Related coverage: Conservationists protest Florida’s first bear hunt in a decade

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — This Saturday, December 6th, marks the commencement of the Florida black bear hunting season, a significant event as it returns for the first time in ten years.

Back in 1994, hunting black bears was banned statewide due to a dramatic decline in their numbers. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, however, reopened the hunt in 2015 following a notable recovery in the bear population. This hunt was brief, lasting only two days, as the number of bears culled nearly matched the set “harvest objective” of 320.