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From brink of extinction to rifles' crosshairs, Florida's black bears to be hunted starting Oct. 24

 
Supporters of Florida's black bear hunt cite four serious attacks by bears in the suburbs of Central Florida and the Panhandle over the past year. But in a state that has its fair share of hunters, the bear hunt has angered a broad portion of Floridians, including environmentalists and even some hunters, who call it premature and an ineffective way to deal with the nuisance that some bears pose in the suburbs. [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission]
Supporters of Florida's black bear hunt cite four serious attacks by bears in the suburbs of Central Florida and the Panhandle over the past year. But in a state that has its fair share of hunters, the bear hunt has angered a broad portion of Floridians, including environmentalists and even some hunters, who call it premature and an ineffective way to deal with the nuisance that some bears pose in the suburbs. [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission]
Published Oct. 10, 2015

MIAMI — Amid the alligators, oversize iguanas, pythons and giant snails that habitually seize the spotlight in Florida, there stands a more mundane but no less iconic creature that roams the state: the Florida black bear.

The bears, or those who represent their interests, recently got their day in court as lawyers fought over whether Florida should allow them to be hunted for the first time in 21 years. The bears lost.

A Tallahassee judge ruled this month that the hunt could begin as scheduled on Oct. 24, rejecting a request by opponents for a temporary halt until their lawsuit over the issue is resolved. Opponents, led by Speak Up Wekiva, a conservation group, filed an appeal Thursday.

Supporters of the hunt cite four serious attacks by bears in the suburbs of Central Florida and the Panhandle over the past year. But in a state that has its fair share of hunters, the bear hunt has angered a broad portion of Floridians, including environmentalists and even some hunters, who call it premature and an ineffective way to deal with the nuisance that some bears pose in the suburbs.

Just as worrisome for opponents is that Florida will not complete the latest survey of its once-dwindling bear population until next year. The hunt is capped at 320 bears, but in court Thursday, opponents said that number was arbitrary and not based on definitive data. State officials said the bear population was healthy enough to warrant a limited hunt.

Only three years ago, the state still listed the Florida black bear as threatened. The bear — which was headed for extinction in the 1970s, when only 300 or so remained — is a subspecies of black bears from other parts of the United States and now exists only in Florida.

"This adds to the angst, the public angst," said Chuck O'Neal, a Florida environmental activist and real estate investor who is part of a coalition suing the state over the hunt. "At most, there are 3,500 of these in the entire state of 19 million people, and to say that 3,500 are too much, well, there are states that have 30,000 black bears. There is no reason that with such a small population here, we can't coexist with these bears."

Of the 41 states with bear populations, 31 allow hunts. Florida would be the 32nd.

In April, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, a state agency, voted 3-2 to allow a hunt. The number of encounters between bears and people has grown as the animals increasingly venture into suburban areas to forage for food in garbage cans.

Agency officials said opponents were overstating the impact the limited hunt would have on Florida's bear population. A 2002 study put the number of bears in the state at 3,000. The latest data in two regions show that the number has grown considerably, said Thomas H. Eason, the director of the agency's habitat and species conservation division.

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The agency is now conducting a more thorough count with DNA. It has finished gathering data on two regions and will complete three more by next year.

The bears are scattered through seven regions statewide. Officials said hunters were barred from three because there are not enough bears in those areas to sustain a hunt. The hunt, they said, is one of several tools used to manage bear populations and will not hinder their recovery.

Wildlife officials described the hunt as "conservative" compared with those in other states because of its restrictions. It will run two to seven days, ending when 320 bears have been killed. Hunters will be able to call a special number to check whether the quota has been met. No dogs or baits will be allowed, and bears under 100 pounds or females with cubs may not be hunted.

So far, nearly 2,400 people have bought permits, a number that is expected to grow.

"Other states have a much longer season and fewer of the regulations that we have limiting this," said Diane Eggeman, director of the state commission's hunting and game management division.

Aliese P. Priddy, a commissioner and ranch owner, said it was highly unlikely that hunters could kill 320 bears in the first two days, a claim that opponents disputed.

"It's not easy to hunt a bear," Priddy said. "I don't think there should be a concern about going over the quota."

But Ron Bergeron, a hunter and landowner who lives amid wildlife in the Everglades and is one of two commissioners who voted against the hunt, said he had done so out of common sense: There is no compelling reason, he said, no sudden bear emergency, that warrants rushing into a hunt before the latest science-based population studies are completed.

What's more, Bergeron added, the agency agrees that the hunt will do nothing to curtail the intrusion of bears into suburban areas. Bears have been wandering into suburbs more frequently to forage through garbage because of declines in one of their favorite sources of natural food, saw palmetto berries, which are being overharvested. To address the problem, the state agriculture commissioner issued a moratorium this year on picking the berries on state land.

The most effective way to dampen a hungry bear's enthusiasm for garbage, wildlife experts said, is to use bear-resistant trash cans. The commission is looking at the cost and logistics of buying them for affected areas.

In Volusia County, where some homeowners associations require the containers, encounters with bears dropped 95 percent, Bergeron said.

"You are not going to stop bears coming into neighborhoods from just having a hunt," he said. "Hunting is a management tool for when the population is greater than the environment. Then it's appropriate. First of all, you have to have all your science and assessments in place."