Florida Deer News
 Wild hogs cause lots of damage May 16, 2013 Florida, First Coast News ... We've actually caught some that we've harvested and found baby deer hooves inside so they are omnivores... Researchers say a conservative estimate of the cost of wild hog damage to agriculture and the environment in the U.S. currently stands at $1.5 billion dollars annually... WADA Drops Deer Antler Velvet from Banned List May 13, 2013 Florida, Natural Products INSIDER ... The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) dropped deer antler velvet from its list of banned substances after admitting the supplement has been wrongly accused. Deer antler velvet, a substance used in Chinese medicine for more than 2000 years ... Florida Considers Ban on Importing Deer to Prevent Chronic Wasting Disease May, 2013 Florida Wildlife Commission News Release ...FWC is considering a rule change regarding the importation of live captive deer into Florida from out of state sources as an effort to reduce the chances of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) being introduced into Florida. Currently, live deer may be imported as long as certain standards are met, such as coming from a captive facility that has had no positive cases of CWD for at least 5 years. However, recent CWD cases elsewhere in the U.S. have shown that even with long term monitoring, CWD continues to appear in captive herds. The rule proposal will be presented to the Commission on June 13 in Lakeland and if approved would go into effect shortly afterwards. To comment on this rule proposal go to: http://www.myfwc.com/hunting/by-species/deer/ctb/. ... from FWC Deer Management Coordinator, Cory Morea: ...“Voluntary Private Lands Deer Management Permit Program ... would promote wildlife and habitat management on private lands by providing incentives to landowners or hunt clubs that develop and implement wildlife management plans and gather and provide deer population and harvest data... Endangered Species: Deer, Butterflies And Other Animals That You Never Knew Might Go Extinct March 18, 2013 Florida, Huffington Post ... Twenty-three subspecies of deer are listed as endangered and are disappearing from the world. Most notably, Key deer, found only in the Florida Keys, were almost completely eradicated by the mid-1900s. Their populations have increased to upward of 800 individuals in recent years, but more than 50 deer are killed by drivers every year ... Deer Heads Stolen: Woman Arrested After Taxidermy Heist In Florida March 17, 2013 Huffington Post ... The unidentified couple left their deer heads with the friend for months. When they returned to get the heads back on Friday, the friend said she had left them with a neighbor, who put them in the front yard. That's when a third party stole them. Luckily, cops found a culprit ... due on court on March 26... Time to get Deer Feeders and Food Plots Going in Florida March 12, 2013 Florida, The Ledger ... Corn is the most widely used grain ... it isn’t the most nutritious – for all intents and purposes, it is candy... Food plots take a lot more work and planning, but are able to introduce more nutrition to the deer herd... Cow peas are popular to plant this time of year and into the summer... On my lease alone, umpteen different species of oaks will drop acorns from August through January... Florida Fish and Wildlife: Deer carcasses dumped near Pasco County road February 27, 2013 WTSP 10 News ... five adult Button Buck carcasses found in the New Port Richey area... on Baker Street near Rowen Road ... They are asking anyone with any information on these incidents to call the Wildlife Alert Line at 1-888-404-FWCC. Deer hunting zone split expected for 2014-15 season February 18, 2013 Florida, The News Herald The Panhandle's deer management zone likely will be split into separate units ... FWC will let public input guide the decision, said Cory Morea, FWC’s deer management program coordinator... Largely the consensus at the meetings was hunters should be able to take more “antler-less” deer, but fewer bucks... Florida’s Private Lands Deer Permit Program Proposal February 12, 2013 The Ledger “We have been working on a concept to provide additional flexibility to landowners. This program would promote wildlife management on private lands by providing incentives to landowners or hunt clubs that develop and implement wildlife management plans and gather and provide deer population and harvest data. The management plans would include habitat management and/or hunting heritage efforts... More information on this project may be found at http://www.myfwc.com/deer.” FWC’s Deer Management Program Coordinator, Cory Morea Florida's