Summary


The proposed rule amendment 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: Dinner Island Ranch WMA – allow the take of wild hog during the entire small game season; start the small game season one week earlier and end the Sunday prior to the youth turkey hunt; and move the two hog-only family hunts from the first two weekends in December to the second and third weekends in October. Everglades and Francis S. Taylor WMA – allow bird dogs to be used for hunting snipe during snipe season; prohibit tree stands, deer stands and elevated shooting platforms except from 6 a.m. two weeks prior to the opening of archery season until 6 p.m. the Sunday following the end of general gun-vehicle season; and prohibit the use of all-terrain vehicles except from 6 a.m. two weeks prior to the opening of archery season until 6 p.m. the day prior to the opening of general gun-vehicle season when all-terrain vehicles may be used for scouting and hunting. Fisheating Creek WMA – allow the use of golf carts in the Palmdale campground; change the bag limit for deer from one per quota permit to one per person, two per quota permit; and change the bag limit for turkey during spring turkey quota hunts from one gobbler or bearded turkey per quota permit to one per person, two per quota permit. Holey Land WMA – prohibit the harvest of deer not having at least one antler with 2 or more points (each point 1-inch or more in length) and at least one antler 5 inches or more in length; allow bird dogs to be used for hunting snipe during snipe season; prohibit tree stands, deer stands and elevated shooting platforms except from 6 a.m. two weeks prior to the opening of archery season until 6 p.m. the Sunday following the end of general gun-vehicle season; and prohibit the use of all-terrain vehicles except from 6 a.m. two weeks prior to the opening of archery season until 6 p.m. the day prior to the opening of general gun-vehicle season when all-terrain vehicles may be used for scouting and hunting. J.W. Corbett WMA – allow the harvest of antlerless deer only during the last 9 days of archery season; and prohibit the harvest of antlered deer not having at least one antler with 2 or more points (each point 1-inch or more in length) and at least one antler 5 inches or more in length. Picayune Strand WMA – extend the small game season by 7 days and change the bag limit for deer from one antlered deer per quota permit to one per person, two per quota permit. Rotenberger WMA - prohibit the harvest of deer not having at least one antler with 2 or more points (each point 1-inch or more in length) and at least one antler 5 inches or more in length; prohibit tree stands, deer stands and elevated shooting platforms except from 6 a.m. two weeks prior to the opening of archery season until 6 p.m. the Sunday following the end of general gun-vehicle season; and prohibit the use of all-terrain vehicles except from 6 a.m. two weeks prior to the opening of archery season until 6 p.m. the day prior to the opening of general gun-vehicle season when all-terrain vehicles may be used for scouting and hunting. Spirit-of-the-Wild WMA – allow the take of wild hog during the entire small game season; start the small game season one week earlier and end the Sunday prior to the youth turkey hunt; change the bag limit for deer from one antler deer per quota permit to one per person, two per permit; and change the bag limit for turkey from one gobbler or bearded turkey per quota permit to one per person, two per quota permit. Additionally, the proposed rule amendment would provide non-substantive technical changes, such as grammatical corrections, language standardization, or clarification of an existing rule.