Two weeks after Florida concluded its first bear hunt in a decade, North Florida taxidermists say the 23-day season did not produce an increase in business for them to process bear hides into wall mounts and rugs.
The hunt did produce nearly $900,000 for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in application fees to enter a lottery for 172 permits to hunt in one of four zones. More than 163,000 applicants paid $5 for a lottery ticket with winners having to put up another $100 for the permit and also purchase a Florida hunting license for $10.
Sixty-eight permits were allocated for the 11 counties in the East Panhandle Bear Hunting Zone, which includes part of Leon County, but it is unclear how many bears were killed.
Phone calls and text exchanges with 18 taxidermists in the panhandle bear hunting zone – Jefferson County west to Gulf and Jackson counties – found three who said they have agreed to process eight bear hides for clients.
They assumed the hides were from the Florida hunt. None of the tanners agreed to be quoted publicly. One said he feared vandalism and threats of bodily harm and ended the call.
Other than acknowledging that hunters killed 52 bears statewide, wildlife officials have not released much information, such as from where the bears were taken, their sex, weight, and so on.
“A full harvest report with that information will be available in the coming months,” FWC spokesperson Shannon Knowles said when asked how many hunters harvested a panhandle bear.
The USA TODAY Network – Florida twice requested the names of people who won a permit but has yet to receive a response.
30% kill rate statewide reported
The December hunt was the first in a decade and had produced a year-long debate between wildlife advocates and hunters over the propriety of a hunt – with rallies opposing the hunt in Orlando, Daytona, and Gainesville, and a march on FWC headquarters in Tallahassee.
The eight hides accounted for about 11% of the total number of bears the FWC allocated to be killed in the Panhandle (68). That compares to a 30% kill rate statewide.
The low number can be attributed to a couple of factors.
Opponents worked to reduce the kill total by entering the lottery with no intention of using a permit and offering to buy permits from lottery winners.
The Sierra Club said 52 of their members won hunting permits as part of a Spare a Bear campaign.
Another is the cost. A Florida bear hunt can require up to $5,000 in fees, equipment, and travel, according to a University of Florida “Fresh Take” report.
On Feb. 5, FWC executive director Roger Young praised the commission’s law enforcement division for providing “extensive support for the hunt.”
“Increased officer engagement and hunter education led to strong compliance with hunting regulations,” Young said. “Out of numerous interactions between officers and hunters, only one hunter received a warning for minor Wildlife Management Area violations, and no citations were issued during this hunt.”
He said early reviews of the hunt show that active hunters had a success rate of about 50 percent.
“All harvested bears were checked by FWC biologists or contractors, and important biological information was collected. All bears taken met the size requirements of the hunt parameters,” which stated that bears weighing less than 100 pounds were off limits, he said. “By all management measures, the hunt was a success.”
Although the black bear is a state icon, featured on a specialty license plate to raise money for conservation, it is a subspecies of the American black bear with a distinct difference.
From the Carolinas to Alaska, Ursus americanus is known for a thick luxurious pelt that can be made into rugs, bedspreads, and coats. But Ursus americanus floridanus roams the semitropical forests of North Florida and rarely experiences the cold conditions that produce the uniquely thick luscious fur people imagine when they think of a bear blanket or hat.
“We actually do not accept bears from Georgia or Florida anymore,” one taxidermist said, declining to identify himself but willing to discuss his craft.
“We cannot make the hair stay in there, in place. It’s just gonna fall out no matter how good a job you do. The quality just is not gonna be good, so we don’t take them anymore,” he said.
It can take more than 18 months to process a bear hide into a rug, and longer to create a wall mount from a pelt. A hunter wanting a half-body mount with the bear’s front legs reaching out can wait more than a year and pay $3,000 for one.
James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on him X: @CallTallahassee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FWC tight-lipped on bear hunt breakdown; can taxidermists help?
Reporting by James Call, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
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