State wildlife officials to consider another bear hunt

Florida wildlife officials will consider whether to hold another bear hunt at their quarterly meeting.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will listen to four proposals during a Wednesday meeting in Eastpoint, which is in the Florida Panhandle.

Commission staff has recommended a hunt broken into three, four-day periods, where hunters would apply for permits on a first-come, first-served basis for specific dates and areas.

They will also hear proposals that include holding another hunt that has the same rules as last year, not holding another hunt until 2017 or putting a hunt off indefinitely.

Last year, hunters killed 304 bears in the state’s first hunt in more than 20 years. Opponents of bear hunting held 28 protests around the state last weekend.

Reprinted with permission of The Associated Press