florida 2015-2016

52 Pages·2015·11.78 MB·English

FLORIDA 2015-2016
HUNTING REGULATIONS
»
Increased Antler Regulations Statewide
»
Deer Management Units Created in Zones A, B and C
»
Boundary Line Between Zones B & C Adjusted
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HUNTING REGUL ATIONS
HuntFlorida
Follow us on social media at Facebook.
com/HGM.FWC, YouTube.com/HuntFlori-
CONTENTS daTV and Twitter.com/HuntFloridaFWC, and
share us with your hunting friends!
MyFWC.com
Visit MyFWC.com/Hunting for up-to-
date information on hunting and wildlife
management area rules and regulations,
limited entry permits, including special-op-
portunity and quota hunts, monthly hunting
opportunities, news releases, hunter safety
courses, public shooting ranges and more.
Wildlife Alert
Reward Program
Report fishing, boating or hunting law
violations by calling toll-free 888-404-
FWCC (3922); on cell phones, dial *FWC
or #FWC depending on service carrier or
text [email protected] (standard usage
fees may apply); or report violations at
MyFWC.com/Contact/Wildlife-Alert.
Executive Director's message ..................4 Other wildlife regulations .......................32
Birds
Major changes ..........................................4 Non-protected birds and mammals Visit our Facebook page at
Facebook.com/WildlifeAlert.
Frogs
Introduction ..............................................6
Turtles
FWC regional offices .................................6 Snakes
Buy your license online!
Recreational license, permit information Public hunting areas .........................34–42
and requirements ..............................11–14 When you buy and print your license on-
Becoming an Outdoors-Woman line, it’s fast, convenient and saves time
Hunter safety requirement .....................16 (BOW) Program .......................................42 and travel. You can obtain a license 24
Legal methods of taking game .........16–17 Wildlife management area hours a day at License.MyFWC.com and
permit requirements ...............................43 begin hunting immediately!
Prohibited methods and equipment
for taking game ......................................17 Wildlife management area Licenses also are available toll-free at
regulation changes .................................43
Areas closed to hunting .....................17-18 888-HUNT-FLORIDA (486-8356).
Public small-game hunting areas ...........43 Processing fees apply to telephone and
Wildlife Alert Reward Program ................18 Internet sales.
Hunting Florida’s military bases .............43
General information ...........................18-20
Trespassing Hunting Florida’s national wildlife
Use of firearms by felons refuges (NWR) .........................................43 Hunter safety course
Antlerless deer permits - private lands
Wild hogs Limited entry/quota permits ..............43-44 To find hunter safety courses in your
Shooting hours Alligator area, visit our website at MyFWC.com/
Green Swamp camping
Hunter orange requirement HunterSafety or contact your nearest
National Wildlife Refuge hunts
Hunting dogs Quota permits FWC regional office (see page 6).
Statewide deer-dog registration
Recreational use permits
Feeding game
Special-opportunity permits
Buying or selling game
Dove
Dividing deer and turkey in the field
Waterfowl and snipe permits
Sex evidence
Antlerless deer permits — WMAs
Transport of game
Limited entry/quota permits — application
What is legal to bring back when hunting
periods
out of state for deer, elk or moose
Littering Youth and family hunting
Motor vehicles opportunities ..........................................45
Tree stands
Alligator hunting adventure ....................48
Florida Buck Registry..............................19
Florida Wild Turkey Registry ...................19
On the cover
Hunting zones .........................................21
A mature eight-point buck in velvet at St.
Hunting season dates
Marks National Wildlife Refuge near Tal-
and bag limits ...................................22–23
lahassee, taken at sunrise by Mark Trainor,
Deer Management Units (DMUs) .......24-27 This publication is developed by the FWC’s Division of Hunt- the former public awareness coordinator
ing and Game Management, Public Awareness Section and
Furbearer trapping regulations ...............28 produced by J.F. Griffin Publishing LLC, 430 Main St., Suite 5, for the FWC's Division of Hunting & Game
Williamstown, MA 01267. For inquiries regarding advertise- Management. Mark recently retired after
Falconry ..................................................28 ment in this publication, call 413-884-1001. working 31 years for the FWC and former
Florida Game & Freshwater Fish Commis-
sion. Mark is a freelance outdoor and
2 2015–2016 wildlife photographer and co-owner of
Rogue Eye Photography.
