FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — One of the 172 hunters selected in a state lottery for the right to hunt a Florida black bear said he plans to use the permit as intended: to harvest a bear. Each permit holder is allowed to take one animal.

But many of those hunts won’t happen.

The Sierra Club of Florida says at least 52 of the permits were secured by animal advocates who have no intention of using them. In addition, a group called Bear Warriors United is offering remaining permit holders $2,000 each not to hunt.

“The people who approved the hunt were political appointees. And that’s why we’re calling on Governor DeSantis to step in and call off the hunt,” said Susanna Randolph of the Sierra Club of Florida.

In 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill authorizing lethal force against bears that threaten people, pets or homes.

In May, a bear killed a Collier County man and his dog — the first fatal bear attack ever recorded in Florida. The governor’s administration supports this year’s bear hunt.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reinstated the hunt after a 10-year hiatus, saying the bear population has rebounded from near extinction to more than 5,000 statewide.

Jason Howard, one of the selected hunters, said his intentions are practical, not trophy-driven.

“I don’t trophy hunt. When I deer hunt, I don’t hunt for antlers, it’s for the meat,” Howard said. “I enjoy deer meat, turkey meat and I hope to enjoy bear meat as well.”

Beginning in 2027, FWC will allow bear hunters to use dogs to track bears. The Sierra Club says it will fight that rule change.

“It’s extraordinarily cruel, not just to the bears, but to the dogs. I mean, you lose dogs in the course of bear hunting,” Randolph said.

More than 160,000 hunters applied for the 172 available bear hunt permits. Hunting is restricted to four designated areas, none in South Florida. The season runs through Dec. 28.

Animal advocates buy up bear hunt permits as Florida’s first hunt in a decade begins

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Jacey Birch