A large, black bear was spotted walking through a Central Florida neighborhood Monday morning, less than three weeks before Florida's statewide bear hunt is scheduled to begin.

Neighbors caught the bear on camera as it roamed through the Stoneywood subdivision of Errol Estates, in Apopka.

Part of the reason the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the bear hunt, which is set to begin Oct. 24, is because some homeowners argued bears like this are getting too close and too aggressive.

Wildlife officials have already sold more than 2,000 bear hunting permits since they went on sale in August.

According to the rules, no more than 320 bears can be killed statewide.


(Debbie Robbins McGuire, Viewer)

The group known as Speak Up Wekiva has tried to get a judge in Tallahassee to stop the bear hunt, but the judge ruled last week the hunt can proceed as planned.

However, the group claims FWC has no way to effectively enforce the permits, or to ensure hunters are following the rules already set in place.

Starting Monday, Speak Up Wekiva called on volunteers to act as "Bear Hunt Monitors." Organizers said they want people to help document the hunt by taking pictures of vehicles carrying dead bears, so they can match license plates with the permit list.

Speak Up Wekiva is also asking the monitors to blow air horns to alert hunters when the hunt has been called off, and afterward enter into the wooded areas to help find any orphaned cubs.

A protest is planned this weekend in Umatilla.


(Debbie Robbins McGuire, Viewer)