Florida — In a move both bold and—depending on who you ask—deeply questionable, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has greenlit the state’s first black bear hunting season in over a decade. Because if there’s one thing Florida winters were missing, it’s high-powered rifles and bear tags, right alongside hurricane debris and holiday traffic.

Scheduled for December, the 23-day hunt will allow up to 187 black bears to be “harvested”—a genteel euphemism for “eliminated with enthusiasm”—across four regions of the state. Hunters will be able to choose from a variety of methods, including bait stations, bows, and packs of GPS-equipped dogs. Because clearly, nothing screams “fair chase” like surrounding a bear with technology and teeth.

FWC insists the hunt is based on science, though skeptics argue that the science seems to consist mostly of “we think there are a lot of bears, probably.” Wildlife advocacy groups have responded with lawsuits, press statements, and the kind of outrage typically reserved for oil spills, wildfires, and python invasions.

“We need to manage the population,” FWC officials explained, as if the bears were plotting a coordinated takeover of suburbia. “If we don’t act now, we could have… more bears.”

Critics, however, point out that rising bear encounters likely have more to do with humans paving over natural habitats to build luxury homes, strip malls, and golf resorts. But clearly, the bears are the problem—not the gated communities built on top of their forests.

Hunters, unsurprisingly, are delighted. “It’s about tradition,” said one camo-wearing enthusiast, lovingly inspecting his crossbow. “And conservation, sure. But mostly, it’s about the thrill. And bear jerky.”

So mark your calendars. This December, while much of the country sips hot cocoa and watches snow fall gently outside, Floridians will be in the woods celebrating the season—one bear at a time.

Because if there’s one thing Florida never fails to deliver, it’s putting the “wild” in wildlife management—by trying to eliminate the wildlife altogether.