Florida is on the brink of legalizing one of the most brutal hunting methods imaginable: using packs of dogs to chase, harass, and corner black bears. This practice—often called hounding—has been banned or heavily restricted in many states because of its extreme cruelty to both wildlife and the dogs forced into these encounters. Now, unless the public speaks out, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) may approve it.

How Hounding Works

Hounding is not “hunting” in any traditional sense. It is the staged pursuit of a wild animal using GPS-collared hounds that are released miles away from the hunter. These dogs are trained to do the dirty work:

• They pursue the bear relentlessly for miles

• They force the bear to run to exhaustion

• They surround, nip, bite, and terrorize the bear until it climbs a tree

• The hunter then walks in, shoots the bear at point-blank range, and poses for social media

This process has nothing to do with subsistence or wildlife management. It is recreational animal cruelty, dressed up as sport.

Why It’s Inherently Cruel

Bears are intelligent, sentient animals. Being chased by dogs is not a “natural predator-prey interaction”—it is an artificial pursuit orchestrated for entertainment. The suffering inflicted is severe:

For the Bear

• Extreme adrenaline spikes and dangerous levels of stress

• Heat exhaustion, especially in Florida’s climate

• Injuries from bites, falls, and collisions

• Cubs separated from mothers, leading to orphaning and slow death

• A guaranteed fatal outcome once treed

No wildlife biologist would call this humane. There is no quick kill.

For the Dogs

Hounds are often:

• Injured or killed by defensive bears

• Abandoned when they aren’t “aggressive enough”

• Left in cramped kennels, chained yards, or training pens

• Exposed to parasites, malnutrition, and neglect

The practice is so dangerous that hunters routinely rely on state compensation programs when their dogs are killed—programs funded by taxpayers.

FWC’s Push to Allow It

Despite nationwide backlash and the disastrous 2015 bear hunt, Florida is considering adding hounding as an approved method in a future black bear hunt. This has nothing to do with science—FWC’s own biologists have repeatedly acknowledged that:

• The bear population has never been properly counted statewide

• Hounding makes enforcement impossible

• It increases conflicts by teaching bears to associate humans, homes, and roads with food

• It leads to high injury rates and chaotic, unregulated activity in the woods

Your forests will be filled with trucks, GPS hounds, trespassing issues, and running packs of dogs. Wildlife will pay the price.

Florida Law Already Recognizes This as Cruelty

Florida’s own animal cruelty statutes define cruelty broadly:

Any act that “unnecessarily tortures, torments, or causes unjustifiable pain or suffering” to an animal is cruelty under §828.12, Fla. Stat.

In Mikell v. Henderson (1953), the Florida Supreme Court clearly acknowledged that causing animals to fight or tormenting them is legally recognized cruelty, even when done as part of a “sport” or “tradition.”

If forcing roosters to fight is cruelty under Florida law, then chasing a bear for miles with aggressive hounds—inflicting psychological and physical torment—is unquestionably cruelty. No modern wildlife agency should be promoting it.

Why This Matters

Legalizing hounding doesn’t just harm bears—it changes who we are as a state.

Florida families hike these forests. We photograph our wildlife. We want to protect our natural heritage, not hand it over to a fringe group of trophy hunters.

This isn’t about hunting. It’s about basic decency.

What You Can Do

• Share this page

• Contact your FWC commissioners

• Attend FWC meetings and speak during public comment

• Support organizations investigating and documenting hounding practices

• Submit photos, videos, or tips anonymously

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