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E XECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
This year, deer hunters across Florida will play their part in an
improved deer management approach. The new hunting rules now
better reflect the local deer herd and the desires of hunters in their
part of the state.
The changes arose because hunters told the FWC that they wanted
more modern deer management in Florida. FWC staff had been
hearing these comments for years, and they were echoed by a group
of hunters in the statewide Deer Management Technical Assistance
group, who volunteered to help FWC rethink its approach.
New objectives for locally based deer management resulted from
About this Guide
a two-year effort that included a statewide, scientific opinion survey,
working with local stakeholder volunteers and extensive public out-
reach and input. Through this, FWC staff heard that hunters generally This high-quality regulation guide is offered to
wanted to see more deer when hunting and have opportunities to you by the FWC’s Division of Hunting and Game
harvest larger-antlered deer. One set of tools needed to reach these Management, Public Awareness Section through its
new objectives is hunting regulations. unique partnership with J.F. Griffin Publishing, LLC.
Deer Management Units, or DMUs, define the areas within Flori-
J.F. Griffin is an award winning publishing house
da’s hunting zones to allow for the new locally based approach. FWC
that specializes in producing state fish & wildlife
staff brought to the process data on deer herd characteristics in each unit. In 2013, the Commission
regulation books. J.F. Griffin supports the FWC’s
passed the first hunting rules based on two DMUs in Northwest Florida (Hunting Zone D).
Division of Hunting and Game Management staff in
The changes included greater antler regulations and adjustments to the antlerless deer season. This
the design, layout and editing of the guides. They
first step, which reflected the input from the hunters in those units, went into effect for the 2014-15
also manage the marketing and sales of advertising
hunting season. The new rules seem to be well-received by many of the Northwest Florida hunters.
to appropriate businesses within the book.
Beginning this hunting season, the shift to managing deer at a more local level will be in place
across the rest of Florida. The entire state is now divided into 12 DMUs, which are based on geographic The revenue generated through ad sales significantly
differences in habitat quality as well as biological information and data showing how the deer herd lowers production costs and generates savings.
varies across Florida. These savings translate into additional funds for
Because of these differences, antler regulations and other important hunting and habitat programs!
antlerless deer seasons now vary by DMU across Florida. If you have any feedback or are interested in
Hunters should know that the changes are specifically advertising, please contact us at 413.884.1001 or
designed for their area and herd. Also, hunters on pri- online at www.JFGriffin.com
vate and public lands will know that the new regulations
apply to everyone and should help them work together
toward positive changes in their deer herd.
Over the next few years, because of these changes,
hunters will be playing their part in managing the deer
herd through harvest. We’ll continue to check on the 430 Main St. Suite 5 | Williamstown, MA 01267
results of the new approach through annual harvest
surveys, which measure deer harvest and hunter par- J.F. Griffin Publishing, LLC is proud to print the
official Florida Hunting Regulation Guide on
ticipation in each DMU. This information will help us see how well we’re doing toward reaching the post-consumer recycled paper.
DMU goals. We also plan to gauge hunters’ perspectives and satisfaction levels in a few years after
these changes are in place and have had a chance to meaningfully affect the deer herd.
It’s our hope that Florida deer hunters will see that their participation in the process and in following
the new regulations will help bring Florida’s deer management in line with current deer populations
and hunters’ preferences. You can learn more about Florida’s deer management and the new hunting
regulations by visiting MyFWC.com/Deer.
Here’s wishing you a great hunting season and asking you to please help pass along our Florida
hunting heritage by taking a youngster hunting with you when you can – and help to create the next
generation that cares about conservation.
Nick Wiley - Executive Director, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Major changes
Major regulation and rule changes for this season are listed below. There are many other changes not listed here. Hunters are
responsible for learning requirements and regulations pertaining to the types of hunting they pursue.
• Deer Management Units (DMUs) have been established in hunting zones A, B and C, each with their own unique set of antler
regulations and private land antlerless deer harvest days. See the DMU section on pages 24-27 for more information.
• The western boundary of Hunting Zone B has been moved east from the Gulf of Mexico to become Interstate 75. All lands
that were previously located in Zone B west of I-75 are now part of Zone C and have earlier fall hunting season dates. See
page 21 to view updated Zone B map.
