Georgia DNR Adds DOT Acres to Manage for Hunting, Fishing, & Wildlife
October 21, 2008
In September of last year, a hunter in middle Georgia called the Georgia Department of Natural Resources saying he had just lost his hunting lease. Opening day was only a few weeks away and he was frantically searching for a place to hunt.
Sound familiar?
As land is sold, hunting leases are often terminated. Some hunters who have hunted on the same lands for years suddenly find themselves with no place to hunt. Others simply can no longer afford the high cost of leases.
But hunters have another option. For $19 a year they can access more than 900,000 acres on 99 different wildlife management areas (WMAs) and natural areas across the state.
There’s even better news: The available property just increased by more than 10,000 acres.
In mid-September, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the state’s Department of Natural Resources signed an agreement through which the DNR will begin managing some Department of Transportation lands for hunting and fishing. The DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division will manage nine of these tracts. One, Oliver Bridge in Bulloch County, will be a stand-alone WMA, while six will be added to current WMAs. The remaining two tracts will be added to natural areas the division manages.
The agreement between the two agencies is designed to protect the natural resources on these tracts. Those resources include game and nongame wildlife, rare species of plants and animals, and wetlands and stream habitats.
“Providing hunter access to public lands is essential to the core values of wildlife conservation and to rural economies,” said John W. Bowers, an assistant chief with the Wildlife Resources Division. “This enhanced opportunity is the result of successful collaboration between the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Wildlife Resources Division.”
The tracts are part of DOT mitigation and will be managed for their wetland and stream benefits. However, the agreement allows the DNR to immediately open the tracts to public hunting and fishing, adding more than 10,000 acres to the state’s WMA system.
The next time you are looking for a place to hunt or fish, why not buy a WMA stamp? It is the least expensive 900,000-acre hunting lease you will ever purchase.
New WMA Lands
Listed by county, WMA or natural area (NA) and acreage.
** Bulloch: Oliver Bridge WMA, 1,560 acres*
** Bleckley: Ocmulgee WMA, 1,127 additional acres
** Long: Townsend WMA, 3,970 acres
** Miller: Mayhaw WMA, 1,685 acres
** Montgomery: Bullard Creek WMA, 1,007 acres
** Taylor: Fall Line Sandhills NA, 700 acres
** Upson: Big Lazer Creek WMA, 1,350 acres
** Walker: Crockford-Pigeon Mountain WMA, 1,048 acres
** Whitfield: Conasauga River NA, 202 acres
*Oliver Bridge is a new WMA.
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Spring Turkey Quota Hunt Worksheets Available
October 20, 2008
Hunters looking to do some turkey hunting on most of Florida’s wildlife management areas during the 2009 spring turkey season need to apply for quota hunt permits beginning 10 a.m. (EDT), Tuesday, Oct. 28.
Quota hunt permit worksheets are available now from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) online at MyFWC.com/hunting under “Quota Hunts” and at all FWC regional offices.
Applicants must apply through the FWC’s Total Licensing System. Hunters may apply online at www.wildlifelicense.com
or present their completed worksheets to any tax collector or license agent, and they can submit it for you.
All applicants, regardless of when they apply, have the same chance of being selected, as long as they submit their applications within the application period. Applicants must apply by 11:59 p.m. (EST), Thursday, Nov. 6, to be included in one of two random drawings.
Hunters who were included in the random drawing last year but were not issued a quota hunt permit will be included in this year’s first drawing, known as the “preference drawing.”
“When you submit your application, you will receive a receipt showing the hunts you have applied for and your preference status,” said FWC quota hunt coordinator Eddie White. “If you are eligible for the preference drawing, your receipt will indicate ‘Preference: Yes.’ Those not eligible for the preference drawing will be included in the second drawing.”
Hunters also may apply as a group. A group leader must first apply to create the group. The group’s number will be printed on the group leader’s receipt. Each person wishing to join the group must submit his own application using the unique group number assigned to the leader.
If chosen, applicants will receive, by mail, a spring turkey quota hunt permit before Phase 1 of the selection process begins Dec. 3. Applicants not chosen in Phase I may re-apply during Phase 2 on a first-come, first-served basis for any hunts not filled and will still be eligible for the preference drawing next year. Applicants may check to see if they were successful by clicking on “Check Permit Availability and Drawing Results” at MyFWC.com/hunting after Nov. 20.
