By Patricia Lee – Owner: www.Destinites.com
In our local’s Facebook group this month (www.Facebook.com/groups/Destinites), there was some discussion about Florida bringing back black bear hunting. Listed below are concerns expressed by Destin area locals. The black bear population has risen across the state by 4,050 since 2015, at the time of the last hunt. It was a planned seven-day event, but was closed after two days due to rules being violated, such as: 1. Some hunters were unlicensed. 2. Pregnant bears and cubs were killed. 3. Hunters were caught using bait which had been prohibited. Dare we think things will be different this time? No doubt hunting will take place in the Panhandle area, as it is one of the more heavily black bear populated regions of Florida.
Here are some responses by our Destinites Facebook group members:
1. They will be killing cubs and their moms.
- Rules will be broken again. People are uneducated on how to legally go about the hunt.
- They are not letting just anyone bear hunt and you’ve got to pay a good bit to even try and get to see an animal. I only see maybe one time a year or so while I’m hunting…They ain’t easy to find.
4. Florida is now the state to which the ultra-rich flock (at least they have second homes in Miami). There is plenty of money flowing in this state without killing bears if you want to look at it that way – every Florida resident should be concerned about its unique ecosystem (no party lines in this) – much different than all other states. I was just looking at how much concrete Seaside has now compared to how very green it used to naturally be (30A posted an aerial view). If you don’t actively preserve Florida year after year, it will be gone.
5. They are only giving a few tags out…not everyone can do so. You can’t go buy it like a fishing license… bunch of hoops they make you go through, then and only then you get the chance to get out in a drawing. So, to get a zone, you’re allowed to get a chance to kill one, which will probably be tagged or something and you got to check it in regardless. So, you can’t just go outside and shoot one—just like you can’t speed or text and drive—not legal but still gonna happen.
6. The idea of planting food that bears eat into the woods and wetlands areas was a really good one – also a few ponds stocked with certain types of fish might help. Not sure why some of them can’t be relocated to the wildlife corridor the state has been funding. Opening up a hunt like this will have ripple consequences – some very serious.
7. The public gets to weigh in – that’s why they have meetings to vote and even announce an agenda ahead of time. The moment the *proposal* went forth, it became everybody’s business – at least all Florida residents. Right now, it’s in the “update the rules“ phase, but a lot can happen between now and December.If you are a Destin resident or in the close surrounding area, I invite you to join our private, targeted group for locals and property owners at Facebook.com/groups/Destiniteswith 12,000+ members (Est. Oct. 2018). Check out our local business directory at Destinites.com where 400+ local businesses are already listed and enjoy advertising in our targeted group.
