Jason Shoaf

Stories

Florida’s black bear hunt returns: science, politics and a once–threatened species

Led legislative push to loosen rules on killing bears in ‘self‑defense’

Florida launched a state-sanctioned black bear hunt on December 6, 2025, the first since 2015. The state allowed 172 lottery-selected permit holders to kill one bear each across four hunting zones. Only 52 bears were harvested by season's end on December 28, per FWC data released December 29.

Updated May 10

Notable Quotes

Shoaf has described the law as necessary for residents facing bears “inside their very homes,” while critics say it was “created by and for people looking for any excuse to be able to hunt and kill a bear.”([wfit.org](https://www.wfit.org/florida/2024-03-11/floridians-can-stand-their-ground-and-kill-threatening-bears-under-bill-going-to-desantis?utm_source=openai))

from Florida’s black bear hunt returns: science, politics and a once–threatened species · Updated May 10