5035966, 68A-15.062 - Florida Administrative Rules, Law, Code, Register

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Florida Department of State and Division of Library and Information Services

Notice: 5035966

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 changes 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 changes will be to enable the agency to better manage fish and wildlife resources and public use on WMAs.

SUMMARY:

The proposed rule changes 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:
Bayard WMA – allow only tent camping and only at designated sites.
Belmore WMA (NEW) – establish a new WMA (approximately 8,737 acres) with the following open seasons: archery – three 3-day hunts (quota of 45 per hunt, no exemptions); muzzleloading gun – 3-day season (quota of 45, no exemptions); family hunt – 2-day hunt (quota of 20, no exemptions); general gun – one 4-day hunt and one 5-day hunt (quota of 45 per hunt, no exemptions); small game – six 3-day hunts; spring turkey – three 3-day hunts (quota of 10 per hunt, no exemptions); and fishing and frogging throughout the year; legal to take – all legal game, fish, frogs and furbearers; bag limits – archery – one antlered or one antlerless deer per person per permit, family hunt – one antlered and one antlerless deer per permit, muzzleloading gun and general gun – one antlered deer per person per permit per season, spring turkey – one gobbler per person per permit; antlered deer must have at least one antler with three or more points, each point one inch or more in length; prohibit use of centerfire rifles during spring turkey season; allow vehicles only on named or numbered roads; prohibit tracked vehicles, airboats, unlicensed motorcycles and ATVs; prohibit camping; prohibit hunting with dogs except bird dogs allowed during the small game and waterfowl seasons; allow horses and bicycles on roads and designated trails only; prohibit public access from 1.5 hours after sunset until 1.5 hours before sunrise and require entry and exit only through designated entrances.
Big Bend WMA, Hickory Mound Unit – require that all persons enter and exit the WMA only at designated entrances; add a section of Swartz Tram (between Cow Creek and J.C. Franklin Grades) open for public use from May 31 through August 31; remove requirement for quota permit after the first 16 days of the general gun season and remove the requirement for a daily permit for waterfowl hunting; and reduce the timeframe when hunters must check all game taken from the entire season to the first 16 days of the archery, general gun and spring turkey seasons.
Big Bend WMA, Jena Unit – eliminate the requirement that hunters check in and out, check all game, and obtain a daily use permit.
Big Bend WMA, Snipe Island Unit – allow trappers to take trapped furbearers with .22s during the trapping season.
Big Bend WMA, Spring Creek Unit – require all persons to enter and exit the WMA only at designated entrances; add roads on which the public could travel year-round; and reduce the timeframe when hunters must check all game taken from the entire season to the first 16 days of the archery, general gun and spring turkey seasons and all days of the muzzleloader gun season.
Big Bend WMA, Tide Swamp Unit – change the definition of legal to take for antlered deer to those having three or more points on at least one antler, each point one inch or more in length; and reduce the timeframe when hunters must check all game taken from the entire season to the first 16 days of the archery, general gun and spring turkey seasons and all days of the muzzleloader gun season.
Big Shoals WMA – prohibit taking turkey with centerfire rifles during the spring turkey season; eliminate the quota and check-in check-out requirements during the small game season; and add wild hog as legal to take during the small game season.
Camp Blanding WMA – prohibit hunting from the right-of-way of Dade, Treat and Impact Roads; allow harvest of wild hog during all seasons except spring turkey, no size or bag limit; and allow the use of bird dogs on the still hunt area after the first 16 days of the general gun season.
