The Florida 2025 black bear hunt has been a flop as an try and handle the bear inhabitants in Florida. It could have been profitable as a trial run on easy methods to handle a bear hunt. Solely 52 bears had been harvested. To maintain a steady inhabitants, not less than 600 bears ought to have been harvested, in all probability 1500. About 15 % of a black bear inhabitants must be harvested to maintain a steady inhabitants.  From myfwc.com:
There have been 52 bears harvested throughout the 2025 bear hunt, which is a hunter success fee very near different states with comparable hunt parameters. All harvested bears had been bodily checked by FWC employees and bear response contractors, offering beneficial information that can affect future administration methods. Evaluation of the info collected is underway, and a full harvest report might be launched within the coming months.
In 2024, 295 Florida bears had been killed in vehicular accidents. One factor lacking from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fee (FWC) press launch is an estimate of the inhabitants of bears in Florida. This essential quantity is important when managing a wildlife inhabitants. The final official estimate dates again to 2014-2015, over a decade in the past. An estimate was presupposed to be performed in 2025. The FWC now says a inhabitants estimate could also be performed by 2029. In 2014-2015, the estimate put the Florida bear inhabitants at 4,350 bears. Within the 2019 Florida Black Bear Administration Plan, the most effective estimate confirmed an anticipated bear inhabitants in 2026-2027 of 11,088. That is very near the estimate of the pre-Columbian bear inhabitants of 11,500. These estimates don’t embrace cubs.
The estimate of 11,088 bears is for the 4 largest subpopulations of bears in Florida. The three smallest subpopulations in Florida added one other 238 bears in 2014-2015. These populations have in all probability doubled within the final decade. Aside from automobile accidents, the most important killer of bears in Florida is the grownup male bear. Grownup male bears kill (and normally eat) about 1/2 of cubs earlier than the cubs develop into unbiased. Boar bears nearly actually kill over a thousand bear cubs in Florida yearly.
When grownup male bears are harvested by human hunters, they kill fewer cubs. Extra bear cubs have an opportunity to develop into adults. To stabilize a bear inhabitants, about 10-15% of the grownup bears should be harvested yearly.
In Michigan, the bear harvest has been about 15% of the bear inhabitants for a few years. The Michigan bear inhabitants continues to develop. Bear harvests in Michigan common over 1,700 per yr, from a bear inhabitants of 12,000. We have no idea the bear inhabitants in Florida, as a result of the FWC has been quite gradual in measuring the inhabitants. Utilizing the most effective estimate from the FWC plan printed in 2019, there ought to be over ten thousand bears in Florida. To stabilize the bear inhabitants, the harvest ought to be about 1,500 per yr.
Subsequent yr, if the FWC decides to stabilize the Florida bear inhabitants, they need to problem not less than 20 instances the allow numbers issued in 2025, or about 3,000. If the proportion of success is identical as in 2025, about 900 bears could be harvested. This quantity continues to be to low to stabilize the Florida bear inhabitants, however it could present extra information to verify success ratios for bear hunters.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a army officer, was on the College of Wisconsin Pistol Crew for 4 years, and was first licensed to show firearms security in 1973. He taught the Arizona hid carry course for fifteen years till the objective of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has levels in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Division of Protection after a 30 yr profession in Military Analysis, Improvement, Testing, and Analysis.
