Defending Florida's Black Bear Hunting

Florida’s black bear hunt is back, and the real story is bigger than the headlines. Kody Bidwell breaks down how a decade of science, politics, and public pressure led to a tightly managed season that’s already changing the conversation around conservation, access, and the value of wildlife.

Robbie Kroger sits down with Bidwell, the new Florida lead for All Florida, to unpack what happened after the controversial 2015 bear hunt, why this reset took years, and how FWC built a more defensible system around bear management units, DNA-based population estimates, and permit numbers tied to habitat and harvest data.

You’ll discover:
Why only 4 of Florida’s 7 bear management units are huntable
How FWC uses DNA, hair snares, and population modeling to set tag numbers
Why the 2025 season increased to 193 permits after last year’s 172
How conservation funding became part of the debate
What private-land bear permits require
Why the hunt is not a free-for-all
How Florida’s right-to-hunt-and-fish amendment changed the political landscape
This conversation goes beyond bears and explores a larger truth: when wildlife is managed well, it gains value—and when it gains value, people protect it.