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 Northeast Region as follows:
Charles H. Bronson WMA – restrict vehicular access during scouting days and hunting seasons to 1 ½ hours before sunrise until 1 ½ hours after sunset.
Lake George WMA, Dexter Mary Farms Unit – during special-opportunity spring turkey hunts, legal shooting hours for turkey hunting shall remain ½ hour before sunrise until 1 p.m.
Lake Panasoffkee WMA – during special-opportunity spring turkey hunts, legal shooting hours for turkey hunting shall remain ½ hour before sunrise until 1 p.m.
Little Big Econ WMA – restrict vehicular access during scouting days and hunting seasons to 1 ½ hours before sunrise until 1 ½ hours after sunset.
Matanzas WMA – remove the area specific rule requiring that vehicles must be parked at designated parking areas or parked within 25 feet of a named or numbered road; restrict public access during non-hunting periods from sunrise to sunset, during hunting seasons from 1 ½ hours before sunrise until 1 ½ hours after sunset; and allow vehicular access only during scouting days and hunting seasons or by permit from the Florida Forest Service.
Seminole Ranch WMA – remove all the quota and daily permit requirements for the wild hog-dog hunt.
Tiger Bay WMA, Rima Ridge Unit – restrict public access during non-hunting periods from sunrise to sunset and during hunting seasons from 1 ½ hours before sunrise until 1 ½ hours after sunset.
Tosohatchee WMA – allow public access from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. during spring turkey season to accommodate the expansion of spring turkey shooting hours (1/2 hour before sunrise until sunset).
Triple N Ranch WMA – allow vehicle access for all area users on scouting days for small game season and wild hog-still season (these are not special-opportunity hunts).
Additionally, the proposed rule amendment would provide non-substantive technical changes, such as grammatical corrections, language standardization, or clarification of an existing rule.