check stations

meateater

so i have been to many wmas thru out the state        some have manned check station     some have self check boxes with 2 part paper you fill out   1 goes in when you enter  other goes in when you leave    and a bunch with nothing         i recently was a guest at a wma that is manned although he was not there at 4.30 am and no self check in box     so we entered   hunted   seen nothing     left to eat lunch then come back in the afternoon and got stopped as we were leaving from 1 of the exits       my buddy was told he was getting a ticket for not checking in or out      i got a little involved explaining to the fella wearing his uniform 2 sizes to small that why would we check out     we never checked in    we didnt harvest a turkey and thats what the fwc harvest app is for    we are going to lunch      mr skinny pants did not want to hear it     he sat in his truck filling out ticket      it was not until my buddy told him see you in court because i plan on pleading not guilty and this guy   me      will be there as a witness       there was no attendent and theres no self check in box .   why check out when you never checked in      after he contacted the check station attendent and was told he did not get there till 6am he decided on just a warning      again i asked warning for what          all he said was for now on you must check out even if you dont check in         rules rules rules               do you think there should be self check in boxes at every wma no matter how many entrances or exits. 

bowhunter4life

Only if it says in the brochure that you can’t enter until 5am would skinny pants have a leg to stand on…sounds like a newbie with an attitude!

I would call and make a complaint!👌💪🏼

Pinman

Some WMAs have wording that "when check station is staffed" you must check in and out. If an area has multiple entrances you are supposed to go by the check station first before you enter or leave. If it is really early there may be no check station attendant there yet (or awake). Read the section on "Hunters, Check Stations, and Harvest Reporting" carefully.

Pinman

I will add that there are at least 5-6 different methods required for checking in and out depending on the WMA. Nothing like confusing rules everywhere to keep new hunters home. Couldnt they all be semi uniform?

meateater

simple self check box       hunters must check in and out in the brochure  thats all          this place didnt have a check in box and nobody at the check station and says when manned check in and out in brochure.    fwc lets us know in brochures where we can hunt hogs and squirrels at wmas where neither one exist but cant print simple check in and out regs.  come on man   get it together.   gearing up to hunt quail in the glades this year gonna be epic.

bowhunter4life

A couple areas I’ve hunted over the years, they have removed the check stations… maybe they will all go away eventually?

Good luck on your quail hunt meat. I’ve seen a covey running the levee in sta 3/4 once. Good thing you don’t need a permit to go in there!👍😜

Big Mak

Self check in, out, and harvest info... no more check station attendants... that is the future... along wth tighter restrictions and other "dissuaders" to keep you out or penalized with a ticket. 

Pinman

One WMA I hunt regularly has this in the brochure;

"1.Hunters must enter and exit the area only at a designated entrance. During periods when check stations are staffed, all hunters must report at a check station upon entering and leaving the area and check all game harvested"

Basically you wave to whoever is in the shed as you drive by. 

Another WMA up the coast has the same check station wording but you have to get out, sign the clipboard, put down the time and you tag number, then sign time out when leaving. 

JohnnyBandit

All of this could be handled with an App....

They do not need manned check stations or silly forms to be filled out in the dark..... 

In fact, the app could include your hunting and fishing licenses, Quota permits etc....

meateater

JohnnyBandit said:

All of this could be handled with an App....

They do not need manned check stations or silly forms to be filled out in the dark..... 

In fact, the app could include your hunting and fishing licenses, Quota permits etc....

zero chance     0.0 chance you can prove then convict someone who claims there phone had no reception      so fwc stops someone who has the harvest paper filled out and attached to deer leaving the wma       nothing they can do for 24 hours if the hunter doesnt call it in which of course he will since he knows fwc will be checking         what about the guys who make it home without ever being checked.       now if there was a self check box on the wma and the hunter left the wma without dropping harvest report completed filled out in the box      thats a violation that will stick.   the app is nice and easy for law abiding hunters but does almost nothing to stop deer going unchecked if the hunter chooses to go that way.

altuck

Several years ago went with a buddy to a hunt on the Saint Marks Refuge.
First morning he shoots a nice 8 pt. We threw on the dogbox and headed out.
Got to the check station and the guy just shook his head and pointed us to the Game warden who was writing tickets.
Turns out you were supposed to shoot a doe check her and then get a buck tag.
We plead stupidity and got away without a ticket but they kept the deer.

joelunchbucket

The app doesn’t need cell reception to capture the harvestinformation that’s entered. It gets stored in the app on your device and will automatically upload once you are in cell service. 

While your point doesn’t hold up on checking game, I think it has merit when it comes to checking in or out on a quota hunt and the system recognizing that someone hasn’t checked in and their permit being made available in a standby draw. If service is bad and the permit holder checked in through an app and their check-in doesn’t get uploaded into the system because of poor
cell reception service, I can see that being problematic. Their device would store their check-in but the system wouldn’t know about it until the device got back into cell service. They would end up offering a stand-by draw for the “unused” permit when it isn’t actually unused. 

No reason it couldn’t work for a romp and stomp check-in/out though.

