One of the recently planted food plots on a closed road in the Point Washington State Forest. Lori Ceier/Walton Outdoors

U.S. Forestry and FWC plant grasses to stimulate turkey brooding habitat

The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, in Point Washington and the Florida Fish and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are working together to promote wildlife brooding habitats in the Point Washington State Forest. 18 food plots have been planted on closed road areas throughout the Forest.

Working with cost share funding from the National Wild Turkey Federation, Forestry and FWC started with warm season grasses in July 2009, with brown top millet, sorghum, pearl millet and iron-clay peas planted. In December, the cool season was planted with clover, wheat, rye and oats.

Eastern portion of food plot map in Point Washington WMA.

“The planting is for young turkey brooding habitats,” said Fred Robinette, District Wildlife Biologist for FWC. “The plots also encourage quail and dove feeding, however take a few years to fully develop. In March, April and May when these grasses go to seed, it provides excellent bugging for the birds,” Robinette continued.

The benefits are two-fold as the plots also provide excellent feeding for sub-tropical migrating birds as well as good feeding for deer.

The plots are spread out along the closed roads and range in size from .2 acre to 2.5 acres and approximately 16 ft. wide, with more than 18 acres planted. Read More…

Posted under Birding, Hunting, Nature, Trails/Hiking

Tony Young's an avid sportsman and native Floridian. He's the media relations coordinator for the FWC's Division of Hunting and Game Management and lives in Tallahassee with his family.

Know your bag limits when hunting waterfowl

by Tony Young

There’s finally a chill and a certain festiveness in the air as most of us try to take time off from work to enjoy spending quality time with family and friends and reflect on the passing year.  Children will be out of school on winter break soon, and while the holiday season’s upon us, so are several traditional hunting opportunities.

The second phase of waterfowl and coot season comes in statewide Dec. 12 and runs through Jan. 31.  In addition to the usual hunting license and permit requirements, duck hunters also must have a Florida waterfowl permit ($3) and a federal duck stamp ($17.50).

The daily bag limit on ducks is six, but you need to know your ducks before you pull the trigger, because there are different daily limits for each species.  For instance, within the six-bird limit there may be only one black duck, one mottled duck, one fulvous whistling-duck, one pintail and one canvasback.

Only two of your six-bird limit may be redheads or scaup, and three may be wood ducks.  And you may have no more than four scoters and four mallards (of which only two may be female) in your bag.  All other species of ducks can be taken up to the six-bird limit, except harlequin ducks.
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Posted under Hunting

Tony Young's an avid sportsman and native Floridian. He's the media relations coordinator for the FWC's Division of Hunting and Game Management and lives in Tallahassee with his family.

Give thanks for hunting seasons galore

November means the 2009-10 huntin’ season’s in full swing.  This month, general gun, fall turkey, quail and gray squirrel, snipe and the second phase of mourning and white-winged dove hunting seasons open.
The first thing you need to do is pick up a $17 Florida resident hunting license.  Nonresidents pay $46.50 for a 10-day license or $151.50 for 12 months.
If you plan to hunt one of Florida’s many wildlife management areas (WMAs), you’ll also need a $26.50 management area permit, but don’t forget to study the brochure for the specific area you plan to hunt, because dates, bag limits and rules differ greatly from area to area.

You can get these brochures at tax collectors’ offices and regional Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) offices in close proximity to the WMA, or you can download them from MyFWC.com/Hunting.

You can buy your license and permits over the telephone by calling toll-free 888-HUNT-FLORIDA or online at www.wildlifelicense.com/fl.  Just have your credit card ready.  You also can purchase them from tax collectors’ offices and most retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies.

The general gun season runs Nov. 14 – Jan. 24 in the Central Hunting Zone.  In the Northwest Zone, it comes in Thanksgiving Day and lasts four days through Nov. 29.  Two weeks later, the season reopens Dec. 12 and runs through Feb. 17.  For readers hunting the South Hunting Zone, the general gun season’s already in and lasts through Jan. 10.

Read More…

Posted under Hunting

Outta’ the  Woods

By Tony Young

Football season’s in full swing, and the 2009-10 hunting season’s starting to crank up. Archery season’s been going on in most of the state, and in this issue, I want to talk about three other seasons about to start: crossbow, muzzleloading gun and the first phase of dove.

