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For many, another bear hunt seemed like a done deal this year, but an all day meeting made way for a postponement to the controversial black bear season. As Matt Galka tells us, anti-hunt groups are claiming partial victory.

More than 100 people gave an earful about Florida’s bear hunt Wednesday. After eight hours of public testimony…state fish and wildlife officials said there would be no bear hunt this year.

It was a huge surprise to anti-hunt advocate Laura Bevan with the Humane Society of the United States.

“I was shocked, I thought the commission was ready for another hunt,” she said.

2015’s bear hunt sparked public outcry leading up to the state’s first hunt in 20 years which saw more than 300 bears killed in two days. But animal rights activists are calling this a temporary win.

The commission voted 4-3 to postpone the hunt until at least 2017.

“Certainly they set it up that this will be discussed in 2017. This was a reprieve, not a repeal, but 3 to 400 bears won’t be killed this year,” said Bevan.

The commission had mulled the idea of a scaled back hunt with fewer hunting permits granted, but that idea was voted down 4 to 3.

Black bears had been on the state endangered species list until 2011. State estimates now have bear population at 4,350, a number that anti-hunt activists say needs to be refined.