For more information on how to apply for spring turkey quota hunt permits, visit the Hunting section of MyFWC.com.
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Oklahoma Muzzleloader Deer Season Nears
October 13, 2008
While deer archery hunters are already afield hunting, hunters await the opening of the 2008 deer muzzleloader season slated for Oct. 25.
Muzzleloader season spans nine days (Oct. 25 - Nov. 2). The modern gun season opens Nov. 22 and runs for 16 days. Archery season remains open through Jan. 15, 2009.
From wide-open prairie to pine-covered mountains, deer call every part of Oklahoma home, and several wildlife management areas across the state offer hunting for at least part of the muzzleloader season, some through special draw hunts that give sportsmen a unique opportunity to change up their usual hunting routine.
To learn more about deer hunting on wildlife management areas, consult the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide” or log on to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Web site at wildlifedepartment.com. The Web site offers regulations, useful hunting information and an award-winning digital wildlife management area atlas. And best of all, it is free. In addition to detailed maps, sportsmen can find information such as camping locations and contacts for local biologists.
During muzzleloader season, hunters can harvest a buck and two antlerless deer, and most of the state is open to antlerless hunting every day during the season. In addition to an appropriate hunting license and fishing and hunting legacy permit (unless exempt), resident muzzleloader hunters must possess a deer license for each deer harvested. If a hunter harvests two antlerless deer, at least one of those antlerless deer must be taken in antlerless zone two (consult page 21 of the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide for a map of antlerless zones). Nonresident muzzleloader hunters must also carry a fishing and hunting legacy permit and a nonresident deer muzzleloader license for each deer harvested. However, nonresidents are exempt from the purchase of a hunting license while hunting deer.
Hunters can harvest a turkey with their muzzleloaders Nov. 1-2 in most of the state. A fall turkey license is required, unless exempt. Fall turkey gun season runs Nov. 1-21, and details on the season are available in the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide.”
Hunters age 10-35 who have not completed hunter education can buy an apprentice-designated hunting license and hunt while accompanied by a licensed hunter 21 years old or older who has completed the hunter education course, or a licensed hunter 21 years old or older who is otherwise exempt from hunter education (includes those 36 years old or older, those honorably discharged or currently active in the Armed Forces or members of the National Guard). Hunters under 10 years old must complete a hunter education course to hunt big game or to buy any big game hunting license.
For specific information regarding which areas are open to muzzleloader season, licenses, bag limits, blaze orange clothing requirements or legal firearms, consult the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide” or log onto wildlifedepartment.com.
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More Waterfowl Habitat in Mississippi
October 6, 2008
Jackson – The Foundation for Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (Foundation) was awarded a North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant for almost $1 million. The grant entitled, “Mississippi Delta WMA Wetland Habitat Enhancements,” is the first NAWCA grant awarded to the Foundation. The project will protect, restore, and enhance 3,270 acres of waterfowl habitat on three Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ (MDWFP) Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in the Mississippi Delta. Habitat restoration and enhancement efforts will begin in summer 2009 at Howard Miller WMA in Issaquena County, O’Keefe WMA in Quitman County, and Charlie Capps WMA in Bolivar County.
The 2,430-acre Howard Miller WMA was acquired by the MDWFP in January 2006 and July 2007. Grant funds will renovate ditches, replace water control structures, and replace damaged pump motors on Howard Miller WMA so that it can continue to provide valuable habitat for both waterfowl and waterfowl hunters. Work activities on O’Keefe WMA will improve water management on a 20-acre agricultural field. Once restored, this field will be managed for a variety of natural and planted waterfowl foods and provide additional hunting opportunities.
Charlie Capps WMA was once a 451-acre state fishing lake, but became a WMA because frequent flooding made management of the sport fishery extremely difficult. As a result, approximately 400 acres of the former lake bed will be restored to shallow, intensively managed wetlands that provide quality waterfowl habitat and public waterfowl hunting opportunities. Another 50 acres of the lake bed will be re-planted to restore historical cypress and tupelo wetlands. MDWFP will also maintain a 40-acre fishing lake to retain fishing opportunity in the area. “The restoration of Charlie Capps WMA will give hunters a quality waterfowl hunting opportunity in an area of the Delta that has not had such opportunities provided on state-owned lands,” said Stephen Chandler, WMA supervisor for Charlie CappsWMA.