• A new public hunting area in northwest Florida has been established called Escribano Point Wildlife Management Area. The
4,057-acre tract in Santa Rosa County offers archery, general gun, muzzleloading gun and spring turkey hunts by quota
permit, and a walk-in small-game hunting season.
4 2015–2016 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
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OUTDOOR NEEDS
ASO_2015RegGuide_Hunting.indd 1 4/9/15 4:20 PM
INTRODUCTION
This publication is provided as a guide to Flor- ■ Florida black bears, fox squirrels, Key deer
Florida's CWD watch
ida hunting laws and regulations; however, and Florida panthers cannot be taken or
the Wildlife Code of the State of Florida is the pursued.
final authority on hunting laws. The Florida
Wildlife Code, Division Number 68A of the Waterfowl and other 866-CWD-WATCH (293-9282)
Florida Administrative Code, can be obtained
at www.flrules.org. The FWC strives to ensure migratory game Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a
the information in this publication is accu- progressive fatal disease of the brain
bird regulations
rate but assumes no liability for substantive and nervous system in deer. The FWC
or typographical differences between this has not found CWD in or near Florida
publication and the Florida Administrative Migratory game bird and crow regulations are but we must continue to be vigilant.
Code. If you have questions regarding hunting not included in this booklet. The U.S. Fish and If you find a deer dead of unknown
laws and regulations, contact a FWC regional Wildlife Service (USFWS) is responsible for causes or observe or harvest a deer
office (see below). This publication is valid determining guidelines to take and possess that is extremely thin, sick, or diseased
from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. migratory bird species. The USFWS had not immediately contact the FWC at
finalized this season’s rules and regulations at 866-CWD-Watch (866-293-9282).
Resident game the time this publication went to press. Migra- For more information about CWD,
tory game bird seasons, bag limits and meth- visit MyFWC.com/CWD.
birds, mammals and ods of taking will be available by mid-October
at MyFWC.com/Duck.
migratory game birds
New bird flu in waterfowl
■ Resident game birds—quail and wild turkeys
■ Game mammals—deer, gray squirrels and
rabbits
■ Furbearers—bobcats, otters, raccoons, opos- New strains of avian influenza (bird flu) have been introduced into the U.S. and
sums, coyotes, beavers, skunks and nutrias may appear in Florida. Although these strains are not known to cause disease in
■ Migratory game birds—ducks, geese, com- humans, hunters are still urged to take precautions. Further information can be
mon moorhens, coots, snipe, rails, woodcocks, found at MyFWC.com/WildlifeHealth. You can assist by reporting bird mortality
mourning doves and white-winged doves events online at MyFWC.com/Bird or by calling your regional FWC office.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
620 South Meridian Street NORTHWEST
Farris Bryant Building
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600
850-488-4676
800-955-8771 TDD
Commissioners FWC regional offices Grisiltch NORTHEAST
Richard A. Corbett Northwest Region
NORTH CENTRAL
Chairman, Tampa 3911 Highway 2321
Panama City, FL 32409-1658
Brian S. Yablonski
850-265-3676
Vice Chairman, Tallahassee
North Central Region
Ronald M. Bergeron
3377 East U.S. Highway 90
Ft. Lauderdale
Lake City, FL 32055-8795
Richard Hanas 386-758-0525
Oviedo
Northeast Region
Aliese P. "Liesa" Priddy 1239 Southwest 10th Street SOUTHWEST
Immokalee Ocala, FL 34471-0323
352-732-1225
Adrien "Bo" Rivard
Panama City Southwest Region
3900 Drane Field Road
Charles W. Roberts III
Lakeland, FL 33811-1207
Tallahassee
863-648-3200
SOUTH
Staff
South Region
Nick Wiley 8535 Northlake Blvd.
Executive Director West Palm Beach, FL 33412-3303
561-625-5122
Eric Sutton
Assistant Executive Director
6 2015–2016 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
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YOUTH HUNTING
PROGRAM OF
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Offering safe, educational and mentored hunting opportunities statewide
for 12–17 year olds who have never been exposed to hunting.
To learn more about this program and to find a hunt near you, visit
MyFWC.com/YHPF
Florida Youth Conservation
Centers Network