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FWC offers hunter safety course in Bay County

Classes to be held at Gulf Coast Community College 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. Hwy. 98 in Panama City.  Instruction will be from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 7, 9, 21 and 23.  The range portion of the class will be Sept. 28 from...

Jarhead: The little bear that beat the odds

Black bear cub in Marion County recovers from sticky situation It took 10 days for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists to catch a black bear cub in Marion County that was days away from death. They were ultimately successful, but it took extraordinary efforts from both FWC employees and local residents working together. The 6-month-old cub, its two siblings and mother were regular visitors to unsecured trash containers in a small community near Weirsdale, in the Ocala...

FWC offering hunter safety course in Bay County

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. Hwy. 98 in Panama City.  Instruction will be from 6-9 p.m. Aug. 17, 19, 24 and 26.  The range portion of the class will be Aug. 28 from 7-11 a.m. People who have taken the Internet course...

Register for hunter safety, and get ready for opening day

Now is the time to start preparing for hunting season Outta The Woods With the dog days of summer upon us, it’s hard to think about hunting.  But if you’re between the ages of 16 and 35, and haven’t yet taken the state’s hunter safety class – now’s just the time to be thinking about it.  Many of these classes, offered statewide, fill up fast during hunting season while people scramble to get certified.  Summer months offer smaller class sizes...

Florida lobster season about to begin

Special two day season July 28-29, followed by regular season Aug. 6-Mar. 31 Recreational and commercial harvest seasons for spiny lobster in Florida reopen soon.  The special two-day spiny lobster sport season comes first, July 28-29 this year, followed by the regular commercial and recreational lobster season, Aug. 6 – March 31. The special two-day sport season occurs on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July each year to let recreational fishermen collect spiny lobsters before commercial lobster traps...

South Walton sea turtle nests headed to the east coast

South Walton Turtle Watch Group assists USFWS, NOAA and FWC in relocation program It was a busy morning on South Walton beaches July 26 as South Walton Turtle Watch assisted U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biologists in relocating sea turtle nests. The nests are being relocated to the east coast to ensure the sea turtle hatchlings do not encounter oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The eggs are removed within a week...

FWC hunting quota permits no longer being mailed

Hunters without Internet access can pick up permits at county tax collectors’ office The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants to make hunters aware that beginning this year, quota permits for general gun, archery, muzzleloading gun, family, youth, airboat and track will not be mailed out to successful applicants as they have been in the past. Instead, the FWC is allowing hunters, who are awarded permits in the random drawings, to print the quota permits by going to...

Deer hunters will need new permit this season

The new permit costs $5 and is available now for purchase Beginning with the upcoming 2010-2011 hunting season, anyone hunting deer in Florida will need a deer permit. Those with a Sportsman’s License, Gold Sportsman’s License, 64 or Older Sportsman’s License, Military Gold Sportsman’s License, Lifetime Hunting License or Lifetime Sportsman’s License will not need to purchase the new deer permit, because it already is included in each of these licenses, even if they were purchased before July 1. However,...