WildMan

altuck said:

Several years ago went with a buddy to a hunt on the Saint Marks Refuge.
First morning he shoots a nice 8 pt. We threw on the dogbox and headed out.
Got to the check station and the guy just shook his head and pointed us to the Game warden who was writing tickets.
Turns out you were supposed to shoot a doe check her and then get a buck tag.
We plead stupidity and got away without a ticket but they kept the deer.

I remember those days.  Seems I always saw multiple bucks before ever seeing a doe, which generally happened to be on the last day of the hunt.

JohnnyBandit

meateater said:

JohnnyBandit said:

All of this could be handled with an App....

They do not need manned check stations or silly forms to be filled out in the dark..... 

In fact, the app could include your hunting and fishing licenses, Quota permits etc....

zero chance     0.0 chance you can prove then convict someone who claims there phone had no reception      so fwc stops someone who has the harvest paper filled out and attached to deer leaving the wma       nothing they can do for 24 hours if the hunter doesnt call it in which of course he will since he knows fwc will be checking         what about the guys who make it home without ever being checked.       now if there was a self check box on the wma and the hunter left the wma without dropping harvest report completed filled out in the box      thats a violation that will stick.   the app is nice and easy for law abiding hunters but does almost nothing to stop deer going unchecked if the hunter chooses to go that way.

Rules usually only work for those that are honest and try to follow them.


If a WMA is self Check in.....  There is nothing to stop a person from driving right by and not checking.
There is a slim chance of them getting caught. And if they did, they do the oops I forgot game and at worst they get a little fine.  But chances are if they do not get caught and they harvest a deer or a turkey they are not going to report it. 

Big Mak

I feel every check station should be self serve via an app. Hunters must check in, out, and check game. Make it uniform across the state. 
Heck, most of the time the check station attendant is already in bed when I'm leaving. 

Mr Green Jeans then only has to sit around the corner to catch any perp not checked in, out, or game taken, and immediately check and address the "lack of cell service" excuse. But, the catch is, there must still be a LEO present to catch a thief... the never ending, glaring problem with enforcement of every concocted law and reporting scheme. 

JohnnyBandit

Mac is spot on... 


A big part of the issue with FWC is the pay scale. They are not on the same pay scale as State Troopers. And Most sheriffs departments and larger city police departments pay well.


So not only is the FWC not attracting enough highly desirable candidates. Those they do attract often jump ship for better paying departments. 

Turner River Terror

I,ve steered a few to the National Park Service...Fed bennies beat State any day.

Big Mak

To be quite honest, I have little hope for improvement concerning hunting in FL. Some pretty good managers and good Bios have recently left fwc for reasons. They will be replaced with puppets or politically motivated figurehead who will strive to climb the career ladder for the wrong reasons. 

JohnnyBandit

Big Mak said:

To be quite honest, I have little hope for improvement concerning hunting in FL. Some pretty good managers and good Bios have recently left fwc for reasons. They will be replaced with puppets or politically motivated figurehead who will strive to climb the career ladder for the wrong reasons. 

The FWC, Water Management district commissioners are ALL political... Because they are appointed by Governors....

I am just glad that my Uncle Fred had no part in this while he resided at 700 N Adams Street.

Pinman

Big Mak said:

To be quite honest, I have little hope for improvement concerning hunting in FL. Some pretty good managers and good Bios have recently left fwc for reasons. They will be replaced with puppets or politically motivated figurehead who will strive to climb the career ladder for the wrong reasons. 

This.

I was actually trying to think of ways to increase access that might fly. 

And you poor souls who keep harping on getting "transferable" permits back.....good luck with that.

JohnnyBandit

Pinman said:

Big Mak said:

To be quite honest, I have little hope for improvement concerning hunting in FL. Some pretty good managers and good Bios have recently left fwc for reasons. They will be replaced with puppets or politically motivated figurehead who will strive to climb the career ladder for the wrong reasons. 

This.

I was actually trying to think of ways to increase access that might fly. 

And you poor souls who keep harping on getting "transferable" permits back.....good luck with that.

Thinking of ways is not going to solve the issue...

Being realistic... The only way things are going to change....Is to take the power away from the Governor and his appointed taint lickers and establish a self governing agency that has the interest of the critters, hunters, and other stake holders at heart.

As long as there are politically appointed commissioners creating and making policy Nothing is going to change....

It is going to mean a constitutional amendment....

So how far are people willing to go?

meateater

Big Mak said:

To be quite honest, I have little hope for improvement concerning hunting in FL. Some pretty good managers and good Bios have recently left fwc for reasons. They will be replaced with puppets or politically motivated figurehead who will strive to climb the career ladder for the wrong reasons. 

now just wait a minute     i saw ron desanctimonius and possum poop ron b standing side by side     they claimed to have put a real dent in the python population after spending over 10 million dollars.  also they took care of the red tide.  everglades restoration is in full swing     glades looks like the arizona desert right now but just wait till it rains you will see all the hard work and millions of dollars at work.     just kidding     red tide is back      pythons moving north being caught all around lake O  now. .    homeowners insurance premiums some of the highest in the country, have you noticed the growing number of gentlemen at your local home depot or lowes willing to help you load your truck and asking for work.  wmas going quota every year    new restrictions almost everyday on what fish you can keep   time of year   size  ect.       yea the future of south florida hunting and fishing looks great everythings fine dont be so negative.   

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