8147144, 68A-15.063 - Florida Administrative Rules, Law, Code, Register

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Florida Department of State and Division of Library and Information Services

Notice: 8147144

Notice of Proposed Rule

Department:

FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION

Division:

Freshwater Fish and Wildlife

Chapter:

TYPE I WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS

Overview

RULE:

68A-15.063

Specific Regulations for Wildlife Management Areas - Northwest Region

PURPOSE:

The purpose of the proposed rule changes is to revise specific area regulations on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in the Northwest 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 Northwest Region as follows:
Apalachicola WMA – expand the migratory bird hunting seasons to match the statewide season; increase the number of days of quail hunting on the quail enhancement area to a maximum of eight days; decrease the bag limit for quail from 12 to six per quota permit; limit camping on Northwest Florida Water Management District lands to no more than 14 consecutive days and to tents, trailers or self-propelled camping vehicles only; and prohibit at campsites kitchen stoves, refrigerators and freezers, unless contained in mobile campers, as well as lumber, sheet metal or other building materials.
Apalachicola WMA, Bradwell Unit – establish a wild hog-dog season with five 3-day hunts (quota of three per hunt, no exemptions) and a wild hog-still season with five 3-day hunts (quota of six per hunt, no exemptions); allow only wild hog to be hunted during the wild hog seasons; allow up to two hunters and one guest, the use of no more than three free-running dogs and only one gun per quota permit during the wild hog-dog hunts; specify that wild hog-dog hunts will begin at 12:01 a.m. on the first day of the hunt and end at 11:59 p.m. (midnight) the last day of the hunt; prohibit hunting from sunrise to sunset during the wild hog-dog season; and allow wild hogs to be hunted during the wild hog-dog season by the aid of a light with a firearm, provided that the firearm is not loaded until immediately prior to shooting a bayed hog (hunting of wild hog under this provision by display or use of a light from a moving vehicle, boat or animal is prohibited).
Aucilla WMA – remove the quota permit requirement during the muzzleloading gun season; and allow public access from 1.5 hours before sunrise to 1.5 hours after sunset in the still hunt area north of Goose Pasture Road.
Blackwater WMA – expand the waterfowl season to match the statewide season; establish a quail enhancement area north of Bryant Bridge Road, east of Sandy Forest Road, east of County Road 191 between Sandy Forest Road and State Highway 4, south of State Highway 4 and west of Norman Riley Road (approximately 18,100 acres) and allow up to eight days of quail hunting, with no more than eight quota permits (for quail) per day (no exemptions, up to two hunters per quota permit), in January and February with a bag limit of six quail per quota permit; and allow bird-dog training in the quail enhancement area from November 1 through December 31.
Box-R WMA – establish a wild hog-dog season with five 3-day hunts (quota of ten per hunt, no exemptions); allow only wild hog to be hunted during the wild hog-dog hunts; allow up to two hunters and one guest, the use of no more than three free-running dogs and only one gun per quota permit during the wild hog-dog hunts; specify that wild hog-dog hunts will begin at 12:01 a.m. on the first day of the hunt and end at 11:59 p.m. (midnight) the last day of the hunt; prohibit hunting from sunrise to sunset during the wild hog-dog season; and allow wild hogs to be hunted during the wild hog-dog season by the aid of a light with a firearm, provided that the firearm is not loaded until immediately prior to shooting a bayed hog (hunting of wild hog under this provision by display or use of a light from a moving vehicle, boat or animal is prohibited).
Choctawhatchee River WMA – limit camping to no more than 14 consecutive days; and prohibit the possession or consumption of intoxicating beverages in the Holmes Creek Unit.
Econfina Creek WMA – expand the migratory bird hunting season to match the statewide season, except in the mobility-impaired, Cat Creek and Fitzhugh Carter areas; remove those portions of the area lying in Jackson County and east of Ten-mile Creek from the dog hunt area and add them to the still hunt area; require a quota permit for the entire general gun season on the dog hunt area; allow raccoon and opossum to be taken with a gun at night with the aid of a light and dogs during the raccoon season; limit camping at designated campsites to no more than 14 consecutive days; and prohibit the use of bicycles on the Fitzhugh Carter area.
Escambia River WMA – limit camping to no more than 14 consecutive days.
Lafayette Creek WMA – expand the migratory bird hunting season to match the statewide season; and allow public access during daylight hours, except during quota hunts.
Perdido River WMA – close Shelby Ditch Road to vehicle access from May through September.
Pine Log WMA – expand the waterfowl season to match the statewide season.
Tate’s Hell WMA – establish a fox, raccoon, opossum and bobcat season open from May 1 through September 30 on that portion of the area bounded by Jet Engine Road, Five Points Road, Trout Creek Road, Buck Siding Road, Tucker Road and Gully Branch Road.
Tate’s Hell WMA, Womack Creek Unit – expand the waterfowl season to match the statewide season and prohibit hunting wildlife on or from the right-of-way of Jeff Sanders Road from Rock Landing Road south 1/2 mile to SFR 174.
Upper Chipola River WMA – limit camping at designated campsites to no more than 14 consecutive days.
Wakulla WMA – prohibit discharging firearms on or from the right-of-way of Chattin Road within 1/4 mile of its intersection with McBride Slough Road.
Yellow River WMA – limit camping to no more than 14 consecutive days; and allow raccoon and opossum to be taken with a gun at night with the aid of a light and dogs during the general gun and small game seasons, except in the Grassy Point and Burnt Grocery Creek areas.
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 375.313 FS.

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).

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