Florida is preparing for its first regulated black bear hunt in a decade, but the season has already turned into a political fight. Instead of arguing in court or rallying outside government buildings, anti-hunting groups are attempting something new: flooding the permit lottery in hopes of keeping hunters out of the woods.
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The Protest Tactic
Groups like the Sierra Club, Speak Up Wekiva, and Bear Defenders are openly encouraging their supporters to buy as many $5 lottery entries as possible. The plan is simple—if they win one of the 172 available tags, they won’t use it. Every permit they sit on means one less hunter can legally participate.
“We’ll put in a few times or a few hundred times. It’s an equal opportunity to enter this. I must admit, I’m not a good marksman. I may kill a bear with kindness,” said Chuck O’Neal, president of Speak Up Wekiva, in an interview with Naples Daily News.
O’Neal admitted to submitting more than 100 applications himself, saying he plans to “hunt with a camera” if selected.
Click the link to read the whole article: Anti-Hunters Try to Hijack Florida’s Bear Hunt Lottery
