The new rules will establish bear hunting zones within four of the seven existing bear management units. The FWC says in total, 187 permits will be issued across the East Panhandle, North, Central, and South BMUs. Each permit will allow the harvest of one bear within the assigned bear hunting zone.

Supporters of the hunt have claimed that overpopulation of the bears has caused a nuisance in local communities and that a regulated hunt is needed to regulate their population. Black bear numbers have grown steadily after being classified as a “threatened” animal from 1974 to 2012 in the state. There are now an estimated 4,000 bears in Florida.

The first black bear hunt in Florida in a decade takes place in December under a rule adopted Wednesday by state wildlife officials.