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binellishtr
Posts: 8,797 Admiral
An open Summit in S Fl
binellishtr
Posts: 8,797 Admiral
We are in the beginning stages of putting together the first of many Open House Summits somewhere around Davie Fl to have an open discussion regarding all concerns with hunting. It doesn't mean if you don't hunt S Fl you will not be heard, it's open to everyone no matter where you hunt, or what you hunt in Florida.
State Representative http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4566 will be the guest host, along with some other people, maybe even FWC/NPS/SFWMD This will be a first in a series of meetings State Representative Katie Edwards will be hosting.
For those of you who don't know her, please read up because she understands hunting, and was the only Democratic Representative to vote in Favor of the Upcoming Bear hunt.
We had an unbelieveable meeting last Month with regards to the Cougar/Deer issues in S Fl, which was put together by the ECC/FSCA and The Panthers Of South FLorida Org and thought it would be an excellent idea to try and keep that ball rolling.
We will talk about getting more lands opened, more access, and anything else you feel is important. We will also have an update on the current Deer Study being conducted in the Big Cypress.
No date has been sent yet, but we want to get all the clubs involved, and get some of the officials there if they are up to another Q/A session. You will have as much time to speak as you desire, we will not have a 3 min clock, matter of fact I'm taking down any clocks on the walls. If we need to brew some coffee, we will.
You will see an article this Fri in the Sun Sentinel and outdoors writer Steve Waters http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-steve-waters-bio-staff.html is writing it.. it will be the first in a hopefully a series of articles that will address things like getting the STA's open a lot more than what we are getting now.
Apparently Tallahassee thinks everything is A-OK with them, but for the guys who work weekends they are not. Or, the guys who have been hunting the traditional areas such as okeechobee or the glades, they too feel much differently about things.
We will directly address the State Lands being managed by SFWMD and how the public is locked out of them.
If anyone has ideas,or wants to get involved let me know either publically here or PM.
State Representative http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4566 will be the guest host, along with some other people, maybe even FWC/NPS/SFWMD This will be a first in a series of meetings State Representative Katie Edwards will be hosting.
For those of you who don't know her, please read up because she understands hunting, and was the only Democratic Representative to vote in Favor of the Upcoming Bear hunt.
We had an unbelieveable meeting last Month with regards to the Cougar/Deer issues in S Fl, which was put together by the ECC/FSCA and The Panthers Of South FLorida Org and thought it would be an excellent idea to try and keep that ball rolling.
We will talk about getting more lands opened, more access, and anything else you feel is important. We will also have an update on the current Deer Study being conducted in the Big Cypress.
No date has been sent yet, but we want to get all the clubs involved, and get some of the officials there if they are up to another Q/A session. You will have as much time to speak as you desire, we will not have a 3 min clock, matter of fact I'm taking down any clocks on the walls. If we need to brew some coffee, we will.
You will see an article this Fri in the Sun Sentinel and outdoors writer Steve Waters http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-steve-waters-bio-staff.html is writing it.. it will be the first in a hopefully a series of articles that will address things like getting the STA's open a lot more than what we are getting now.
Apparently Tallahassee thinks everything is A-OK with them, but for the guys who work weekends they are not. Or, the guys who have been hunting the traditional areas such as okeechobee or the glades, they too feel much differently about things.
We will directly address the State Lands being managed by SFWMD and how the public is locked out of them.
If anyone has ideas,or wants to get involved let me know either publically here or PM.
Replies
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/outdoors/fl-outdoors-sta-hunting-0529-20150528-story.html
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/outdoors/fl-outdoors-sta-hunting-0529-20150528-story.html 1/4
Duck hunters want more access to STAs
By Stev e Waters
Sun Sentinel
M AY 28, 2015, 4:28 PM
D **** season is a long way off, but some South Florida duck hunters fear that it won't be much of a
season if access to public land does not improv e.
Specifically , they are try ing to get more day s to hunt on the stormwater treatment areas that were built
by the South Florida Water Management District in Palm Beach and Hendry counties.
The STA s, which were created to remov e phosphorus from agricultural runoff, are shallow impoundments
filled with hy drilla that attract thousands of ducks. Parts of four STA s are open to duck hunting on
weekends.
The rest of the time, ducks happily hang out at the STA s rather than going to their traditional wintering
areas in the Ev erglades and at Lake Okeechobee.
That not only results in poor duck hunting, it also has a negativ e economic effect on hotels, restaurants
and gas stations around the lake. More STA hunts would mov e ducks out of the areas and mean more
opportunities for all hunters to shoot ducks.
