If the FWC approves, Florida will hold its first bear hunt in ten years. But the agency is taking steps to avoid the problems ...

For the first time in a decade, the the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is working up a proposal for a ...

MARION COUNTY, Fla. – It looks more likely that Florida will have a black bear hunt this year. Wednesday afternoon, the state’s wildlife commission gave its preliminary approval of the rules ...

Bear sightings increase in suburban and urban areas, including Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville. Sometimes, mother bears push their 18-month-old cubs out to find food and new habitats.

Florida black bear sightings can be reported online to FWC. The last regulated Florida black bear hunt was in 2015. A Florida man was mauled by a 263-pound black bear in May 2025.

Florida wildlife officials this week will hear a proposal to create an annual “limited-entry” black bear hunt, with a December hunting period the first in more than a decade.

Three bears were spotted at Florida Gulf Coast University's North Lake Village residence area, prompting a campus alert. The university has no plans to remove the bears, despite a recent fatal ...

Florida approves first black bear hunt in a decade Critics say the plan, which will allow hunters to use dogs and bait stations, will invite trophy hunting. May 24, 2025 ...

OCALA, Fla. — Florida wildlife officials are moving forward with plans for what could be the state's first black bear hunt in 10 years. During a meeting in Ocala Wednesday, commissioners for the ...

OCALA, Fla. – Wildlife officials are closing in on a decision to reinstate a regulated bear hunt in Florida. At their quarterly meeting in Ocala on Wednesday and Thursday, the Florida Fish and ...