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Bear attacks man in Florida on eve of first legal hunt in 20 years

State officials hope to trim the black bear population by 320, with careful counting of the number of bears taken by hunters.

By Stephen Feller

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 24 (UPI) -- The first legal bear hunting season in Florida opened a little before sunrise on October 24. Before the first hunters made it to approved hunt zones, however, a bear struck first by attacking a man at a hotel in Eastpoint.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission took action earlier this year to bring back bear season as the bear population has rebounded in recent years and human-bear conflicts have become more common.

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The hunt is set to run from October 24 through October 30, unless the FWC's harvest objective is met before then.

The commission is approving licenses to hunt black bears in four of the state's seven bear management units and specific lands in those areas. A total of 320 bears will be permitted during the hunt, with hunters expected to bring the animals to counting stations as they kill them.

Bear hunting has been illegal since 1972, when the number of black bears in Florida was in the low hundreds. There are more than 3,000 of the 200- to 300-pound animals now, with attacks increasing -- motivating the state to hold a limited hunt.

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The final number of bear permits granted before the hunt was 3,778, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Each permit allows a hunter to kill one bear, with the bears brought to a checking station to be photographed, weighed, measured and for hair and other samples taken for identification by the state.

Small groups of protesters who oppose the hunt showed up at some checking stations, taking pictures of hunters while overseeing the process. They maintain that hunting the bears is unnecessary and wrong, and that better maintenance and awareness of the animals could prevent potential conflicts with humans.

"This hunt is completely unnecessary and it's not supported by science or by public sentiment," said Kate MacFall, Florida state director for The Humane Society, in a press release. "Research overwhelmingly shows that hunting bears in the woods doesn't reduce problems with bears in neighborhoods. The state would be better off helping citizens manage trash and outdoor food sources."

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