Salt lake WMA

[duckmanJR]

I attended the meeting on the 4th and I actually did get to speak out on a key point in the conceptual plan.....attempting to secure the leases to SUBMERGED BOTTOMLANDS! This is a real problem that could close out duck hunters. I was able to voice OUR objection to it...The FWC wants the rights because of some "undesireables" burning cars, busting fences, tearing down signs, and drug use. They said that "enforcement to prevent this is unsure because of not knowing where the boundaries of the WMA are"....NEWS FLASH...The Brevard sherrif needs to be advised and work *with* FWC enforcement officers to curtail illegal activity. FWC officers HAVE the jurisdictional right WITHOUT being inside a WMA to stop people who commit crimes...They are STATE officers who have sweeping powers as far as jurisdiction goes....I find it hard to believe they don't know this.
I explained to them that once an area is inside a WMA the regulations usually are written so that waterfowling(migratory bird hunting) must coincide with established seasons....this is usually only small game which on many WMA's is in December.
The split happens in December.... so I posed the (almost)worst situation scenario..A moderate season(45 days 4 birds) with the last Sunday in January falling on the 30th or 31st. With the 5 days in Sept. and the 9 in November that only leaves 31 days left in the season...Jan1 - 31... That means NO HUNTING in December ....that also means no hunting on WMA's that year!
Mike Abbott assured me that the FWC was not interested in "closing waterfowlers out" and that regs could be written to address the issue of waterfowling. Steve Rockwood said that in areas that have traditionally been waterfowling areas the regs could be written to reflect that (like Guana...PCS etc).
That may be so but.... If we are not at these meeting to explain and voice concerns..what then?
This is a VERY important issue that we must stay on top of..it goes to UW-F's core mission....waterfowlers rights and access. :)

[RutnNStrutn]

Joe, you rock brother, keep up the good work. :)

The proposed Salt Lake WMA is in my first due, I have fought numerous fires out there, several of which were arson, the rest stupidity. The Sheriff's office does not spend much time on enforcement out there. The north end of the county is very understaffed for deputies, and they are kept quite busy. And, there are some rough characters, and large parties that occur out there. Thus, it would take several deputies to go out there to do something, in simpler terms, too much effort, not enough lawmen.
Getting FWC to shut it down and do their work for them is a much more economical solution to SO. :mad:

[duckmanJR]

Yeah Rut, You're right... The Ag unit is small and has alot of county to cover. The regular deputy on either end of the county is usually busy with calls...and doesn't want to get involved with that kind of s**t sandwich....If there is a party with a fire you can be sure there is booze, drugs, and underage kids. When a LEO shows up they scatter like roaches anyway and you're not likely to catch the ringleaders...just the slow , boozed up or drugged out or some guy and girl "watching the submarine races"!
Also, FWC officers have more pressing business than providing security to every WMA....*BUT* locking us out is not the answer nor is securing "submerged bottomland" leases. More enforcement is the only true and fair answer but that takes $$$$ which is always the REAL issue now isn't it!

[N. Cook]

The logic that the above mentioned criminal activity will cease just because the area is designated as part of a WMA on some map without law enforcement activiy escapes me. AND, if law enforcement would be put in place after the designation....why not just do it NOW without closing the area to legitimate hunters? There is a continuing problem with the FWC and other agencies who react by "closing" areas in order to "protect" them when they actually are only shutting out the legitimate public and the outlaws then have what amounts to a sanctuary all their own.

[RutnNStrutn]

My point exactly Newton. It's a vicious circle, and the hunters end up being the losers. We are being punished for the bad deeds of some scofflaws, and the poor budgeting abilities of government agencies. :mad: