In a preliminary vote, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted 4 to 1 to advance a black bear trophy hunt in Florida, setting the stage for a final decision this August. This move comes despite overwhelming public opposition.
At yesterday's FWC meeting (5/21/2025), 115 people spoke against the hunt, more than twice as many as those who supported it (52).
This decision ignores science and the voices of Floridians who remember the horrors of the 2015 Florida Black Bear Hunt, in which 304 bears were killed, including cubs and lactating females, leaving orphaned cubs to suffer and die. It was pure carnage, and the FWC appears poised to repeat it, only this time, instead of a 3-day hunt, it will be a 23-day hunt, with baiting, archery, and dogs. In addition, they removed mandatory check stations, which were what prevented overkilling Florida's black bears during the 2015 hunt. We urge all concerned citizens, scientists, advocates, and animal lovers to act immediately.
Please sign and share our petition, and complete the listed calls to action, including contacting Governor DeSantis and the FWC Commissioners directly, and share your personal reasons for opposing this hunt. The current FWC Chairman, Rodney Barreto, claims that because he was not a commissioner in 2015, he is unaware of what happened during the 2015 Florida Black Bear Hunt, so be sure to include the link to our petition, photos, videos, and articles from the 2015 Florida Black Bear Hunt.
During the meeting, Commissioner Sonya Rood asked questions about archery and whether what people were saying about the bears being shot in the lungs with arrows, essentially causing them to suffocate and die slowly, was true. Morgan Richardson, Director, Division of Hunting and Game Management at Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, responded that, in his opinion, no. Then he deflected by stating that other states allow archery for hunting bears. A quick search will show you the gruesome reality of killing bears with bows, hunting them with dogs, and luring them with bait and deer feeding stations.
Here's a graphic video that shows what happens. Viewer discretion is advised. Please include the video in your message to the commissioners and Governor DeSantis.
Prepare to attend the FWC Commission Meetings on August 13th and 14th, which are anticipated to be held in Tallahassee (the exact location is pending).
Florida’s black bears are a keystone species and vital to our state's natural heritage. They deserve protection. We must hold the FWC accountable and insist on science-based, ethical wildlife management, not decisions driven by special interests and emotion. This is not conservation. This is cruelty.
This photo was taken by our Executive Director, Adam Sugalski, at a check station 17 in Lake City during the 2015 Florida Black Bear Hunt.