After years of bear population increases and growing numbers of human-bear conflicts, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted 4-1 last May to open a limited bear hunt for the first time since 2015.

Not surprisingly, the proposed season has sparked a backlash from anti-hunting groups and underscores the ongoing debate in some states about who should manage wildlife: residents in largely urban centers with little to no background in wildlife issues or the professionals of state fish and wildlife agencies? While the answer may seem obvious, emotionally charged campaigns backing statewide referendums looking to close hunting seasons have clouded the role of some state fish and wildlife agencies.

Between 2002 and 2015, Florida bear populations expanded by 50 percent according to state assessments. At the same time, the black bear range grew from 17 percent of the state’s landmass to more than half of it. Moreover, bear populations in Florida have risen from merely several hundred in the 1970s to more than 4,000 today.

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