16968033, 68A-15.062 - Florida Administrative Rules, Law, Code, Register

Home

Florida Department of State and Division of Library and Information Services

Notice: 16968033

Notice of Proposed Rule

Department:

FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION

Division:

Freshwater Fish and Wildlife

Chapter:

TYPE I WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS

Overview

RULE:

68A-15.062

Specific Regulations for Wildlife Management Areas - North Central Region

PURPOSE:

The purpose of the proposed rule amendment is to revise specific area regulations on wildlife management areas (WMAs) in the North Central Region and conform to calendar year date changes. The effect of the proposed rule amendment will be to enable the agency to better manage fish and wildlife resources and public use on WMAs.

SUMMARY:

The proposed rule amendments would adjust season dates to conform to calendar year changes and revise specific area regulations on wildlife management areas (WMAs) in the North Central Region as follows:

Andrews WMA – shift family hunts 7 weeks later (in January); and establish two 3-day wild hog-still hunts in May (25 quota permits issued daily at the check station, no exemptions).
Big Bend WMA, Hickory Mound Unit – change the quota permit requirement during general gun season from the first 16 to the first 9 days of the season.
Big Bend WMA, Snipe Island Unit – remove the quota permit requirement during the youth spring turkey hunt; and during small game season, allow any dog for hunting small game (quail, rabbit, squirrel and migratory birds).
Cary WMA – expand archery, general gun and wild hog-still seasons from 2 to 3 quota hunts each; and change the quota for archery, muzzleloading gun, general gun and wild hog-still seasons from 100 to 70 permits per hunt (no exemptions, except during archery season).
Cedar Key Scrub WMA – allow fishing.
Citrus WMA – change the archery season from 1 quota hunt (first 4 days, 1000 quota permits, exemptions allowed) and 19 days (no quota permit required) to 3 quota hunts (9, 7 and 7-days each, 500 quota permits per hunt, exemptions allowed); change the quota for muzzleloading gun and general gun seasons from 850 to 500 quota permits per hunt (exemptions allowed); and during small game season, allow any dog for hunting small game (quail, rabbit, squirrel and migratory birds).
Flying Eagle WMA – allow hunting with rimfire rifles during general gun and small game seasons.
Lochloosa WMA – during the 3rd general gun season quota hunt, allow the use of dogs to hunt wild hog.
Log Landing WMA – establish a 9-day wild hog-still season in May (Saturday through Sunday, no quota permit required).
Osceola WMA – to resolve dog hunting related conflicts, revise the dog hunt area to remove the area created by traversing from County Road 250 west along Forest Service Road 200, north and east on Forest Road 4 to Forest Road 26, north on Forest Road 26 to Forest Road 3, then east on Forest Road 3 to Eddy Grade (move 5,065 acres from the 96,616-acre dog hunt area into the still hunt area); and to avoid overlap with muzzleloading gun season, shift dog training season 1 day later.

Additionally, the proposed rule amendments would provide non-substantive technical changes, such as grammatical corrections, language standardization, or clarification of an existing rule.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY:

Article IV, Section 9, Florida Constitution

LAW:

Article IV, Section 9, Florida Constitution n; Sections 379.2223, 375.313 Florida Statutes

PRINT PUBLISH DATE:

12/31/2015 Vol. 41/251

COMMENTS:

From 12/31/2015 To 1/21/2016 (21 Days)
The public comment period for this notice has already expired.

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

No reference(s).

Under Florida law, E-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your E-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.