Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commissioners unanimously voted Wednesday in favor of reviving controversial black bear hunting and approved rules for future hunts, including dog-hunting teams, baiting, and archery. This will be the first black bear hunt in Florida since 2015.

The FWC estimates that there are about 4,000 black bears in the Sunshine State, up from several hundreds in the 1970s.

Proponents of the hunt argue that black bear encounters have become more and more common in recent years, and a regulated hunt will keep their population in check, decreasing unwanted bear-human encounters. But the move, voted on at a Wednesday commission meeting in Havana, Florida, seems to fly in the face of public opinion, with a majority of the 168 people who signed up to speak

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