Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

FWC Considering Bringing Back Bear Hunting in Florida
wjhg tv ^ | Jan 22, 2015

Posted on 01/23/2015 9:13:17 AM PST by george76

Bear attacks and nuisance complaints could result in Florida bringing back a hunting season for the animal, as the state's wildlife agency says they're running out of options.

Leah Reeder was out walking her dog in the Florida Panhandle last month when she was brutally attacked by a bear. She was one of four bear attack victims in the past year throughout the state. Add the attacks to thousands of nuisance complaints throughout Florida.

"We're at a point where bear populations are strong and expanding, and we're having more and more conflicts, more and more killed on the highways," FWC Executive Director Nick Wiley said.

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is proposing bringing back black bear hunting in some areas of the state. Putting bears in the cross hairs has been illegal since 1994.

...

It's estimated that Florida has at least 3,000 bears. That number was hovering around 500 about 60 years ago.

(Excerpt) Read more at wjhg.com ...


TOPICS: Outdoors; Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: attacks; backbear; bear; bearattacks; bears; florida; hunting

1 posted on 01/23/2015 9:13:17 AM PST by george76
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: george76

Global warming. The polar bears moved south.


2 posted on 01/23/2015 9:18:43 AM PST by FatherofFive (Islam is evil and must be eradicated)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

The estimate of 3000 is probably way too low. A young girl was attacked by one recently in East Point.

vob


3 posted on 01/23/2015 9:24:06 AM PST by Vob (free radical community organizer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vob

Here in Alaska, we got bear everywhere. I usually have 20 different bear/day hitting my stand on game cam. They come back every 5-6 hours, wait in line at my barrel. When I quit hunting, stop rebaiting barrel, after 2-3 days they follow my 4 wheeler track back to my house a mile away. I guess they figure they want to see where the eats come from. My dogs run them off when they come walking towards house. If we don’t shoot 5-10 a year; they are at the house all the time. They seem to know when you are not home and that’s when they break in. You have to keep their numbers down, or you will be shooting one inside the house sooner or later and cleaning up garbage, blood and poop and stink. Twice I have had blk bear put the sneak on me. They come in real slow with their front quarters down, butt high, ears goin back and forth like crazy; they are thinking food actually. That will start happening back east too if they don’t get some sense about it.


4 posted on 01/23/2015 10:19:18 AM PST by Eska
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Eska

If we don’t shoot 5-10 a year; they are at the house all the time.


Holy crap - I thought I had a problem with too many squirrels!


5 posted on 01/23/2015 10:41:52 AM PST by freedomlover
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Eska

Yeah,
Well here in Port St. Lucie we have 150,000 New York transplants.
I’ll trade ya?


6 posted on 01/23/2015 10:55:55 AM PST by Joe Boucher (The F.B.I. Is a division of holders Justice Dept. (Nuff said))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Vob

Agreed. When I was a kid growing up in N Fla you never heard about anybody even seeing a bear much less an attack. Now nobody hunts them and they have flourished just like in GA. We have too dang many of them and they have lost their inate fear of man.


7 posted on 01/23/2015 2:43:53 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose o f a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: george76

It’s ObamaCare’s fault.

Note that the last sentence says the mother of the girl can’t find a neurologist that accepts her insurance.


8 posted on 01/23/2015 10:10:43 PM PST by chaosagent (Remember, no matter how you slice it, forbidden fruit still tastes the sweetest!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: freedomlover

With squirrels, you have 100 times more than you imagine. Our kids went to war on the squirrels at age 6 with a 10-22; pretty much solved our squirrel issues.


9 posted on 01/24/2015 8:26:18 AM PST by Eska
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Joe Boucher

Oh MY! We get people showing up here along the Yukon right after our road opens in April; our 200 mile dirt hwy to Eagle is closed from Oct until April and it’s not so bad actually. They’re going to do it all, live off the land and such. We all look them over and grin. 90% of them can’t wait for the road to open the following April so they can head back south to New York. I’ve been here over 20 years, can’t figure?


10 posted on 01/24/2015 8:33:30 AM PST by Eska
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Eska

You know what I mean Eska,
Great talking to you
GOD bless and hang in there.


11 posted on 01/24/2015 1:44:47 PM PST by Joe Boucher (The F.B.I. Is a division of holders Justice Dept. (Nuff said))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson