JF Griffin - Index

JF Griffin - magazine - Index

Spring turkey season
Wildlife management area regulations can
differ
Season dates:
South Zone March 7 - April 12, 2009
Central Zone March 21 - April 26, 2009
Northwest Zone March 21 - April 26, 2009
(except Holmes County where the season is
March 21 — April 5, 2009)
License and permit requirements:
Hunting license and turkey permit
Legal to take: Bearded turkeys or
gobblers
Shooting hours: One-half hour before
sunrise to sunset. On WMAs, wildlife and
environmental areas and public use areas,
shooting hours are one-half hour before
sunrise to 1 p.m.
Daily bag and possession limits:
Daily limit one, season and possession limit
two (except in Holmes County - season limit
one)
Hunting methods: All legal rifl es,
shotguns, muzzleloading guns, crossbows,
bows and handguns may be used. Decoys
also may be used.
Prohibitions:
■ Hunting turkeys in Holmes County after
April 5, 2009
■ Hunting turkeys with dogs
■ Shooting turkeys while they are on the
roost
■ Taking turkeys over baited areas
■ Taking turkeys when hunter is within 100
yards of a game-feeding station when feed
is present
■ Using centerfi re, semi-automatic rifl es
having magazine capacities of more than
fi ve rounds and fully automatic or silencerequipped
fi rearms
Furbearer hunting regulations
Hunters taking furbearers with fi rearms or
dogs for sporting purposes must possess
hunting licenses or other licenses that
include hunting privileges, unless exempt.
These licenses do not authorize the sale of
furbearing mammals or taking furbearing
mammals with live traps or snares. Trapping
licenses are required to sell furbearing
animals or when using live traps or snares in
taking them.
Open season: Raccoons, opossums,
skunks, nutrias, beavers and coyotes can be
live-trapped, taken with snares or hunted with
dogs and fi rearms year-round.
Limited season: Otters and bobcats can
be live-trapped or taken with fi rearms and
snares from Dec. 1, 2008 through March
1, 2009. Bobcats can be chased with dogs
year-round.
Possession: Hides and skins of raccoons,
opossums, coyotes, skunks, nutrias and
beavers may be possessed in any number
at any time. Bobcats and otter pelts may be
possessed in any number between Dec. 1,
FURBEARER REGULATIONS
2008 and March 1, 2009. Possessing more
than one bobcat and otter pelt is prohibited
from March 2 through Nov. 30, 2009; unless
they have been tagged with FWC seals (see
Commercial furbearer requirements in next
section).
Methods of taking: Furbearers may
be taken with fi rearms, live traps or snares.
Recorded game calls also may be used
to take furbearers. Live traps and snares
must be checked at least every 24 hours.
Using or possessing steel or leg-hold traps
where wildlife might be found is prohibited,
unless authorized by permit from the FWC
executive director.
Raccoon and opossum: Hunting at
night with dogs for raccoons and opossums
is permitted year-round. Only .22-caliber
rimfi re fi rearms (other than .22-magnums) or
single-shot .410-gauge shotguns, using shot
not larger than size 6 can be used. Firearms
may not be loaded until immediately prior
to shooting treed or bayed raccoons or
opossums. Hunting raccoons or opossums
by displaying or using lights from moving
vehicles, vessels or animals is prohibited.
Transporting live raccoons: It is
illegal to transport wild-trapped live raccoons
within, into or from the state, except by FWC
permit or authorization.
Wildlife management areas:
Furbearers may not be taken on WMAs
unless specifi cally authorized by area
regulations.
Closed season on fox: Trapping or
shooting foxes is prohibited. Foxes may
not be killed but may be chased with dogs
year-round. Foxes or untanned fox pelts may
not be possessed, except by permit from
the FWC executive director. A permit is
not required when getting a road-killed fox
mounted by a taxidermist.
Prohibited: Minks, Everglades minks,
weasels and round-tailed muskrats cannot be
taken or possessed. Everglades minks reside
in Miami-Dade, Monroe, Collier and Hendry
counties.
Commercial furbearer
requirements
Trapping licenses are required to sell the
hides and meat of furbearing mammals.
One must possess a dealer’s license to
engage in the buying and selling of meat
from furbearing mammals for commercial
purposes.
Bobcat and otter pelts taken for
commercial purposes must be tagged with
an FWC seal. To obtain furbearer tags, call
the furbearer program coordinator at (850)
627-1773. Persons possessing a valid trapping
license can sell tagged or untagged otter and
bobcat pelts to licensed fur dealers or agents
from Dec. 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009.
Persons with a hunting license can possess
one untanned otter and bobcat pelt without
having them tagged. Otter and bobcat pelts
may not be taken out of Florida unless
tagged.
(Continues on page 22)
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 2008-2009 19