Rocker Ted Nugent snaps up Florida bear hunting permit

Ted Nugent, along with over 1,000 other hunters, will be heading into the Florida woods to pursue black bear.

“Fish and Wildlife commissioners are acting against the interests of Floridians, science and Florida black bears”, said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

The state’s bear hunt has been a controversial topic for several months, and the fight continues even as permits are slated to go on sale.

Wildlife officials estimate the state’s bear population at about 3,000.

The musician, known to fans as the “Motor City Madman”, echoed the complaints of many Florida residents when he pointed out that there was a surplus of bears, and the population is becoming a risky liability for the state. Using hunting as one of the main methods to cull the bears, the agency expects hunters to harvest about 320 of the animals during a limited, seven-day hunt in October. A bear rebound, as well as an increase in the number of nuisance calls and bears killed by cars, have been cited as reasons for the hunt. The season will vary between units, with some just set for two-day hunts while others could see a full week.

At that rate, there could be more hunters than bears by the time late October rolls around. No bait or dogs can be used while animals harvested must be mature and ideally over 100 pounds in weight. This will be the first such hunt in the state in 21 years. It had been seen often in a suburban area and, a regular at local garbage cans, had lost its fear of humans.

For more information, visit the FWC bear permit website.