Controversial bear hunt could again become legal in Florida

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission could begin to explore several ways to control the black bear population after a new report shows their population could more than double in the next six years.

Wildlife officials believe black bear numbers could spike from 4,000 to 11,000 without some kind of management.

While most states that have black bears hold hunting seasons to cut down the population about ten percent, the hunt has become extremely controversial in Central Florida.

"To see them treated with such disregard, is just, it's distressing," said Chuck O'Neal, the president of Speak Up Wekiva, a small group of volunteers who sued the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 2015, which is the last time hunting bears was legal in Florida.

A judge sided with FWC in the lawsuit, saying the agency had taken reasonable precautions for the hunt.

"They estimated 36 bears a day would be killed," said O'Neal. "There were 250 killed the first day."

The hunt was extremely controversial, as over 3,700 permits were issued and a total of 298 bears were killed in the first two days for a hunt that was scheduled to last a week. The majority of the kills happened in Central Florida.

In their latest management plan, FWC officials detailed several ways it could control the population, but said that a panel of black bear management experts from outside Florida concluded that a bear hunt would be a responsible choice.

In a survey conducted by the FWC, 70 percent of Floridians said they support regulated hunting in general, but only 48 percent were supportive of bear hunting.

"Until we really deal with the underlying issue, which is overdevelopment, we're going to have bears," said O'Neal. "This is Florida. We have bears."

The FWC will vote on the potential hunt in December.

DOWNLOAD: Free WFTV News & Weather Apps

Not near a TV? Click here to watch WFTV newscasts live

Cox Media Group