Florida held its first black bear hunt in 21 years in October.

Bear encounters had been on the rise when Florida Fish and Wildlife officials announced plans for the hunt.

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Officials say the hunt was designed to control the rising bear population, which had grown to 3,500 in 2015 from a few hundred in the 1970s.

Hunters killed nearly 300 bears in the hunt, which lasted two days instead of the expected seven.

Vocal opponents of Florida's bear hunt raised concerns that as many as 300 bear cubs were left orphaned.