Come December, Florida hunters will grab their rifles, put on their hunting caps and legally declare that it’s bear hunting season.
Only a decade after Florida’s last bear hunting season, mired in controversy, was approved, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissioners unanimously voted to approve new rules for the second bear hunt in roughly 30 years.
This year’s hunt will take place for 23 days and return annually. It’s more than three times longer than Florida’s last bear hunt in 2015, which was cut short after just two days due to hunters harvesting bears too quickly.
Hunters will be allowed to use bait traps, guns and archery to capture a total of 187 bears across 31 counties during the first two years of the annual bear hunt. Only one bear can be captured per permit.
Here’s everything to know about Florida’s annual bear hunt.
When is Florida’s bear hunting season in 2025?
Floridians with valid permits will be able to hunt black bears between Dec. 6 and Dec. 28.
Where will the black bear hunt take place?
The FWC breaks Florida up into seven Bear Management Units (BMUs): West Panhandle, East Panhandle, North, Big Bend, Central, South Central and Central.
Florida’s bear hunt in 2025 is restricted to 31 counties within four BMUs that have the largest bear populations.
North (46 permits): Bounded on the north by the Florida-Georgia state line, on the east by State Road 121, on the south by County Road 18 and State Road 121, and on the west by Interstate 75. The zone would include Osceola WMA and encompass parts of Hamilton, Suwannee, Columbia, Union and Baker counties.
Central (18 permits): Bounded on the north by State Road 16, on the east by Interstate 95, on the south by the St. Johns River and Interstate 4, and on the west by the Florida Turnpike, Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 301. The zone would include Ocala WMA and encompass all or parts of Sumter, Marion, Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Putnam, Lake, Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns counties.
South (55 permits): Bounded on the north by Lee and Hendry County lines, on the east by the Hendry and Collier County lines, on the south by the Collier County line, and on the west by the Collier County line and Interstate 75. The zone would NOT include Big Cypress and would encompass all or parts of Lee, Hendry and Collier counties.
Hunters must have permits to hunt black bears. Here’s how it works
Under the proposal, the FWC will issue a total of 187 permits, one bear per permit. Those permits will be distributed across the four BMUs based on local black bear populations.
Permits will be issued to hunters who apply through a lottery system. Permit applications will cost $5 per entry. There is no limit on lottery entries, so a person can pay to submit as many entries as they wish.
Here’s the catch: Regardless of how many entries a person wins, they are only entitled to receive one non-transferable permit.
Lottery winners will be notified and allowed to purchase a bear hunting permit, which will cost Florida residents $100 and out-of-state residents $300. No more than 10% of permits can be issued to non-residents from outside the state.
Who can apply for a bear hunting permit?
Here are the requirements to apply for a bear hunting permit:
How many people can be in a hunting party?
This year, permitted hunters can only have one unpermitted person accompany them. The guest hunter must be licensed and permitted as required by Section 379.354, F.S., unless exempt pursuant to Section 379.353, F.S.
The guest hunter and the bear harvest permit holder will share the bag limit. Any violation will fall upon the permit holder.
In 2027, the FWC will allow the use of dogs, which will change the rules a bit. Hunters without a dog will still only be allowed one guest, but hunters with dogs can have up to nine guests.
What hunting methods will be allowed?
Hunters will be allowed to use the same methods to take bears as they are allowed to take deer:
What are the new regulations for the bear hunt in 2025?
The proposed rules for Florida’s annual bear hunt are outlined over 31 pages in a May 2025 FWC agenda document. The full proposal can be found in the embed below.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida’s controversial bear hunt returns in December. Here’s a breakdown of the rules
Reporting by Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
