Bearly Legal
đȘđ» First it was the alligators. Then the snakes. Well bears, youâre next on the chopping block. Literally.
Floridaâs wildlife has been in the hot seat lately, and the latest to feel the heat? Black bears. At this weekâs FWC meeting in Ocala, Commissioners voted to move forward with plans that could reopen regulated bear hunting in Florida. If all goes through, the 2025â26 hunting season could be open season for Smokey and friends.
Now before you start checking your backyard for paw printsâyes, Southshore folks, this does matter to us.
Our area may not be the bear capital of Florida, but with development pushing farther into nature, and nature pushing right back, donât be shocked if Yogi starts making grocery runs to your trash bins. Bear populations are booming across the state, and the FWC says hunting could help slow the growth before things get too grizzly (pun very intended).
Of course, they also admitted hunting wonât stop bear break-insâso if youâve been skipping the bear-proof trash lids in favor of hope and prayer⊠maybe upgrade that strategy.
đŁ The public has been very vocal: FWC got over 17,000 comments about the idea. Which, letâs be honest, might be more input than your HOA gets in an entire decade.
So whether youâre team âmanage the bearsâ or team âleave them be,â this oneâs worth keeping an eye onâespecially as more wildlife wanders into our neck of the woods.
đ Learn more about the proposed rules: MyFWC.com/BearHunting
đŸ Bear safety tips that donât involve yelling âshoo!â at a 400 lb. animal: BearWise.org
đ What do you think, Southshore? Common-sense conservation or bad news bears?