Florida's Wildlife Commission approved a black bear hunting season for December, facing immediate legal challenges from environmental advocates.

This is the first black bear hunt since 2015, when nearly 300 bears were killed on the first two days of a week-long season.

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.