Florida receives 163,459 bear hunt applications for 172 permits

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the application results Tuesday for the state’s first black bear hunt in a decade: 163,459 applications were submitted for 172 permits.

That means hunters who applied for a bear hunting permit have around a 0.1% chance, on average, of actually getting one.

Permit allocations will be split across four bear hunting zones, and depending on the zone, odds of getting a permit can be slightly better, or much worse than the average.

The East Panhandle Zone will have a total of 68 bear hunting permits issued. That zone received 28,966 applications, meaning hunters have a 0.23% chance of being awarded the chance to purchase one in the lottery.

The North Zone will only have 31 permits — meaning the 34,120 applicants will have a 0.09% chance of getting one.

The South Zone received 50,724 applicants for 55 permits, which means each hunter has a 0.1% chance of being selected in the lottery.

It is the Central Zone where the odds are worst for hunters hoping to be selected in the permit lottery. The zone has the smallest number of permits available at 18, but was a close second for the number of permit applications received (49,649). That means hunters in the Central Zone will have just a 0.03% chance of actually being selected in the lottery.

Each application cost $5, so the bear hunt application process netted the state $817,295 — which, according to the FWC, will be used for conservation in the state.

If a Florida resident is chosen in the permit lottery, the permit itself will cost $100. For out-of-state hunters, the cost will be $300.

A statement from FWC did not say when the lottery itself will take place, but hunters will be notified by email if they have been selected and will have until Oct. 6 to claim their permit.

“Any unclaimed permits after the deadline will be available to the next person ‘waiting in line,’” the FWC statement said.

The Florida black bear hunting season in the four zones will run from Dec. 6-28.

For more information on the upcoming hunt, visit the FWC 2025 Florida Black Bear Hunt website.