TAMPA, Fla. — Florida's first black bear hunt in nearly a decade begins Saturday, with 172 people selected through a lottery system. While some view it as the hunting opportunity of a lifetime, others said they are using their selection to save bears by choosing not to hunt.
WATCH: Florida's first black bear hunt since 2015 has lottery winners split between hunting and protesting
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the controversial hunt in August after receiving more than 163,000 applications from over 19,000 people. Through a records request, Tampa Bay 28 reporter Annette Gutierrez learned that 31 people in the Tampa Bay viewing area were selected for the hunt, which goes from December 6 through December 28.
Among those selected are Nathaniel Miller from Lakeland, who plans to hunt, and Joel Cleveland from Tampa, who does not.
"I'm truly blessed. It's an amazing opportunity to do something like this local. I never have an opportunity to travel to Canada or somewhere else where they do bear hunts," Miller said.
Cleveland, however, sees his selection differently. He said he is among about 50 selected participants who will not hunt, effectively saving bears.
"I am not planning to hunt," Cleveland said. "If I could save one, I was going to do it. It's a financial obligation, but I was willing to, to do that, as an active environmentalist and conservationist."
Cleveland criticized the hunt as unscientific and pointed to problems with the 2015 bear hunt, when over 300 bears were killed in just a couple of days.
"The part I have an issue with is that it's not based in science - this black bear hunt - it's ill-conceived," Cleveland said. "I don't oppose hunting in general. It's just targeted species such as the black bear. It's not sustainable and it's not based on good biological science," Cleveland said.
Miller, a longtime hunter, emphasized his commitment to responsible hunting practices. He said this year's hunt has stricter regulations compared to 2015 - including prohibitions against killing mother bears and their cubs.
"There are fewer tags this year than there were 10 years ago by a significant amount, and it's in small pots within Florida, not the entire state. Us hunters want to be responsible. We're going to take the time to follow the rules. We have to look at the information we're provided, and this is part of population control when we do this responsibly," Miller said.
Share Your Story with Annette
Annette Gutierrez knows safety is important for every community. She’s focused on finding solutions and getting results for both crime and our roads. She takes pride in sharing stories from Sarasota and Manatee counties, so send Annette tips on how she can help.
.
Lightning fan suffers seizure, crashes car en route to game
Tyler Murdoch and his girlfriend Emily survived a terrifying car crash on their way to a Bolts game, then came the life-changing news.
