Interestingly, a “bear biologist” from the FWC named Orlando said the bear became captured in a trap set by the FWC. The bear appeared to be three years old and weighed 180 pounds. After tagging and collecting biological data, the FWC dropped the bear off in the Ocala National Forest.

My experiences with bears, though limited, has been rewarding. I first encountered one at the age of 14 while hunting with my dad in the Fakahatchee Strand east of Naples. The area, now closed to hunting, featured a dirt road with offshoot trails into the swampy sloughs and forests. I got comfy in my tree stand, looked to my left and saw a small black bear shaking a tree. Though bears could be taken then, I had no interest in shooting it, instead watching for nearly an hour as it mucked about for food, turned over logs and finally sashayed out of view.

The next sighting took place while hunting, this time with my 14-year-old son along. We stood near a clearing and bushes shook mightily as we heard something big moving through the brush. Twigs snapped as our hearts raced, the barrels of our rifles pointed downward in case a hunter rather than a trophy deer made an appearance.

It turned out to be neither, as a gorgeous black bear emerged, its black coast shimmering in the sunlight. Less than 30 feet from us, it quickly stopped, sniffed, looked us in the eyes and took off in a hurry. What a great vision that still is.

With bears still protected from hunting and increasing in range, encounters with humans are inevitable. The FWC’s Mike Orlando says to these steps: Don’t approach, feed or chase a bear, and instead just give it room to escape. Call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) if necessary for any problematic encounters with a wild animal.

In the meantime, I hope you also enjoy a peaceful meeting with a black bear in Florida’s outdoors. I’m looking forward to my next one as well.