Anti-Hunters Try to Hijack Florida’s Bear Hunt Lottery, But Will It Backfire?

Florida is preparing for its first regulated black bear hunt in a decade, but the season has already turned into a political fight. Instead of arguing in court or rallying outside government buildings, anti-hunting groups are attempting something new: flooding the permit lottery in hopes of keeping hunters out of the woods.

The Protest Tactic

Groups like the Sierra Club, Speak Up Wekiva, and Bear Defenders are openly encouraging their supporters to buy as many $5 lottery entries as possible. The plan is simple—if they win one of the 172 available tags, they won’t use it. Every permit they sit on means one less hunter can legally participate.

“We’ll put in a few times or a few hundred times. It’s an equal opportunity to enter this. I must admit, I’m not a good marksman. I may kill a bear with kindness,” said Chuck O’Neal, president of Speak Up Wekiva, in an interview with Naples Daily News.

O’Neal admitted to submitting more than 100 applications himself, saying he plans to “hunt with a camera” if selected.

Supporters of the bear hunt say this scheme twists the spirit of Florida’s 2024 constitutional amendment—Amendment 2—which was passed with overwhelming support and explicitly protects hunting and fishing as “the preferred means of responsibly managing and controlling fish and wildlife.”

Bear Management Isn’t Theoretical

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says the hunt is necessary to manage a rapidly growing black bear population that has surged from just a few hundred in the 1970s to well over 4,000 today. Some experts estimate the current population could already exceed 7,000.

That growth has led to more dangerous encounters. On May 5, 2025, Florida recorded its first fatal black bear attack when 89-year-old Robert Markel was killed near Jerome, Florida. According to investigators, Markel’s camper was ransacked, his dog killed, and his body dragged into the woods. The bear even attempted to cover the body with leaves and dirt—a behavior typical of predators protecting prey.

As Dean Weingarten reported in AmmoLand News, “A fatality was nearly inevitable with a rapidly expanding black bear population in Florida and increasing bear-human conflicts.”

The Right to Defend Against Bears

The tragedy came less than a year after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB87, a law restoring the right of Floridians to defend themselves, their pets, and their homes from aggressive bears. Since the law took effect in July 2024, there have already been several recorded cases of Floridians lawfully killing bears in self-defense.

In one case, a Fort Walton Beach man shot a bear 12 times with a pistol after it knocked over his griddle and advanced toward him and his wife. “I felt extremely threatened and thought the bear was going to come through the door,” he told wildlife officers.

Despite anti-hunting groups warning of mass killings, the numbers remain small. Most bears in Florida still die in vehicle accidents—roughly 293 per year. By contrast, defensive kills under the new law accounted for fewer than 10 in its first year—insignificant to the population but critical for the safety of residents.

Could the Protest Backfire?

Wildlife officials say the anti-hunting tactic may not work the way its organizers hope. Applicants still need to pass a hunter safety course, demonstrate that they can shoot and handle a gun safely, and purchase a $100 resident or $300 non-resident license to claim their tag.

If they don’t follow through, the permit passes on to the next person in line.

George Warthen, Chief Conservation Officer for the FWC, told MeatEater, “When the season ends, we’ll look through the data that comes back and see what our harvest success rates were. If we didn’t reach those harvest objectives this year, we may consider increasing the number of permits available for next year.”

Mark Lance of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation said even if anti-hunters succeed in claiming tags, they are still paying into conservation: “Honestly, having the anti-hunters paying into conservation through entering the lottery is a win-win.”

In other words, by trying to stop the hunt, activists may end up funding it—and even expanding it in the future.

Derailing Proven Conservation Methods

Florida’s bear hunt is scheduled for December 6–28 across four management zones. Bears must weigh at least 100 pounds, and cubs cannot be present at the time of harvest.

For hunters, this season is about more than just filling a freezer or mounting a trophy. It’s about proving that regulated hunting remains the best, science-backed tool for managing wildlife—and protecting Floridians from the dangers of an unmanaged population.

As Weingarten noted after Florida’s first fatal bear attack, if the victim “had been able to access nearly any type of firearm, it is likely he would not have been killed. Black bears usually stop attacking if they are hurt or wounded.”

That hard reality underscores why conservation through hunting—and the right to armed self-defense—remain essential in Florida.

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