Bear harvest permit applications opened Friday, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
RELATED: Florida officials greenlight December bear hunt, set quota at 187
Officials said a bear harvest permit is required to hunt bears in one of the four selected Bear Harvest Zones from Dec. 6-28. A hunting license is also required, unless exempt.
The hunt is planned to be limited to 68 bears in the Apalachicola region, 46 in areas west of Jacksonville, 18 in an area north of Orlando, and 55 in the Big Cypress region, bringing the total to 187 bears to be possibly killed.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old by Oct. 1 to apply and may apply as many times as they want for $5 per application.
Permits will be distributed by random drawing. Only one nontransferable permit may be issued per person, and permits will cost $100 for residents and $300 for nonresidents, plus handling fees.
No more than 10% of all permits issued will be to nonresidents.
RELATED: Protesters in Riverside voice concerns about FWC’s proposals for potential black bear hunt
Hunters will be able to submit online applications at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com by logging into their account and choosing “Apply for Limited Entry/Quota Permits” or by completing an application worksheet and presenting it to a license agent or Florida tax collector’s office.
Hunters can find more information on how to apply by going to MyFWC.com/License and clicking on “Limited Entry and Quota Permits.” Visit MyFWC.com/BearHunting for more information on bear hunting in Florida.