Cary WMA – replace five 2-day archery hunts with two 3-day hunts (increase quota from 55 to 60 per hunt), increase muzzleloading gun quota from 55 to 60 per hunt, establish a 2-day family hunt (quota of 40, no exemptions), establish a general gun season with two 3-day hunts (quota of 60 per hunt, no exemptions); eliminate bird dog training season but establish a small game season with six 3-day hunts, and establish a spring turkey season with three 3-day hunts (quota of 10 per hunt, no exemptions); require hunters to enter and exit only at the designated entrance; remove requirement for hunters to check in and out; allow camping at designated sites by permit from the landowner; allow hunting with bird dogs during small game season; and prohibit the use of centerfire rifles.
Citrus WMA – prohibit use of centerfire rifles during spring turkey season; and require turkeys to be checked during the spring turkey season.
Cypress Creek WMA – prohibit ATVs.
Devil’s Hammock WMA – allow bicycling and horseback riding year-round.
Flying Eagle WMA – provide a non-hunting scouting day before the second hunts of archery, general gun and spring turkey seasons; and extend scouting hours during the spring turkey season to 1.5 hours before sunrise until 1.5 hours after sunset.
Four Creeks WMA (NEW) – establish a new WMA (approximately 13,147 acres) with the following open seasons: archery – three 3-day hunts (quota of 55 per hunt, no exemptions); muzzleloading gun – 3-day season (quota of 55, no exemptions); family hunt – 2-day hunt (quota of 20, no exemptions); general gun – one 4-day hunt and one 5-day hunt (quota of 55 per hunt, no exemptions); small game – six 3-day hunts; spring turkey – three 3-day hunts (quota of 15 per hunt, no exemptions); waterfowl legal during the statewide seasons; and fishing and frogging throughout the year; legal to take – all legal game, fish, frogs and furbearers; bag limits – archery – one antlered or one antlerless deer per person per permit, family hunt – one antlered and one antlerless deer per permit, muzzleloading gun and general gun – one antlered deer per person per permit per season, spring turkey – one gobbler per person per permit; antlered deer must have at least one antler with three or more points, each point one inch or more in length; prohibit use of centerfire rifles during spring turkey season; allow vehicles only on named or numbered roads; prohibit tracked vehicles, airboats, unlicensed motorcycles and ATVs; prohibit hunting with dogs except bird dogs during the small game season and waterfowl retrievers during waterfowl seasons; allow horses and bicycles on roads and designated trails only; prohibit public access from 1.5 hours after sunset until 1.5 hours before sunrise and require entry and exit only through designated entrances (which includes navigable waterways).
Goethe WMA – prohibit the use of centerfire rifles during spring turkey season; and add frogs as legal to take.
Hatchet Creek WMA (NEW) – establish a new WMA (approximately 2,760 acres) with the following open seasons: archery – three 3-day hunts (quota of 15 per hunt, no exemptions); muzzleloading gun – 3-day season (quota of 15, no exemptions); family hunt – 2-day hunt (quota of 5, no exemptions); general gun – two 3-day hunts (quota of 15 per hunt, no exemptions); spring turkey – three 3-day hunts (quota of 5 per hunt, no exemptions); and fishing and frogging throughout the year; legal to take – all legal game, fish, frogs and furbearers; bag limits – archery – one antlered or one antlerless deer per person per permit, family hunt – one antlered and one antlerless deer per permit, muzzleloading gun and general gun – one antlered deer per person per permit per season, spring turkey – one gobbler per person per permit; antlered deer must have at least one antler with three or more points, one inch or more in length; prohibit taking wildlife from Boundary Road; allow vehicular access only on hunt days and the day before each hunt; allow vehicles only on named or numbered roads; prohibit tracked vehicles, airboats, unlicensed motorcycles and ATVs; prohibit hunting with dogs; allow bicycles on roads and designated trails only; require a valid quota permit of all persons entering the area on hunt days; require hunters to enter and exit only through designated entrances and require them to check in and out at the check station and check all game.
Homosassa WMA – establish an archery season with three 3-day hunts (quota of 15 per hunt, no exemptions); bag limit for deer of one antlered and one antlerless deer per quota permit; and define legal to take for antlered deer to those having three or more points on at least one antler, each point one inch or more in length.
