2016 Bear Numbers Released

huntsflorida · March 2016

Here are this years numbers...

AllenR · March 2016

Very low and conservative, IMHO

BuckDaddy · March 2016

My first thought was that the Big Bend & S. Central #'s were low... If you read the "fine print" at the bottom of the image... The 4350 includes no "new" estimates in Big Bend & South Central BMU's since 2010 & 2011, respectively...

huntmstr · March 2016

You also have to take into account that these numbers are on ADULT BEARS ONLY. Once you add in cub numbers, the population begins to approach or exceed the 6,000 mark. Now, I agree that some of the numbers seem a little low, especially in the Big Bend area. But we have to remember that bear densities can vary dramatically in a short range of distance due to available habitat and especially food and pressure. Most of the Big Bend region (which is Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Levy, Dixie, Lafayette & Gilchrist Counties) really only has about 30 bears in isolation along Chasahowitzka/Homosassa area. They are not estimating bears at all in the remainder of the area and that is a mistake. Those of us who hunt or have hunted in northern Gilchrist and Lafayette on private lands know there are significantly more bears in that area. However, the majority of those bears are actually included in the counts for the North and East Panhandle regions. FWC purposefully did this so that the Big Bend numbers (which they consider the Chaz/Homosassa bears) would not seem inflated.

doghunter · March 2016

Does anyone know if the bear hunt will be a yearly thing or not?

Turner River Terror · March 2016

I hunt Big Bend like it's a job.
Hard and at least a Month and a half. Never seen a bear or sign. Down here at the Main Lodge just East of Naples their digging in my trash can and mowing down my fence at night...

Lc-hunter86 · March 2016

doghunter wrote: »

Does anyone know if the bear hunt will be a yearly thing or not?

its not quite at yearly status yet. They will be voting on it again in months to come...

binellishtr · March 2016

it's going to be real hard to take it away again..esp after a successful season last yr

AllenR · March 2016

Turner River Terror wrote: »

I hunt Big Bend like it's a job.
Hard and at least a Month and a half. Never seen a bear or sign. Down here at the Main Lodge just East of Naples their digging in my trash can and mowing down my fence at night...

I will assure you there are bears in your lease. They are in Tide swamp across from you, and in Triple creek on the other side

Mackokid · March 2016

Numbers do look lower than expected, however still much higher than the anti's are claiming!

surfman · March 2016

I hunt tide swamp often and talked to the gate keeper when he was there to see if any bears were taken, this is at the gate closest to Steinhatchee, and he said none were taken from there but he said that a hunter saw one crossing the road from Tide Swamp about a mile to the north. I am sure they are there.

Came across this in Jena once, I am pretty sure it is not from a raccoon.

The population numbers are kind of like the manatee numbers, manatees are only counted when they congregate at the power plants during winter, no one knows how many are swimming around in their natural winter habitat, the Florida Bay, maybe another 1000?

FloridaOD · March 2016

Apparently the outright Antis,some critics are making a point that the take nearest the Central Florida human attacks area was quite low.
As if that should even be a consideration....yet the hunt/human safety aspect continues to have four legs so to speak....

Turner River Terror · March 2016

AllenR wrote: »

I will assure you there are bears in your lease. They are in Tide swamp across from you, and in Triple creek on the other side

I agree but like you said most of them are across the road in the Big Swamps.
Pine Flatlands with small Creek bottoms are not good eats for them.
I've never seen any sign..and I know what Sign looks like...got some in my yard.

huntmstr · March 2016

FloridaOD wrote: »

Apparently the outright Antis,some critics are making a point that the take nearest the Central Florida human attacks area was quite low.
As if that should even be a consideration....yet the hunt/human safety aspect continues to have four legs so to speak....

The only people promoting the notion that the hunt was conducted for the safety aspect of the hunt are the anti-hunters themselves. With all the lies, misinformation, congered theories, combative behavior, sophistry and general buffoonery taking place from their side, their crediility is slipping further and further away by the day. The worst of it is coming from Anthonly Rogers-Wright at Emvironmental Action.org and his emails which lack any credible information (despite their annotated source material), and from the coalition of clown shoes promoting the petition to list the bear under the ESA. That petition is predicated upon the less reliable 2002 count as a basis for the population but refuses to accept any newer data obtained on population modeling by FWC. It also lacks any consideration for breeding and cub recruitment in the last 14 years. To ca it off, their "expert team" of "scientists" have no experience or expertise in bear biology or Florida. They consists of a Swede, a Dane, A Slovenian, a Cannuck and one American from Duke who spends all his time in Africa modeling wildlife management scenarios which refuse to include any take of lions or elephants. Their antics and hysteria are beyond comical.

GatorCity · March 2016

Wow, who came up with the pop numbers for Big Bend, Hellen Keller???? I have hunted in Lafayette county off hwy 27 and 51 for the past 5 years. This was my last year. I'm over it. Bears everywhere in my club. FWC is DUMPING bears into South Bay and Triple Creek hunt clubs. I've got close to 1000 pics of multiple bears just on my club block. Even the hogs are now scarce. Bears ruin everything. They aren't as big a problem in Triple Creek because of the dogs, but South Bay is still hunt so they have safe harbor and are multiplying like rabbits.