Crossbow season occurs between archery and muzzleloading gun seasons in the South and Central hunting zones, lasting five days: Oct. 12-16 and Oct. 26-30, respectively. In the Northwest zone, it comes in later, on the Monday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 30), and lasts one week through Dec. 6.
This season’s for any hunter who’d like to use a crossbow or continue using a bow on private lands. This is not just for disabled hunters. Crossbow season doesn’t apply to most wildlife management areas (WMAs), however.
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Posted under Hunting

Proposals to enhance quail habitat and hunting discussed

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) invites everyone with an interest in bobwhite quail management on the Blackwater Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties to an open house Oct. 6. The event will take place 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the Bear Lake Recreation Area, 2914 Bear Lake Rd., near Munson. Read More…

Posted under Hunting

Rail and Common Moorhen
Season: Sept. 1 – Nov. 9, 2009
Shooting Hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
Bag Limits (daily/possession):
Clapper & king rails – 15/30 (singly or in aggregate)
Sora & Virginia rails – 25/25 (singly or in aggregate)
Common moorhen – 15/30
Purple gallinule – No Open Season

Special September Duck Season: Sept. 26-30, 2009

Shooting Hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset 
Legal to Take: Wood duck, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal
Bag Limit (daily/possession): 4/8. The 4-duck daily bag limit shall consist of no more than two wood ducks.
September Canada Goose
Season: Sept. 5-30, 2009 Canada geese may be taken statewide
Shooting Hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset.
Bag Limit (daily/possession): 5/10. Taking or attempting to take brant or geese (except as described above) is prohibited.
Read More…

Posted under Hunting

FWC finalizes general hunting dates

(Seasons and dates are not applicable to wildlife management areas)

Season for Northwest Zone

Archery
Oct. 17 – Nov. 15, 2009

Deer-dog training
Oct. 31 – Nov. 19, 2009

Crossbow
Nov. 30 – Dec. 6, 2009
Read More…

Posted under Hunting

Photo courtesy FWC.

New rule changes to the Quota Hunt Program that improves the state’s regulation of hunting on wildlife management areas

The following major changes to the quota program were approved by the FWC Commission on Feb. 4, 2009 and will be in effect for the 2009-2010 hunting season.
To obtain quota permit application worksheets,  Click here
Apply for a quota permit now! Click here

Has there been an increase in the number of quota hunt types?
Yes. The number of hunt types has changed from three types (Archery/muzzleloading Gun, General Gun and Spring Turkey) to five types (Archery, Muzzleloading Gun, General Gun, Wild Hog and Spring Turkey).

Read More…

Posted under Hunting

Classes will be held Aug. 3-6

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is offering a free hunter safety course in Okaloosa County.

The course will be at the Okaloosa County Extension Office, 5479 Old Bethel Rd. in Crestview.  Instruction will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 3, 4, 5 and 6; the range portion of the class will be Aug. 8.    Read More…

Posted under Hunting

Crow

Season: Aug. 9 – Oct. 26, 2008 (Saturdays and Sundays only) and Nov. 11, 2008 – Feb. 18, 2009
Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
Bag limit: No bag or possession limits

Rail and common moorhen

Season: Sept. 1 – Nov. 9, 2008
Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
Bag limits (daily/possession):
Clapper & king rails – 15/30 (singly or in aggregate)
Sora & Virginia rails – 25/25 (singly or in aggregate)
Common moorhen – 15/30
Purple gallinule – No open season

September Canada goose

September Season: Sept. 6-24, 2008
Note: This season is now open statewide (previously open on Lake Seminole only)
Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset.
Bag limit (daily/possession): 5/10.

Special early duck

Season: Sept. 20-24, 2008
Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
Legal to take: Teal, wood duck
Bag limit (daily/possession): 4/8. The 4-duck daily bag limit may include no more than 2 wood ducks; the 8-duck possession limit may include no more than 4 wood ducks.

Mourning and white-winged dove

Season:
First phase – Oct. 4-27, 2008
Second phase – Nov. 15-30, 2008
Third phase – Dec. 13, 2008 – Jan. 11, 2009
Shooting hours:
First phase – noon to sunset
Second and third phases – One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
Bag limit (daily/possession): 15/30 (singly or in aggregate) - increased from previous year.

Snipe

Season: Nov. 1, 2008 – Feb. 15, 2009
Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
Bag limit (daily/possession): 8/16

Woodcock

Season: Dec. 20, 2008 – Jan. 18, 2009
Shooting hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset
Bag limit (daily/possession): 3/6

Posted under Hunting