Jennings Forest WMA – change definition of legal to take antlered deer to those having three or more points on at least one antler, each point one inch or more in length; and prohibit the use of centerfire rifles during spring turkey season; increase the number of hunts during the archery season from three to four and during the general gun season from two to three; open a currently closed area for bird dog training and archery hunting; and redefine the area for youth small-game season.
Little River WMA – add quail as legal to take during the first hunt of the small game season and allow use of bird dogs during that time.
Log Landing WMA (NEW) – establish a new WMA (approximately 1,147 acres) with the following open seasons: archery – two hunts, 16-day and 9-day (no quota permit required); muzzleloading gun – 3-day season (no quota permit required); small game – six 3-day hunts (no quota permit required); spring turkey – 9-day season (no quota permit required); and fishing and frogging throughout the year; legal to take – all legal game, fish, frogs and furbearers; prohibit motorized vehicles; prohibit hunting deer or wild hog with dogs; allow only bird dogs or dogs with a shoulder height of fifteen inches or less and only during the small game season; dogs on a leash may be used for tracking; prohibit fires; prohibit public access from 1.5 hours after sunset until 1.5 hours before sunrise; prohibit taking wildlife with centerfire rifles; and require public access only at designated entrances or via the Suwannee River.
Mallory Swamp WMA – allow horses year-round; and camping year-round with a permit from the landowner.
Middle Aucilla WMA – allow camping year-round with a permit from the landowner.
Nassau WMA – allow take of wild hog during all seasons, except spring turkey, no size or bag limit.
Osceola WMA – restrict motorized vehicles and bicycles to designated roads; and reduce requirement to check deer at a check station from the entire season to only the first 16 days of the general gun season.
PotashCorp – White Springs WMA – allow the take of geese.
Potts WMA – provide for non-hunting scouting days between each of the two hunts of the archery and spring turkey seasons; and extend the scouting hours during spring turkey season to 1.5 hours before sunrise until 1.5 hours after sunset.
Raiford WMA – prohibit ATVs; and eliminate the requirement to sign in and out at a self-service check station.
Ralph Simmons WMA – prohibit the use of centerfire rifles during spring turkey season; and allow camping during the small game season with a permit from the landowner.
San Pedro Bay WMA – eliminate requirement to check in and out at a self-service check station.
Steinhatchee Springs WMA – allow horses year-round; and camping year-round with a permit from the landowner.
Thomas Creek WMA (NEW) – establish a new WMA (approximately 1,753 acres) with the following open seasons: archery – three 3-day hunts (quota of 15 per hunt, no exemptions); muzzleloading gun – 3-day season (quota of 15, no exemptions); family hunt – 2-day hunt (quota of 5, no exemptions); general gun – two 3-day hunts (quota of 15 per hunt, no exemptions); small game – six 3-day hunts (no quota permit required); spring turkey – three 3-day hunts (quota of 5 per hunt, no exemptions); and fishing and frogging throughout the year; legal to take – all legal game, fish, frogs and furbearers; motorized vehicles would be prohibited; bicycles would be allowed on named or numbered roads and designated trails; prohibit hunting deer or wild hog with dogs; allow bird dogs and dogs with a shoulder height of less than 15 inches; allow bicycles on roads and designated trails only; require a valid quota permit of all persons entering the area on hunt days, except the small game season and require entry and exit only through designated entrances.
Twin Rivers WMA – prohibit the use of centerfire rifles during spring turkey season.
Additional proposed rule changes would simplify and standardize regulations related to the take of wild hog on WMAs; liberalize regulations related to the possession of firearms, in accordance with Florida Statutes; and 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 375.313 FS.

LAW:

Article IV, Section 9, Florida Constitution 375.313 FS.

PRINT PUBLISH DATE:

1/4/2008 Vol. 34/01

COMMENTS:

From 1/4/2008 To 1/25/2008 (21 Days)
The public comment period for this notice has already expired.

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

No reference(s).

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