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Give thanks for hunting seasons galore this November

Outta’ the woods with Tony Young November means the 2010-11 huntin’ season’s in full swing. In this month’s column, I cover most everything you need to know about general gun, fall turkey, quail and gray squirrel, snipe and the second phase of mourning and white-winged dove season. The first thing you need to do is pick up a $17 Florida resident hunting license. Nonresidents pay $46.50 for a 10-day license or $151.50 for 12 months. If you plan to hunt...

Stone crab season open through May 15

Daily bag limit of one gallon for recreational harvesting The commercial and recreational harvest season for stone crab claws in Florida opened on Oct. 15.  The season will remain open through May 15. Stone crab claws must be at least 2 3/4 inches in length to be harvested legally, and claws may not be taken from egg-bearing female stone crabs.  Recreational harvesters are allowed to use up to five stone crab traps, and there is a daily bag limit of...

Women’s outdoor workshops coming to Quincy Oct. 8-10

Workshop teaches skills associated with fishing, hunting and other forms of outdoor recreation Wanted:  Adventurous and outdoorsy women wishing to learn more about Florida’s great outdoors in a comfortable, noncompetitive, hands-on environment.  If this could be you, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to participate in a Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) workshop. The three-day workshop will be Oct. 8-10 at the Wallwood Boy Scout Camp, 23 Wallwood BSA Drive, Quincy.  Sessions begin Friday at 10 a.m. and...

FWC offers hunter safety course in Bay County

Classes start Oct. 5 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is offering a free hunter safety course in Bay County. The course will be conducted at Gulf Coast Community College, in the second-floor lecture hall of the Student Union East building, 5230 West U.S. 98 in Panama City.  Instruction will be from 6-9 p.m. Oct. 5, 7, 12 and 14.  The range portion of the class will be Oct. 16 from 7-11 a.m. People who have taken the...

FWC extends crossbow season; restricts firearms used on public-land spring turkey hunts

33 days added to Northwest Zone D The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) passed a new rule Sept. 1, 2010 in Pensacola Beach that will extend zonal crossbow seasons by a month, thereby running concurrently with archery season, beginning July 2011. The FWC received requests from Florida hunters who want more crossbow-hunting opportunities – not only more hunting days, but also to be allowed to take deer of either sex, which is legal in many other states, including...

Florida hunters tuning up their bows for archery season

Before you take to the woods check on the major changes to hunting regulations this year Outta’ The Woods by Tony Young Even though you can hardly tell, summer is officially over.  Kids have returned to school, and hunting season’s already been going on for a month now in South Florida.  Finally, the time of year we’ve been waiting for is upon us – the beginning of archery season. Besides hunting the rut, archery season provides a great opportunity to...

It’s official: Red snapper season extended through Nov. 21

Season opens Oct. 1 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays Anglers got some good news on Sept. 2 as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) agreed to reopen the recreational harvest season for red snapper in Gulf of Mexico state waters for eight straight three-day weekends this fall.  This action coincides with a proposed open season for red snapper that is expected to be implemented in Gulf federal waters off of Florida on the same dates. “This is just...