"No question the STA s hav e had a negativ e effect on duck hunting," said Capt. Brian Sanders of Dav ie, a
fishing guide who takes out hunters during the duck season. "The first part of the season when there's a lot
of ducks in the 'Glades, before they 're shot at, there's lots of people on the water and they can all find
ducks. A s the season goes on, those ducks are going to sit somewhere where they 're not pressured; either
in an open STA or a closed STA . A nd they sit there all week."
Thanks to countless hours of scouting in the Ev erglades and Lake Okeechobee to find ducks, Sanders had a
number of successful hunts, but not as good as in prev ious seasons.
"I scratched out a lot of hunts," Sanders said. "But the last three weeks of the season were not good."
Many duck hunters had similar stories. Stev e Coleman of Fort Lauderdale, who has hunted ducks in South
Florida for ov er 55 y ears, said he had sev en hunts in a row in the Ev erglades where he nev er ev en pulled
the trigger on his shotgun.
"I went out 35 times last y ear and I shot half as many ducks as I did the prev ious y ear," said Coleman, who
blames the STA s for making it difficult to ev en see ducks in the 'Glades.
Just hav ing ducks fly near his decoy s is all Coleman needs to feel that the time, effort and money he puts
into duck hunting is worthwhile.
"I can't see it getting any better," said Coleman, who spent $5,000 last y ear for a new motor for his duck
boat. "I think they need to hav e those properties opened up. There's no legitimate reason for us not to get
5/29/2015 South Florida duck hunters want increased access to STAs - Sun Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/outdoors/fl-outdoors-sta-hunting-0529-20150528-story.html 2/4
Copyright © 2015, Sun Sentinel
in there during the hunting season."
A s Coleman noted, duck season lasts only 60 day s, from late Nov ember through January .
Rich A ndrews is another longtime waterfowler who has ex perienced the decline in hunting caused by the
STA s.
"Lake Okeechobee and the Ev erglades, they kind of lost their zest," said A ndrews, of Pompano Beach, who
grew up in Coral Springs. "We used to hammer the ducks back in the day on Lake Okeechobee. Now y ou
hav e to scratch out a limit.
"I think the STA s should be open sev en day s a week. It's state-owned land and there's no reason we
shouldn't be out there."
Sev eral reasons are giv en for not hav ing more STA hunts by the water management district and the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conserv ation Commission, which manages the hunting.
They include y ou can't hav e hunting while people are working at the STA s; more hunting would interfere
with phosphorus remov al; and the FWC doesn't want to pay a staffer to check in hunters and record their
harv est data.
In an email on the topic to Rodney Barreto, the chairman of the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida,
FWC ex ecutiv e director Nick Wiley wrote, "We don't believ e more hunt day s is a good idea. It would likely
diminish the ov erall quality of these hunts."
"Ev en if y ou opened it up fiv e day s a week, I don't think it would affect them, there's so many ducks out
there," said Nate Fischer of Plantation, who helped conduct an interv iew of dozens of STA hunters by the
group Florida Gladesmen. "The consensus I got was people wished there was more access."
Coleman said hav e permits and a staffer for weekend hunts, which often hav e more than 1 00 hunters show
up for a drawing of a handful of unused permits. On weekday s, when most hunters hav e to work, no
permits would be needed and hunters could record the ty pe and number of ducks they shot at an
unmanned check station like at many wildlife management areas.
A sign posted at STA entrances and social media could be used to inform hunters if and where work is
going to be done at an STA .
"A s sportsmen, we're smart enough to know that if there are guy s working on the lev ees, we're not going to
set up and shoot near them," said A ndrews, who has enlisted the help of state representativ e Katie
Edwards, D-Sunrise.
Edwards said she is coordinating town hall meetings starting in late A ugust in Clewiston, Dav ie and
Homestead where sportsmen can talk about recreational access, conserv ation and other outdoors issues
with legislators and district and FWC personnel.
"I want to use it as an educational tool for public officials," Edwards said. "We are going to be holding them
responsible to address this."
[email protected] or Twitter @WatersOutdoors
5/29/2015 South Florida duck hunters want increased access to STAs - Sun Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/outdoors/fl-outdoors-sta-hunting-0529-20150528-story.html 3/4
5/29/2015 South Florida duck hunters want increased access to STAs - Sun Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/outdoors/fl-outdoors-sta-hunting-0529-20150528-story.html 4/4
I had you pissed off at hello.