Florida black bear hunt is set to begin in three days

Hailey Heseltine editor@riverbendnews.org The first sanctioned hunting season for Florida black bears in a decade starts on Saturday, Dec. 6. During the season, which is planned to last until Saturday, Dec. 28, 172 total bears are set to be removed from the population across four zones in the state, with one bear harvest equivalent to one permit issued. Well over 163,000 hunters applied for one of the 172 permits. The final claim window ended Monday, Nov. 3, and the hunt is set to begin soon amid mixed reactions. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the regulated bear hunting season is being reopened to manage population growth in the most crow