Bear hunt or no bear hunt? Survey takes the pulse of Floridians on controversial subject
Getting Floridian's opinions about the possibility of there being a black bear hunt later this year is getting more and more popular.
Most likely for two reasons:
On May 5 and man and his dog were attacked and mauled by a black bear in Collier County. It was the first ever bear attack in Florida that resulted in the death of a person.
Because this week (May 7) a draft of a proposal for a 2025 bear hunt will be presented to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commissioners and is expected to be ready for public review.
Bear hunt or no bear hunt? The mauling death this week will certainly add fuel to a fire that has both sides stating strong cases.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) held three virtual public feedback meetings in April for the proposed return of the bear hunt. The meetings discussed proposals based on comments from a public meeting on March 13, as well as meetings with stakeholders groups.
More: Florida bear hunt: conversation is passionate. Here's what both sides are saying about it
According to the FWC presentation, a proposed harvest quota of 187 bears was selected to reach the number of females needed to achieve a zero percent bear population growth.
The proposal indicates that a total of 55 will be permitted for harvest from Lee, Collier and Hendry counties.
Remington Research Group recently conducted a statewide public opinion survey in Florida to gauge voter sentiment on bear hunting in the state.
The data obtained from the survey provides a clear and consistent message: Florida votersoverwhelmingly reject reopening bear hunting in the state and strongly support humane, non-lethal approaches to managing wildlife conflicts. According to the analysis, "this sentiment cuts across awareness levels and persists even when voters are presented with arguments for hunting."
The survey was commissioned by Humane World for Animals and conducted by Remington Research Group.
81% of Floridians oppose the reopening of recreational hunting of Florida's black bears.
After being informed that Florida law already allows lethal force if a bear threatens people, pets, or property, 78% still opposegeneral recreational hunting of bears.
There is extreme opposition to inhumane hunting practices.
89% oppose allowing hunters to use packs of hounds to chase and kill bears.
86% oppose the use of baiting practices where food lures are used to ambush bears.
A strong majority (81%) supportprioritizing humane and effective methods to reduce bear-human conflicts, such as public education and securing trash or bird feeders.
The survey was conducted April 22 through April 24, 2025.
500 voters in Florida participated in the survey.
The survey was weighted to match statewide voter demographics.
Margin of Error is +/-4% with a 95% level of confidence.
Totals do not always equal 100% due to rounding.
The News-Press and Naples Daily News also have a poll about the proposed 2025 bear hunt. More than 3,000 votes have been case. You can vote here, or in this interactive voting tool:
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Florida bear attack: Will there be a hunt for bears in 2025?
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