8147338, 68A-15.064 - Florida Administrative Rules, Law, Code, Register

Home

Florida Department of State and Division of Library and Information Services

Notice: 8147338

Notice of Proposed Rule

Department:

FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION

Division:

Freshwater Fish and Wildlife

Chapter:

TYPE I WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS

Overview

RULE:

68A-15.064

Specific Regulations for Wildlife Management Areas - South Region

PURPOSE:

The purpose of the proposed rule changes is to revise specific area regulations on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in the South 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 South Region as follows:
Allapattah Flats WMA – Trails will be open to vehicular access one week prior to the start of archery and spring turkey seasons through 6 p.m. one day after the close of archery and spring turkey seasons and during dove, waterfowl, and snipe seasons; begin the general gun hunt on the Saturday following the family hunt; change the archery season from a 7-day and 9-day hunt to four 4-day hunts (quota 50, no exemptions); and bird dogs and retrievers may be used to hunt migratory game during the migratory bird seasons.
Dinner Island Ranch WMA – Change wild hog bag limit from one per quota permit to daily bag of one, possession limit of two, no size limit and allow them to be taken the entire month of February; move the family hunt from the second and third weekends in November to the first and second weekends in December; change the archery season from two consecutive hunts (7-day and 9-day) to four 4-day hunts (quota 45, no exemptions); change the general gun season from two consecutive hunts (4-day and 5-day) to three 3-day hunts (quota 45, no exemptions); change the spring turkey season from two consecutive hunts (4-day and 5-day) to three 3-day hunts (quota 20, no exemptions); allow migratory birds to be taken during statewide open seasons; bird dogs and retrievers may be used to hunt small game during migratory bird and small game seasons; and allow year-round public vehicle access on trails currently only open for seasonal vehicle access by people participating in hunts.
Everglades and Francis S. Taylor WMA – Remove the annual bag limit and shoulder height restriction for wild hogs; establish a possession limit of two for wild hogs; add an additional week to the general gun-walk hunt in conservation Areas 3A North and 2 and shorten the muzzleloading gun season in Conservation Area 3A North by one week; eliminate the second general gun-walk hunt; remove language that prohibits kitchen stoves, refrigerators and freezers unless contained in mobile campers or an existing permanent camp; prohibit operation of airboats during legal shooting hours during archery, muzzleloading and general gun-walk seasons; and allow use of tracked vehicles by persons participating in alligator hunts.
Holey Land WMA – Remove the annual bag limit and shoulder height restriction for wild hogs; establish a possession limit of two for wild hogs; add an additional week to the general gun-walk hunt and shorten the muzzleloading gun season by one week; and allow the use of tracked vehicles by persons participating in alligator hunts.
J.W. Corbett WMA – Allow wild hog to be hunted for the entire general gun season; change the bag limit for wild hog from one annually to one per day, two annually; remove the shoulder height restriction for wild hog; remove the quota permit requirement for the first nine days of general gun season; restrict dog training during the dog training season to the area south and east of Stumper’s Grade; public vehicle access is allowed on the North, South, and Stumper’s Grade and Trail 6 when the area is open to public access; during archery and spring turkey seasons allow only those persons participating in the hunt vehicle access on named and numbered trails; during the muzzleloading gun, general gun, and small game seasons allow only those persons participating in the hunt cross-country vehicle access; allow the possession of alcohol on selected roads and consumption of alcohol in selected campgrounds; and adjust the boundary for the buffer zone adjacent to the Pratt-Whitney complex.
Okaloacoochee Slough WMA – expand waterfowl season to match statewide dates; and allow bird dogs and retrievers for the take of small game.
Rotenberger WMA – Remove the annual bag limit and shoulder height restriction for wild hogs; establish a possession limit of two for wild hogs; remove language that prohibits kitchen stoves, refrigerators and freezers unless contained in mobile campers or an existing permanent camp; add an additional week to the general gun-walk hunt and shorten the muzzleloading gun season by one week; and allow the use of tracked vehicles and airboats by persons participating in alligator hunts.
Spirit-of-the-Wild WMA – Change wild hog bag limit from one per quota permit to daily bag of one, possession of two, no size limit and allow them to be taken the entire month of February; change the archery season from two consecutive hunts (7-day and 9-day) to four 4-day hunts (quota 20, no exemptions); change the general gun season from two consecutive hunts (4-day and 5-day) to three 3-day hunts (quota 20, no exemptions); change the spring turkey season from two consecutive hunts (4-day and 5-day) to three 3-day hunts (quota 10, no exemptions); allow migratory birds to be taken during statewide open seasons; and bird dogs and retrievers may be used to hunt small game during migratory bird and small game seasons.
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 379.2223 FS.

LAW:

Article IV, Section 9, Florida Constitution 379.2223 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.