So, last year they opened a limited bear hunt here in Florida. The quota was met the 1st day (IIRC). You'd think that would prove there are plenty, but instead it was presented as a massacre. This year the bear population is estimated to have grown by 800 (I think last year's kill quota was 300), and yet they have cancelled this year's hunt. Incredible.

Yup. There are far more bears than most realize.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016...on-bear-hunting.html


Florida wildlife officials put one-year pause on bear hunting

Published June 23, 2016 Associated Press


Florida wildlife officials voted to hold off on future bear hunts in the state until they can gather more information.
After nearly seven hours of comments from staff and the public on Wednesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-3 not to hold a bear hunt this year. The Commission then voted 4-3 to delay holding a hunt for at least one year as they gather more information about the state's growing bear population and options on how best to manage it.
The meeting was held at Franklin County School in Eastpoint, which is in the Florida Panhandle.
Last year, hunters killed 304 bears in the state's first hunt in 21 years. The Florida Wildlife Federation, which supports ethical hunting as long as it protects the environment, supported a one-year moratorium on a hunt.
Commission staff had recommended a limited hunt broken into three, four-day periods, where hunters would apply for permits on a first-come, first-served basis for specific dates and zones.
They also heard proposals that included holding another hunt that has the same rules as last year or putting a hunt off indefinitely. Both did not receive much consideration.
"This is not for a lack of science but a policy call," said FWC commissioner Bo Rivard.
FWC chairman Brian Yablonski ended up being the swing vote as he sided with those asking for a pause.
Yablonski said he thinks the scientific data gathered by staff supported holding a hunt this year but that it came down to more than science. He also added that a pause doesn't mean that this issue will keep getting delayed.
FWC officials acknowledged that last year's hunt did not go smoothly. The state sold permits to nearly 3,800 people. The hunt was supposed to take place for a week but was ended after two days when the numbers of bears killed came close to the harvest objective of 320.
Data released in March had the state's bear population at 4,350, which was a 60 percent increase over 14 years.
Bear hunting advocates cited increased interactions with humans and also that they had become nuisances by getting into garbage. The number of bears hit by cars and nuisance calls have sharply increased over the past four years, according to state data from FWC.
Hunting opponents said garbage cans need to be better secured or not placed out until the night before pickup along with increased education for homeowners.
"You are trying to balance society with a growing bear population. That is something that is not unique to Florida," said Jennifer Vashon, who is Maine's top bear expert and one of seven biologists brought in to review Florida's proposals.

Not shooting 300 bears again this year is going to mean a huge increase in bear numbers by the time the do decide to hold another hunt.

Yup. There are a hell of a lot of bears. I know places I could go right now and kill one in an hour or less.

They are not everywhere in the state. However, there areas where they are too many.

A 10 percent increase per year means one has to shoot 400 plus a year just to hold the population steady.

If not the population steadily increases and becomes more of a problem.

In NEPA there used to be two cubs per sow ! Now there may be as many as FIVE cubs as the family we checked just a few years back. PA is dealing with it but next door in NJ they still have to fight hard to have any bear season !!

http://news.nationalgeographic...ds-black-bear-hunts/


National Geographic article concerning the Florida bear hunt.

The anti's are known to lie and make things up all the time.

The truth is that the hunt was a bit of a disaster for many reasons including stupid rules and set up of the hunt administration.

I think there are far more bears that they are indicating. The population is growing rapidly.

Not to be confused with the longer season of the Florida Bare Hunt.

I was stationed at Pensacola for several years and hunted the Perdidio River Wildlife Management Area that ran along the FL/AL line. I saw an awful lot of bear sign on the river bottom and don't think it would have been too hard to bag one.

For what it is worth the bear in FL are biologically identical to the bear everywhere else. Only their zipcode makes them "special."