Category: Outdoor News

Now is the time to apply for alligator hunting permits in Florida. Since 1988, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has provided hunters the chance to participate in its annual recreational statewide alligator harvest that runs August 15 to November 1 annually. There are, however, some changes this year to the application process that hunters need to know.

Florida Alligator Permits: Phase I application period

The application period for the Phase I random drawing begins May 6 at 10 a.m. and runs through May 16. More than 5,000 alligator harvest permits will be available. Hunters can submit their application for a permit that allows the harvest of two alligators on a designated harvest unit or county. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age by Aug. 15 and have a valid credit or debit card.

Applications may be submitted at any county tax collector’s office, license agent (most retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies) and at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com, and applicants must provide their credit card information when they apply. This is a new change to the process from previous years. There is also a cancellation feature, which allows applicants to update their hunt choices or credit card information during the first three application phases.

More Chances at Alligator Permits

Any alligator permits remaining after the Florida’s first phase will be offered during the Phase II random drawing May 20-30. Those who were awarded a permit in Phase I may not apply during Phase II. Remaining permits will be available in Phase III to anyone who did not draw a permit in either of the first two phases, and they may be applied for June 3-13.

If any hunting permits remain after Phase III, there will be a fourth-phase issuance period beginning at 10 a.m. on June 17 until all permits are sold. Anyone may apply during Phase IV, even if they were awarded a permit in one of the earlier phases. Customers who are able to purchase additional permits will only be charged $61.50, regardless of residency or disability.

Cost of Florida Alligator Licenses and Permits

Cost for the alligator trapping license/harvest permit and two hide validation CITES tags is $271.50 for Florida residents, $21.50 for those with a Florida Resident Persons with Disabilities Hunting and Fishing License, and $1,021.50 for nonresidents. The cost for applicants who already have an alligator trapping license is $61.50.

Things to Know About Alligator Permits in Florida

Within 3 days of an application period closing, applicants can expect to see an authorization hold on their credit card verifying there is a sufficient balance to cover the cost of the hunting permit, but this does not mean they will receive a permit. Once the credit card authorization process is complete, the lottery drawing will be held. All successful applicants will be charged, while those who were unsuccessful will have the authorization hold lifted from their credit cards.

Successful applicants should expect to receive their alligator trapping license/harvest permit and two CITES alligator tags in the mail within 6 weeks of payment. Alligator trapping licenses are nontransferable. All sales are final, and no refunds will be made. For more information on alligator hunting or the application process, see the new “2016 Guide to Alligator Hunting in Florida.”

Many landowners have surface water and are interested in pond management on their property. The principles of managing ponds and lakes are the same whether you have a pond in Texas, Ohio or Mississippi. When it comes to manipulating the pond found on your property it is just a matter of learning the processes that effect other aspects of your water body, which can be for fish or waterfowl management.

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) Fisheries Bureau and the Mississippi State University Extension Service are hosting a pond management workshop in Claiborne County. The workshop will be held at the Claiborne County Extension Office located at 510 Main Street in Port Gibson on Tuesday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m.

An hour-long presentation will include topics on pond design, fish stocking, harvest, vegetation control, liming, and fertilization. A question-and-answer period will follow. Those interested in attending the workshop are asked to register by calling the Claiborne County Extension office at (601) 437-5011.

“This workshop will allow biologists and private pond owners the opportunity to discuss management options to improve fish populations and habitat,” says Jerry Brown, MDWFP fisheries biologist. “We talk to people each year that want to manage their ponds effectively and this is a great way for us to provide personal how-to information that can help pond owners achieve their goals.” Learning techniques that influence water parameters and fish populations is the key to sound pond management for private landowners. Interested persons need to contact the number above since this sounds like a great program.

The spring turkey hunting season is just around the corner, so to increases your chances of success it’s always good to know how to find a turkey roost. You can find wild turkey roosts by identifying roost trees and listening for calling birds. Wooded areas in more open habitat make it a no-brainer; littered with feathers and mixed with droppings indicates a good roost site. In lare forested areas, it can be difficult to pin-point birds since turkey have numerous places to roost.

In general, the “how-to” of finding roost can be shortened if you narrow the search to areas likely to have turkey roosts, such as creek bottoms and wooded ridges. Hunters can also listen for birds flying up in the evening. The most sure method, however, of finding a gobbler roost is to elicit gobbles from roosted toms, which are known to gobble at dusk to alert hens in the area of their presence.

Source: In general, wild turkeys roost on primary branches in trees with at least 20 to 30 feet of branch-free trunk; this helps foil predators. Older and larger trees (with a trunk 20 inches or larger in diameter) are preferred. But I’ve seen birds roost in giant cottonwoods that two men couldn’t wrap their arms around, and in frail mesquites that looked like they couldn’t support a quail.

Sturdy branches that grow at right angles from the trunk are requisite for easy perching. This essential structure can be the key to identifying which species and size of tree that turkeys prefer to roost in. Find big trees with wide-spanning branches and you just may locate a roost. On one slope it might be a red oak, on a neighboring slope, maybe it’s a grand old sycamore tree
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In many regions of the country, you can predict the favored species of roost tree. In the Midwest, East, and Northeast, oaks (especially mature white oaks) and basswood make prime roosts. Birds often choose pines in inclement weather because their limber limbs tend to bend (and not snap) in stiff winds. In the South and Southeast, cypress, sycamore, live oak, and loblolly pine are favored. On the prairie, river-bottom cottonwoods serve, especially those bordering open fields. In the West, mid-slope ponderosa and other pines provide ideal roosts.

