More than 50 harvested black bears reported to FWC during Florida bear hunt season

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has released the results of this year’s controversial bear hunt season.

In total, 52 bears were reported to the FWC, according to a press release from the conservation commission. FWC officials called it “a hunter success rate very close to other states with similar hunt parameters.”

All bears were physically examined by FWC staff and bear response contractors, the press release revealed. Furthermore, the commission noted that this provided valuable data to inform future management strategies.

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FWC Executive Director Roger Young said the black bear hunt, “rooted in scientific data, was a success.” “We’re proud to have joined the more than 30 states that manage black bears with regulated hunting,” Young said.

The report comes just two days after the season officially ended.

Analysis of the collected data is underway and a full harvest report is expected to be released in the coming months, per the commission.

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