8146368, 68A-15.062 - Florida Administrative Rules, Law, Code, Register

Home

Florida Department of State and Division of Library and Information Services

Notice: 8146368

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:
Belmore WMA – expand waterfowl season to match statewide dates and allow waterfowl retrievers during that time; and clarify that the bag limit for deer and turkey is one per quota permit.
Big Bend WMA, Hickory Mound Unit – remove size and bag limits for wild hog and allow them to be hunted during the small game season.
Big Bend WMA, Jena Unit – remove size and bag limits for wild hog and allow them to be hunted during the small game season.
Big Bend WMA, Snipe Island Unit – remove requirement to check in and out and to check all game taken, except during the muzzleloading gun season and the first 16 days of the archery, general gun and spring turkey seasons; allow entrance and exit only at designated entrances during the archery, muzzleloading gun, general gun and spring turkey seasons; allow wild hog to be hunted during the small game season; and clarify that the bag limit for deer is one per quota permit per day and the bag limit for turkey is one per quota permit.
Big Bend WMA, Spring Creek Unit – remove size and bag limits for wild hog and allow them to be hunted during the small game season.
Big Bend WMA, Tide Swamp Unit – remove size and bag limits for wild hog and allow them to be hunted during the small game season; and remove the quota requirement for the muzzleloading gun and general gun seasons.
Camp Blanding WMA – allow turkey to be hunted on the still hunt area during the last two days of each of the two general gun still quota periods and the first two days of the non-quota period of the general gun still season; allow turkey to be hunted on the dog hunt area during the last three days of each general gun dog hunt; and remove the quota requirement for the archery hunts.
Cary WMA – add approximately 4,000 acres to the existing area; increase the number of archery, muzzleloading gun and general gun quota permits from 60 to 100; increase the number of family hunt quota permits from 40 to 65; increase the number of spring turkey quota permits from 10 to 20; reduce the bag limit for deer during archery season from two deer per day (any combination of antlered and antlerless) to one antlered or one antlerless deer per quota permit; reduce bag limit for deer during family hunt from two deer per day (any combination of antlered and antlerless) to one antlered and one antlerless deer per quota permit; reduce bag limit for deer during muzzleloading gun and general gun season from two antlered deer per day to one antlered deer per quota permit; reduce bag limit for spring turkey season from one bearded turkey or gobbler per day to one bearded turkey or gobbler per quota permit; expand the waterfowl season to match the statewide dates and allow waterfowl retrievers during that time; and allow public access only from 1.5 hours before sunrise until 1.5 hours after sunset unless in possession of an access permit from the Division of Forestry.
Citrus WMA – prohibit camping except as authorized by the Division of Forestry; and remove quota permit requirement for the second archery hunt.
Cypress Creek WMA – allow public access only from 1.5 hours before sunrise until 1.5 hours after sunset unless in possession of a Special Use Authorization from the Suwannee River Water Management District.
Devil’s Hammock WMA – allow nighttime hunting of raccoons, with dogs, during the small game season by persons in possession of a Special Use Authorization from the Suwannee River Water Management District; and add a 4-week hog-still season (no quota) during which time only wild hogs will be legal to take.
Flying Eagle WMA – allow hunting equipment to be taken onto the area beginning at 8 a.m. the day before each hunt and require it to be removed on the last day of each hunt; and during spring turkey season allow hunting equipment beginning 1.5 hours before sunrise the day preceding each hunt.
Four Creeks WMA – clarify that the bag limit for deer and turkey is one per quota permit.
Goethe WMA – require motor vehicles to enter the area only at designated entrances but allow people on foot to enter at any location.
Grove Park WMA – add a 56-day small game season.
Hatchet Creek WMA – clarify that the bag limit for deer and turkey is one per quota permit.
Holton Creek WMA – allow public access only from 1.5 hours before sunrise until 1.5 hours after sunset unless in possession of a Special Use Authorization from the Suwannee River Water Management District.
Jennings Forest WMA – establish a quail enhancement area north of the North Fork Black Creek, east of County Road 217 and west of Yellow Water Creek (approximately 5,471 acres) and allow up to eight days of quail hunting, with no more than four quota permits per day (no exemptions, up to two hunters per quota permit) in January and February with a bag limit of six per quota permit; establish a waterfowl season that coincides with the statewide dates; allow waterfowl retrievers during the waterfowl season; increase the number of general gun hunts from two 5-day hunts and one 6-day hunt to four 4-day hunts (quota 60) and increase the number of spring turkey hunts from a 4-day and 5-day hunt to three 3-day hunts (quota 30).
Little River WMA – allow public access only from 1.5 hours before sunrise until 1.5 hours after sunset unless in possession of a Special Use Authorization from the Suwannee River Water Management District.
Mallory Swamp WMA – eliminate requirement to check game; replace the first-come first-served permits issued at the check station for the muzzleloading gun and general gun still and dog seasons with quota permits issued through the Total Licensing System (total number of permits will remain the same); allow nighttime raccoon hunting during the small game season by persons in possession of a Special Use Authorization from the Suwannee River Water Management District; lengthen the small game season by 14 days; add a 3-day hog-dog season during which only wild hog will be legal to take; and allow public access only from 1.5 hours before sunrise until 1.5 hours after sunset unless is possession of a Special Use Authorization from the Suwannee River Water Management District.
Middle Aucilla WMA – allow public access only from 1.5 hours before sunrise until 1.5 hours after sunset unless in possession of a Special Use Authorization from the Suwannee River Water Management District.
Potts WMA – allow the use of horses only during periods closed to hunting; allow hunting and camping equipment to be taken onto the area beginning 8:00 a.m. the day before each hunt and require it be removed on the last day of each hunt; and during spring turkey season allow hunting equipment beginning 1.5 hours before sunrise the day preceding each hunt.
San Pedro Bay WMA – this WMA was removed from the WMA system by the landowner, just prior to the 2009-2010 season; therefore, all the rules need to be eliminated.
Steinhatchee Springs WMA – allow public access only from 1.5 hours before sunrise until 1.5 hours after sunset unless in possession of a Special Use Authorization from the Suwannee River Water Management District; remove requirement to check game; replace the first-come first-served quota permits issued at the check station for the muzzleloading gun, general gun and spring turkey seasons with quota permits issued through the Total Licensing System (total number of permits will remain the same); establish a wild hog-dog season, two 3-day hunts (quota 50, no exemptions); allow only wild hog to be hunted during the hog-dog season; no more than three free-running dogs will be allowed per quota permit, each quota permit shall allow a hunting group of two persons and a guest (three total) and only one gun may be used per hunting group; and lengthen general gun season by seven days.
Thomas Creek WMA, Kings Road Unit – clarify that the bag limit for deer and turkey is one per quota permit.
Troy Springs WMA – allow public access only from 1.5 hours before sunrise until 1.5 hours after sunset unless in possession of a Special Use Authorization from the Suwannee River Water Management District.
Twin Rivers WMA – prohibit camping except as authorized by the Division of Forestry.
Twin Rivers WMA, Blue Springs Unit – change the special-opportunity quail season to a quota quail season; establish the entire area as a quail enhancement area; allow up to eight days of quail hunting; and decrease the bag limit for quail from 12 per special-opportunity permit to six per quail quota permit.
Additional proposed rule changes 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 375.313 FS.

PRINT PUBLISH DATE:

1/15/2010 Vol. 36/02

COMMENTS:

From 1/15/2010 To 2/5/2010 (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.