of objections from animal-rights advocates and support from hunters, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-3 late Wednesday against a staff recommendation to hold a hunt in October that could have been smaller — in terms of permits and hunting grounds — than the 2015 event in which 304 bears were killed over two days.
bear hunt
Florida Wildlife Officials Call Bear Hunt a “Success,” Opponents Call It a Slaughter
Some 304 bears were killed in two days and few hunters cited for violations, but critics called it a slaughter, saying most of the bears were killed on private land, where state regulations could be more easily skirted.
Seek Cover, Teddy: 3,500 Hunters Take Guns and Bows to Bears Across Florida
The hunt, which includes Flagler County, limits each permit holder to killing a single bear weighing at least 100 pounds and won’t exceed the overall 320 bears targeted for what the commission calls a “harvest.”