For those interested in deer and wild turkey management, several meetings are on tap.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is looking at the Panhandle as a testing ground for establishing deer management units (DMUs) in the state. Most of Northwest Florida is currently in Zone D, one of four deer hunting zones in the state. Zone D contains two draft DMUs, with Interstate 10 as the dividing line. DMUs will be smaller units within zones and allow the FWC to manage deer based on the preferences of hunters, farmers and other stakeholders.
Cory Morea, who heads up the FWC’s Deer Management Program, said a survey of 4,400 hunters, farmers and other Florida residents looking at their preferences for deer management has already been completed. Morea said the FWC, and a third-party vendor, Normandeau Associates, are hosting three public meetings to gather input on deer management and deer hunting within these two DMUs.
Meeting times and locations are: Jan. 29, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. CST at the Jackson County Agricultural Conference Center, 2741 Pennsylvania Ave., Marianna, FL 32448; Jan. 30, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. EST at the Burns Building Auditorium, Florida Department of Transportation, 605 Suwannee St., Tallahassee, FL 32399; Jan. 31, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. CST at the University of West Florida, Commons Auditorium, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, FL 32514.
If there’s sufficient support for changes, Morea said the earliest that FWC could make any changes to the way deer are managed is the 2014-15 season. For more information, visit MyFWC.com/Deer. On the subject of meetings, the FWC is hosting a meeting Feb. 21 in Bonifay to update citizens on wild turkey management in Holmes County and future management recommendations. The meeting time is 6 – 8:30 p.m. at the Holmes County Extension Office.
Holmes County was closed to all turkey hunting in 1998 due to an absence of wild turkeys. More than 100 wild gobblers and hens were released at eight sites in the county in 1998 and ’99. With stringent protection and land management by hunters, farmers and other land managers, the turkey population flourished.
In 2006, the county was opened with a three-day, one-bird spring season. That was expanded to a 16-day season in 2009. In 2011, a two-day youth season on private lands was added.
Among the topics of discussion are a continued emphasis on management that benefits wild turkeys and whether to open the county to spring and fall hunting seasons consistent with other Panhandle counties.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Meetings on tap for deer, turkey management enthusiasts