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Connecticut DEP Announces Opening Days of Upcoming Fall Firearms Hunting Seasons
October 6, 2008
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has announced the Opening Days of upcoming fall firearms hunting seasons. Peak hunting occurs during early morning and late afternoon, primarily during the period from mid-October through mid-December.
The fall firearms turkey season opens statewide on Saturday, October 4 and will continue through October 31. The regular waterfowl season opens statewide on Wednesday, October 15 in both the north and south hunting zones. Small game hunting season opens at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 18 for pheasant, bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, chukar partridge, crow and cottontail rabbit. Statewide firearms deer hunting season begins Wednesday, November 19. The 2008 Connecticut Hunting and Trapping Guide and the 2008-2009 Migratory Bird Hunting Guide, which contain additional information on laws, regulations, and season dates, can be obtained at any town clerk or Wildlife Division office, or they can be found on the DEP website at www.ct.gov/dep. Maps denoting many state-owned hunting areas and most permit-required hunting areas may be obtained, free-of-charge, from the DEP Wildlife Division’s office at the DEP Headquarters, located at 79 Elm Street in Hartford. Maps can also be found on the DEP website.
Small Game Season and Permit-required Information
With the exception of opening day (October 18,) small game hunting is allowed for most species from one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset. Waterfowl hunting is permitted from one-half hour before sunrise until sunset.
In addition to most state forests and wildlife management areas, small game hunting will be available on a number of areas established under the permit-required hunting program. Permit-required areas are open to public hunting via a daily permit system and are made available through the cooperation of private landowners and local sportsmen’s clubs. Hunting access to some state-owned properties also is controlled on a daily basis through the permit-required program. A designated number of daily permits are available on a first-come, first-serve basis for each day of the season. Permits may be requested up to two days in advance of the day that you wish to hunt. A special “seasonal” access permit for Junior Hunters, aged 12-15, will continue to be available for selected areas. The permit allows access during any day of the season for a Junior Hunter and accompanying adult licensed hunter without the need to obtain daily hunting permits. Further details and permit forms are available from the DEP website or designated permit agents.
Sportsmen wishing to hunt any designated permit-required hunting area should consult the 2008 Connecticut Hunting and Trapping Guide for locations of vendors issuing daily permits. Changes in permit vendor locations include the following:
Hebron Area - DEP Eastern District HQ, 209 Hebron Road, Marlborough
East Windsor/Enfield - Riverview Sales, 4 Prospect Hill Road, East Windsor
NU-Kings Island - Riverview Sales, 4 Prospect Hill Road, East Windsor
Permit Restrictions Removed for Some Permit-required Areas
In an effort to increase opportunities for more sportsmen on quality hunting areas, daily permit restrictions have been removed on five areas under DEP ownership. Continuing this fall, daily permits are not required for small game hunting on Babcock Pond WMA (Colchester), Bear Hill WMA (Bozrah), Goshen WMA (Goshen), Higganum Meadows WMA (Haddam), and Nathan Hale State Forest (Coventry). This change is reflected in the 2008 Hunting Guide.Pheasant Prospects Remain Good; Tags Now Available for Sale
The DEP will purchase 14,742 adult ring-necked pheasants for the upcoming fall season; a decrease of 1,115 birds from the previous year’s purchase. Most stocking areas will receive adjustments in allocations as a result of the decrease in the number of birds purchased. In addition to adult pheasants, 844 eight-week-old pheasants were purchased and delivered to Norwich Fish and Game and Sprague Rod and Gun Clubs for eventual release on permit-required hunting areas.
Revenue collected from pheasant hunters in the previous year determines the annual budget for purchasing pheasants. The 2008 stocking program was directly affected by a decrease of approximately $4,000 in the net revenue collected from pheasant hunters in 2007, combined with a substantial annual increase in average pheasant costs. Rising fuel and grain costs continue to impact commercial growers.
Despite the reduction in the number of pheasants stocked, sportsmen should recognize that the ratio of pheasants stocked per hunter has actually increased over the years and the prospects for pheasant hunting are as good as they have been in several years.
