The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took steps towards reinstating a black bear hunt for the first time since 2015.

After receiving thousands of comments from the public, the commission approved a proposal that would reintroduce the trophy hunt.

There’s still time to save Florida’s bears from bloodthirsty hunters, however, as the rule proposals are expected to be brought back before the Commission at its August 2025 meeting, for their final hearing.

If the rules are approved, the bear hunt would take effect during the 2025-26 season.

This proposed hunt was approved just weeks after what Florida officials said was the first confirmed fatal black bear attack. An 89-year-old man and his dog were mauled on his rural property, where bears had frequented and eaten trash, earlier this month.

However, the Commission seems to be exploiting the attack in pursuit of the trophy hunt.

On their own website, the Commission notes “it is important to acknowledge that managing bear populations does not manage human-bear conflicts.” In other words, a trophy hunt wouldn’t prevent human-bear interactions.

Hunters going into the woods to kill bears for recreation will not solve the problem of bears habituated to humans. Instead, non-lethal community-based solutions are effective in mitigating human-bear interactions

Tools like public education, bear-resistant trash cans and practices such as taking down bird feeders are all far more effective at keeping humans and bears safe than a trophy hunt would be.

It’s imperative that we all remind the Commission of this, before their final hearing in August. You can contact ALL the commissioners using this form.