Locate concentrations of droppings and feathers beneath large trees. Squeeze the droppings to assess their freshness. Chalky droppings indicate a retired roost, but moist droppings are a sign that it’s being used and may be a good spot to hunt. Sometimes birds use the same roost daily. More often, turkeys work a circuit of sites, especially in big woodland habitat. Roosts are often near feeding areas, because birds forage hard after coming down in the morning and early evening.

When you locate a good spot, listen for that first daylight gobble to ring out to confirm that your assessment of roost preferences is correct.

The second annual Bennett Land Stewardship Conference is scheduled for April 23-24 at the Inn of the Hills Resort and Conference Center in Kerrville. The conference is funded by the Ruth and Eskel Bennett Endowment and hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, said Dr. Larry Redmon, co-chair and Bennett Trust AgriLife Extension specialist. Redmon said the Bennetts posthumously provided an endowment that will support land management and stewardship education in the Edwards Plateau for generations to come. The Bennetts retired to a ranch just outside Dripping Springs and established this endowment by generously gifting a portion of their estate to AgriLife Extension.

“Mr. Bennett loved the Edwards Plateau and left a legacy that will afford landowners and resource managers ongoing opportunities to acquire knowledge and sharpen their skills as responsible stewards of this unique and storied part of Texas,” Redmon said. “The proceeds from the invested endowment will provide unparalleled private sector support for AgriLife Extension educational efforts in the region.”

Cost of the two-day conference is $75 and includes all meals, break refreshments and tour transportation costs. Register online or by calling 979-845-2604.

Dr. Rick Machen, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist from Uvalde, said the conference will include “the best and wisest, accomplished stewards, visionaries and legacy-leavers together as educators for this conference. Those with a passion for natural resource stewardship and a love for the Texas Hill Country will want to be there.” Continue reading Land Management Workshop for Hill Country Property Owners

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says the dove hunting season dates and bag limits are finalized for 2014 and that they will provide dove hunters more opportunity later in the season. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved the 2014-2015 Texas dove season, which includes a 70-day season and 15-bird daily bag statewide. The traditional September 1 dove season opening day in the North and Central Zones remains and in 2014 that will fall on a Monday, Labor Day.

The season will extend longer on the backside, but the first segment in those zones will be shorter than last season, closing on Monday, Oct. 20. The season will reopen Friday, Dec. 19 and run through Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 in the North and Central Zones.

In the South Zone and Special White-winged Dove Area, the first segment will be shortened by five days compared to last year, and those days would be added to the end of the second segment. The South Zone opens Friday, Sept. 19 and runs through Monday, Oct. 20. The second segment will run Friday, Dec. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015.

The daily bag limit for doves across the state of Texas is 15 and the possession limit is 45.

The Special White-winged Dove Area will be restricted to afternoon-only (noon to sunset) hunting the first two full September weekends on Sept. 6-7 and 13-14. Dove hunting in this part of Texas will reopen Friday, Sept. 19 and continue through Monday, Oct. 20, and then reopen Friday, Dec. 19 through Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. During the early two weekends, the daily bag limit is 15 birds, to include not more than two mourning doves and two white-tipped doves. Once the general season opens, the aggregate bag limit will be 15 with no more than two white-tipped doves.

Based on overall habitat conditions this year, it looks like dove season should be hot across much of Texas in early fall. Lots of doves, both mourning and white-winged, have been observed over the past few months and nesting and production should be strong. That bodes well for Texas hunters, so I’m really looking forward to Sept. 1.

As wildlife become active this time of year, many animals are on the move and taking their young as they search for resources. Some may appear abandoned, so people in rural and urban environments may find themselves coming across adolescent animals that appear to need human kindness but sometimes the less human interaction the babies get, the better.

Gone are the spring days of wobbly fawns and baby birds just out of their shells, yet these and other animals are still only a few months old. Most are adolescents being cared for by their mothers and these young animals often stray and appear to be abandoned. Some may appear listless from the heat or lack of water. This is not the time to help out, wildlife experts say.

“Many people discover apparently lost or abandoned wildlife young and take them in, thinking they are doing the right thing, and this sometimes does more harm than good,” said Mark Klym of the Wildlife Diversity branch at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “People should leave young animals alone unless they are obviously injured or orphaned. It is best to observe a wild creature from a distance for a while in order to make that determination.”

Staying too close to the baby may keep the mother from returning, Klym said. Continue reading “Abandoned” Fawns and Other Wildlife Best Left Alone

Hunters than plan on mule deer hunting in West Texas should be aware of the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) check stations that Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has established for the 2013-14 season. Wildlife biologists are reminding mule deer hunters and landowners in far West Texas about the protocols developed as part the TPWD CWD management plan.

The mule deer plan includes mandatory check stations for harvested mule deer taken inside the CWD Containment Zone, which covers portions of Hudspeth, Culberson, and El Paso counties. The wildlife management plan was implemented after CWD was detected in tissue samples from two mule deer in far West Texas during the summer of 2012. Those were the first cases of CWD detected in Texas deer. Ongoing monitoring will track the spread of CWD. Continue reading Texas Mule Deer Hunting: CWD Check Stations