Turner River Terror · March 2016

Bears are just Big Hogs. An area can only support so many of them.
When the food is low they will travel. Only so many in a Block.

N. Cook · April 2016

Bears have only a small spot on the FWC meeting agenda in Jupiter April 13/14 but there will be some of us encouraging ( and giving some needed support to the beleaguered Commissioners) the FWC to move forward with a bear hunt this Fall with similar rules as last year. (realistically, there may be some limits on permits but the open season last year worked well with the "cut off" and everyone who wanted to hunt bears got to hunt....)

Panhandler80 · April 2016

N. Cook wrote: »

Bears have only a small spot on the FWC meeting agenda in Jupiter April 13/14 but there will be some of us encouraging ( and giving some needed support to the beleaguered Commissioners) the FWC to move forward with a bear hunt this Fall with similar rules as last year. (realistically, there may be some limits on permits but the open season last year worked well with the "cut off" and everyone who wanted to hunt bears got to hunt....)

Yep! We all got to hunt. Sure enjoyed my 1/2 hunt. ;-) Could the lack of talk-time mean that a season this year is a forgone conclusion, or is that just me being optimistic?

N. Cook · April 2016

There is no guarantee for sure.....lots of pressure against the hunt, both public and behind the scenes, by the antis.....I expect some tightening of the rules....perhaps even quota permits...I do not like that and will be speaking against it at the FWC Commission Meeting in Jupiter April 13/14. This is a good time to simply contact the Commissioners and Nick Wiley and just let them know we support the bear hunts and appreciate their approval despite the anti hunting pressure...They are surely hearing from those against the hunts!

FloridaOD · April 2016

huntmstr wrote: »

The only people promoting the notion that the hunt was conducted for the safety aspect of the hunt are the anti-hunters themselves. With all the lies, misinformation, congered theories, combative behavior, sophistry and general buffoonery taking place from their side, their crediility is slipping further and further away by the day. The worst of it is coming from Anthonly Rogers-Wright at Emvironmental Action.org and his emails which lack any credible information (despite their annotated source material), and from the coalition of clown shoes promoting the petition to list the bear under the ESA. That petition is predicated upon the less reliable 2002 count as a basis for the population but refuses to accept any newer data obtained on population modeling by FWC. It also lacks any consideration for breeding and cub recruitment in the last 14 years. To ca it off, their "expert team" of "scientists" have no experience or expertise in bear biology or Florida. They consists of a Swede, a Dane, A Slovenian, a Cannuck and one American from Duke who spends all his time in Africa modeling wildlife management scenarios which refuse to include any take of lions or elephants. Their antics and hysteria are beyond comical.

10/4 Huntmaster; the folks you profile here represent the lowest common denominator in the equation,right in there with our own Governor's office,which promoted the hunt in the name of "protecting Florida families".

huntsflorida · April 2016

huntmstr wrote: »

The only people promoting the notion that the hunt was conducted for the safety aspect of the hunt are the anti-hunters themselves. With all the lies, misinformation, congered theories, combative behavior, sophistry and general buffoonery taking place from their side, their crediility is slipping further and further away by the day. The worst of it is coming from Anthonly Rogers-Wright at Emvironmental Action.org and his emails which lack any credible information (despite their annotated source material), and from the coalition of clown shoes promoting the petition to list the bear under the ESA. That petition is predicated upon the less reliable 2002 count as a basis for the population but refuses to accept any newer data obtained on population modeling by FWC. It also lacks any consideration for breeding and cub recruitment in the last 14 years. To ca it off, their "expert team" of "scientists" have no experience or expertise in bear biology or Florida. They consists of a Swede, a Dane, A Slovenian, a Cannuck and one American from Duke who spends all his time in Africa modeling wildlife management scenarios which refuse to include any take of lions or elephants. Their antics and hysteria are beyond comical.

Well said Chuck!

N. Cook · April 2016

Florida OD.....as has been said multiple times.....the FWC Commissioners and Staff stated from day one that the hunt would not have an important impact on bear "encounters" and the hunt was based on population situations in the BMUs....There were some comments from the public about increasing safety...and no doubt some in the state government picked up on the point...But...the "safety" idea was verbally and in print discounted over and over during the discussion by the FWC.

Personally, I do believe there will be a reduction in the incidents in urban areas as the people do the right things to not attract the bears...garbage and pet foods outdoors...AND.....as the population is reduced by HUNTING over time there will be the right amount of habitat to handle the bear population, a return to a "fear" of humans...and, importantly, fewer lesser males and females with cubs fleeing to escape the dominate males in the once overcrowded habitats.

surfman · April 2016

I agree, basically if they make any mention that it is about reducing bear/human encounters and then one happens they get crucified over it. I think that it will help but, as mentioned over and over again, if people don’t do what is necessary to stop it, it won’t stop.

2016 Bear Numbers Released

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