Stocking Areas Maintained - Limited Stocking During Deer Season Opener
A total of 44 major public hunting areas will be stocked with pheasants during the 2008 fall season. A number of lower quality/lower public use areas were removed from the stocking list in 2007 in an effort to maintain sufficient allocations on the higher quality sites. The Natchaug State Forest in Eastford, Nye Holman State Forest in Ellington, Shenipsit State Forest in Stafford, and the Tanney Hill Block of Nehantic State Forest in Lyme will not be stocked in 2008.
A limited number of pheasants and areas will be stocked during the week of November 17, which includes opening day (November 19) of the statewide firearms deer hunting season. Stocking will occur two to three times per week during the other six weekly distribution periods. Pheasants will be nearly evenly distributed with one-half of the allocations released in October and one-half during November. All stocking will conclude by Thanksgiving Day.
To provide opportunities for weekend/family and youth hunters, volunteers for the DEP will release pheasants on Friday evenings and variable Saturdays on selected sites.
Cooperative sportsmen’s clubs that provide public hunting access to permit-required hunting areas will continue to stock state-purchased birds on several areas.
For additional details, such as area allocations and an updated listing of all major stocking areas, visit the DEP website at www.ct.gov/dep. Sportsmen are reminded that, in addition to their firearms hunting license, a Pheasant Harvest Tag Series ($14 for 10 tags) is required to hunt pheasants on public lands. Tags have been available since September and can be purchased at town halls and some license agents. Tags may also be ordered through the DEP’s on-line licensing system www.ct.gov/dep/sportsmenlicensing, but hunters should allow at least one week for the tags to be mailed to them.
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Sportsmen May Access Public Areas in Arkansas to Repair Blinds
September 25, 2008
POCAHONTAS – Due to the recent heavy winds associated with the passage of Hurricane Ike over Northeast Arkansas, a considerable amount of tree limbs and logs have accumulated in some hunting areas and boat lanes. Hunters on the Dave Donaldson Black River and the St. Francis Sunken Lands wildlife management areas will soon get a second opportunity to access these Arkansas Game and Fish Commission areas.
Sportsmen may access St. Francis Sunken Lands and Dave Donaldson Black River WMAs from Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 through Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008, in order to remove fallen logs and limbs from waterfowl hunting holes and boat lanes. Debris removal on the Big lake WMA will be carried out by the Big Lake Volunteer Work Group, under the supervision of the AGFC.
Maintenance will only be allowed into the areas during daylight hours. Special permits will not be required.
Maintenance may be done under the following guidelines:
- Certain levees and roads usually open to vehicular traffic may be closed due to construction or logging operations on Dave Donaldson Black River and St. Francis Sunken Lands WMAs. For maintenance purposes, only ATVs will be permitted beyond signs, locked gates or barricades.
- Boats, three wheeled, four wheeled, six wheeled or eight-wheeled all terrain vehicles may be used on existing roads or trails to access hunting areas. Trailers may be used with ATVs to transport repair materials and equipment to blind locations.
- No trucks or other passenger vehicles, farm tractors or implements, including implements for use with four-wheelers, riding mowers or power mowers may be used.
- Chainsaws mounted on extension poles or any other devices intended exclusively for overhead limb cutting are not permitted.
- No chemicals, herbicides or defoliants may be used.
- Chainsaws will be permitted only for the cutting of fallen logs from boat lanes, trails and hunting spots.
- No standing trees are to be cut or damaged.
- No new holes or clearings are to be created and existing holes are not to be enlarged by cutting surrounding trees or shrubs. Violations of this restriction may result in the red-lining of the hole and permanent closure of the hole to all waterfowl hunting.
- Soil may not be plowed, cultivated or disturbed in any manner and no seeds of any kind are to be planted.
- Cutting of trees, application of chemicals or defoliants, or the enlargement or creation of new openings will result in the permanent closure of that location to hunting.
- No maintenance may be done in areas that have been closed to hunting by painted boundaries or signs.
The use of all-terrain vehicles for off road travel is restricted to persons actively participating in blind or hunting hole maintenance, and mobility impaired access permit holders as permitted by area regulations. Joy riding is prohibited and violators will be prosecuted.
