Posted on 12/20/2025 7:59:09 PM PST by Red Badger
Now here's a story out of Florida that bears watching. Florida's black bear hunt is underway, and troubles' a-bruin. The problem is, as it so often is in wildlife policy: A question of policy based on emotion vs. policy based on science.
Ten years ago, a Florida bear hunt shocked the public when photos spread online of bloody carcasses of mother bears loaded in pick-up trucks and splayed out on concrete slabs at hunter check-in stations.
The hunt, the first in 20 years, was halted in less than 48 hours after an estimated 304 bears were killed the first weekend. The quota that year was 320.
Question: How did they know these were mother bears? Were all of them mother bears? Of that harvest, was there not one boar, not one unaccompanied sow? That's unlikely, but that's what you get from an emotional argument.
Hunters said the quick success rate was proof of a “robust” bear population. Wildlife defenders called the state-sanctioned hunt “a slaughter” and succeeded in discouraging officials from authorizing another one, until this year.
The first regulated Florida black bear hunt in a decade has been underway since Dec. 6. But unlike the 2015 version, it’s almost invisible to anyone but hunters. They report their kills over the phone, instead of taking slain bears to check-in stations open to public view.
Key concept: "Regulated" bear hunt. More on that in a moment. But note again, an emotional argument: "...almost invisible to anyone but hunters." Good; frankly, with nosy parkers like PETA and other animal rights groups constantly looking to interfere, that's probably for the best.
Look, every state has wildlife biologists whose job it is to monitor the populations of game animals. Even here in Alaska, with the vast, empty expanses, the Fish & Wildlife people cover a lot of ground, and wildlife, furbearers, big game, fish, and fowl harvests are, from time to time, adjusted accordingly. It's the same in every state. Professionals, not activists, should be making this decision. Where apex predators are concerned, it's even more critical that these decisions are made by people who know what they're doing.
That's the "regulated" part of a regulated hunt.
Apex predators, like bears and mountain lions, tend to see the creatures they share their environment with in two ways: Food or foe. When soft, squishy humans, lacking big teeth, claws, hooves, horns, or antlers, stop being a foe, they tend to become rather easily obtainable food. It's still not common, mind you. In the last 10 years, there have been three fatal mountain lion attacks. In the last 10 years, there have been 11 fatal bear attacks, mostly by black bears. That's not surprising, as black bears are by far the most common bears, and are much more likely than their larger cousins to live near people. You're probably more likely to die by having a vending machine fall over on you, but that's not really the point.
The opposition to these hunts cites few numbers, and when they do, those numbers are questionable. They offer no alternatives to managing bear populations, deer populations, or any other kind of animal or fish populations. Their opposition is not based on science, and it's not based on the environment that so many "environmentalists" never experience. The fact is that it is hunters, through their license fees, through taxes on their arms and equipment, who fund modern wildlife management, who volunteer their own time and money to preserve habitat, and it's been that way since the days of Aldo Leopold. Florida should be lauded, not criticized, for keeping it that way. And to Florida's bear hunters, good luck!
I agree but I’m good for now where I am. And honestly, I never run into those whackjubs, but then I don’t hang around ballot boxes.
I got alligators here in ETX and our other place. I don’t hunt them either. Just don’t feed them. They don’t raid your trash like bears.
This was when I lived in a condo complex of 110 units in 9 buildings. There was a huge structure with a roof where everyone would place garbage bags (not garbage cans). They had a compressor platen to shrink garbage bags to create more space. So basically the garbage dump was open on all 4 Sides.
Beard would be going through the garbage bags after dark.
No, it works. Act like a lunatic and they leave. And go home without deer meat.
well, it didn’t work with a big boar around my camper until I lit off a round next to his front paws. Even then, he stopped and look back before he finally left.
Not long ago, a friend of mine in a suburb near Orlando had a bear push through the screen enclosure around his pool so that she and her cub could enjoy the comfort of a swim and a nap on a hot summer day. After that, they enjoyed dinner by prying up a neighbor’s garage door to get at a large bag of dog food inside. From there, it was back to their home in the woods nearby.
Boars can be stubborn. In my youth I ran up and kicked kicked one where it counts. Dumbass move, but it worked.
People hearing abut the bear hunt may think it’s “bare.”
When the hit song Running Bear by Johnny Preston was popular in 1960, DJs reported that some thought it was Running Bare.
Many years ago, I lived near the Everglades. Aligators came up on land at night. Ate small animals including cats. so we didn’t let them out at night.
Gators also tried tp get in swimming pools and sometimes succeeded. Had to call animal control one morning when we had one in ours. They knew exactly what to do, said it wasn’t unusua’ and people shold fence their pools. Ours was but gator got in anyway.
THANK YOU.
Beat me to it.
On a recent trip to Florida we rented a home on a canal intending to do some kayaking. I like kayaking but don’t get to do it often, so thought calm water might be a good place to start.
My first day there I saw an alligator and called to my daughter to look out the window. As soon as I did, the alligator turned to come closer, and swam right up the boat ramp where the kayaks were.
You don’t have to be the one who feeds them. Someone else may have done that before, so now you become their next meal. No thanks.
We never took the kayaks out after that. Did hiking and a boat tour instead.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, growing up in Florida on lakes, rivers, canals, etc, I never once worried about alligators. Barely ever saw them. If you go to any of those places now, the alligators have beat you there.
My niece had an alligator come into her fenced yard in the last year. He was roaming the neighborhood. Ate a neighbor’s dog.
That’s worse than having trash strewn about.
They need a big alligator hunt. Make alligator shoes famous again
Totally agree. They make nice belts, wallets, and handbags, too! Wouldn’t an alligator backpack be kinda cool?! ;)
Is it the bear that must make a long run, or is it the hunter?
Never go bear hunting by yourself.
Always take a fat friend.................
Only if it wasn't a yap-yap dog.
I knew there was a reason they wanted me along.
Yes it would. Fathers years ago would alligator hunt at night in groups, kill the critters and fill them with rocks and sink them to keep their children safe.
Common sense.
My neighbor has a yappy dog, but I wouldn’t wish that on them…or anyone. That would be cruel.
That sucks. Poor dog.
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.