Florida approves first black bear hunt since 2015

• Critics, who held numerous protests in the months leading up to Wednesday's vote, say that an updated count is needed and that the hunting methods approved by the FWC are cruel.

The latest: The FWC voted 5-0 on Wednesday to approve a 23-day season in December that will permit hunters to kill 187 bears in specific hunting areas across Florida, per the Tampa Bay Times.

• Hunting will be permitted in four bear management zones, including a south zone encompassing all or parts of Lee, Hendry and Collier counties — but not including Big Cypress National Preserve — per a FWC presentation.
• Hunters selected in a lottery will be allowed to kill one bear from one of the zones, per the Associated Press.
• They will not be allowed to kill cubs or mothers with young, but they will be allowed to hunt with bow and arrow and also bait bears, per multiple outlets.

Flashback: The permit cap is a change from the state's last hunt in 2015, when unlimited permits were approved, leading to an early end to the season after more bears were killed than anticipated.

• Hunters also killed 38 females with cubs during the 2015 season, the AP reports.

What's next: This year's hunt will take place from Dec. 6 to Dec. 28, per the AP.

• The FWC expects to see future bear hunts between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, pending further study, the wire service reports.
• In future years, hunters would be allowed to use dogs to chase down bears, per the AP.