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Hunters Should Be Aware of Nebraska Waterfowl Blind, Deer Stand Regulations
September 18, 2008
LINCOLN, Neb. – Fall hunting seasons are starting soon and hunters should understand regulations pertaining to the use of waterfowl blinds and deer stands.
Ted Blume, administrator of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commissions Law Enforcement Division, said daily waterfowl blinds may be installed on state recreation areas (SRA) and wildlife management areas (WMA) unless otherwise posted. Hunters are responsible for removing those blinds at the end of each hunting day. Hunting blinds and other personal property remaining on a SRA or WMA following the close of hunting each day can be impounded.
Seasonal blinds for waterfowl hunting may be installed and used at Clear Creek WMA at the west end of Lake McConaughy and designated portions of Lake McConaughy SRA; Enders Reservoir WMA, Swanson Reservoir WMA, Red Willow Reservoir WMA, Medicine Creek Reservoir WMA, Elwood Reservoir WMA, Sherman Reservoir WMA, Merritt Reservoir WMA, Calamus Reservoir WMA, and Whitetail WMA in Colfax County. Contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for special regulations at Lewis and Clark WMA.
Seasonal blinds on WMAs must legibly display, on the door, the name and address of the owner. The door must be constructed so that it can be opened at all times when not in use. Commission personnel may remove locked blinds at the owners expense.
Blume said just because someone owns a blind they leave on a state-owned area doesnt mean the owner has exclusive rights to its use. The first person to occupy a blind each day is entitled to occupy and use the blind for that day, regardless of who owns it.
Deer hunters may place portable deer stands on WMAs, but must remove them no later than 15 days following the close of the deer hunting season. The first person to occupy a portable deer stand is entitled to occupy that tree stand for that day.
Portable tree stands used on SRAs must be removed at the end of each hunting day. Portable tree stands not removed daily from SRAs are subject to removal by Commission employees.
Permanent or semi-permanent tree stands that attach to any tree with nails, screws, bolts or wire are illegal to use on SRAs or WMAs.
“The blind and stand regulations have been implemented to allow fair and equitable use of hunting areas on the limited state-owned lands available,” Blume said.
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Deer, Hog Archery Hunts Offered in Georgetown County, South Carolina
September 8, 2008
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources is again offering archery hunts for deer and hogs during October on Samworth and Santee Delta Wildlife Management Areas in Georgetown County. The archery hunts for deer and hogs taking place on the two Wildlife Management Areas in Georgetown County are scheduled for October 2-4, 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25.
“We are trying to maximize hunting opportunities by opening up these areas, which are primarily managed for waterfowl, to be hunted for deer and hogs,” said Jamie Rader, S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Upper Coastal Waterfowl Project leader. According to Rader, “The dikes will offer a good opportunity to harvest a deer and/or hog. The hunts are also an opportunity for the public to help us remove wild hogs, which are causing extensive damage to the dikes.”
Wildlife Management Area regulations will apply to the archery-only deer and hog hunts on Samworth and Santee Delta, and hunters will need a Wildlife Management Area permit in addition to a state hunting license and Big Game permit. The limits will be two deer per day, either-sex, with no limits on hogs. No dogs will be allowed on these hunts. On Samworth Wildlife Management Area, only impoundments may be hunted.
DNR protects and manages South Carolina’s natural resources by making wise and balanced decisions for the benefit of the state’s natural resources and its people.
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AGFC Fields Ready for Opening of Dove Season
September 3, 2008
LITTLE ROCK – Opening day of dove season is this Saturday. For those hunters still looking for a field to hunt, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission maintains dove fields on some wildlife management areas. These plots are open to the public and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
“We’re stepping up opportunities for the dove season opening on our lands,” said Ricky Chastain, AGFC assistant chief of wildlife management. “With many privately-owned fields being an invitation-only proposition, we want to offer something for hunters, especially youth, who are new to the sport.”
The acreage put into dove fields is fairly small when compared to the size of the entire WMA because most hunters spend only a few days a season chasing these birds.
“Dove hunting fields can handle a hunter for every two acres or so,” Chastain said. “Most of the wildlife openings on our properties are small with irregular borders to serve a number of different wildlife species. Our