Florida
Florida bear hunt sparks tension as groups buy up permits, offer cash to hunters
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida’s bear hunt has roared back to life, with hunters expected to kill “several dozen” black bears as activists scramble to pay them not to.
For the next three weeks hunters are expected to kill “several dozen” Florida black bears, according to WESH.
Bear advocacy groups protested, petitioned and even dragged the state to court — all attempts to stop the hunt before it began. None worked. So activists pivoted to a new strategy: pay the hunters not to pull the trigger.
Florida non-profit Bear Warriors United is offering $2,000 to any hunter with a permit who’s willing to take the bench this season. Another local group, the Sierra Club of Florida says its members and allies have secured 52 of the states 172 permits.
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Sierra Club Florida Director Susannah Randolph told WESH she hopes that the FWC is keeping a close eye on how many bears each hunter kills. She noted that there has been chatter online among hunters wanting to “settle the score” now that dozens of hunters were bought out — even though taking more than one bear would amount to poaching.
“I don’t trophy hunt. When I deer hunt, I don’t hunt for antlers,” Hunter Jason Howard told WESH. “It’s for meat. I enjoy deer meat, wild hog meat, turkey meat and I hope to enjoy bear meat as well.”
For advocates, the debate doesn’t end when the season does. Randolph says she’s alarmed by FWC’s plans to eventually allow dog-hunting of black bears, calling it “extremely cruel” and noting that even former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi prosecuted dog-hunting cases.
The only certainty in this year’s hunt is that debate is far from hibernating.
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