National Key Deer Refuge January 28, 2013 Our Amazing Planet The number of deer living in the Florida Keys shrank to a population of 27 in 1957. They've rebounded to approximately 800 today, in large part due to a protected refuge ... Established in 1957, the National Key Deer Refuge aims to protect and preserve deer and other wildlife ... FL Deer Management Meetings Set January 10, 2013 Florida, WTVY, Dothan The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will host a series of public meetings in late January to help shape the future of deer management in the Florida Panhandle. “This project is about managing deer based on public preference." ... said Cory Morea, FWC’s Deer Management Program coordinator... Times and Locations: Jan. 29, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. CST at the Jackson County Agricultural Conference Center, 2741 Pennsylvania Ave., Marianna, FL 32448; Jan. 30, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. EST at the Burns Building Auditorium, Florida Department of Transportation, 605 Suwannee St., Tallahassee, FL 32399; Jan. 31, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. CST at the University of West Florida, Commons Auditorium, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, FL 32514. For more information, contact Cory Morea at 850-617-9487. FWC Deer Management Program Update January 9, 2013 Florida, Florida Sportsman Magazine ... Would you like a say in how white-tailed deer populations are managed in Florida? We are developing a process for you to do just that! This framework is based on Deer Management Units (DMUs)... The purpose of DMUs is to improve our deer management capabilities by doing the following on a more local level: Measure and track deer population trends, Determine public needs and preferences for deer management, Develop strategies to meet the public’s desires ... Deer hunting active during the rut, timing in Florida January 4, 2013 The Northwest Florida Daily News ... Unlike some states whose peak rutting period is within a short time span, that’s not the case in Florida. Bucks begin rutting in south Florida in August and the peak rutting dates are later as you move up peninsular Florida, including the panhandle... “With bucks, the rut begins with the decreasing photoperiod or periods of daylight, which triggers certain hormonal changes, including increased testosterone... James Kelly, assistant Deer Management Program coordinator Nature's way? Cougars in Florida December 8, 2012 Naples Daily News ... They are no longer Florida panthers, they are Texas cougars... A cougar can weigh 170 pounds or more, compared to the 100 pounds that a panther weighs... a cougar consumes eight to 10 pounds of meat daily, and may kill 35 whitetail deer per year. That amounts to more than 5,600 killed every year ... Of course Florida is holding a state-wide python hunting contest December 7, 2012 Death and Taxes They eat everything from rats, rabbits and storks to a 76-pound adult deer that was found in the belly of one particularly mammoth Florida python. Florida started cracking down on the Burmese Python after one strangled a two year-old in his crib in 2009... The contest explains that “reducing the population means killing the snakes.” .. Gun season for deer opens in Florida November 21, 2012 Pensacola News Journal Archery hunters in Florida have been searching the woods for deer for more than a month, but today is the first day of general gun season ... State residents can get a license for $17.50. Nonresident, 10-day licenses are available for $46.50. A nonresident, yearlong license is $151.50. A $5 permit also is required for anyone deer hunting... Future of Deer Management in Florida November 16, 2012 Tallahassee.com A large-scale multi-year project that will shape the future of deer management and deer hunting in Florida has been initiated... based on Deer Management Units (DMUs). DMUs are sub-units of hunting zones, and will be the scale for gathering information, including harvest data, at the local level in order to track deer population trends ... [More information on DMUs] Depending upon the objectives identified through this process of gathering public input and having stakeholder representatives work with each other and with FWC staff, recommendations for changes to policies or hunting regulations may result... Central Florida poaching suspects charged with illegally selling deer, armadillos November 14, 2012 Florida, WFTV Orlando ... State wildlife agents arrested 10 suspected members of a Florida poaching ring who were shipping thousands of pounds of illegal meat around the country... Two felony suspects, Rabindra Chandra and Danesh Socklal, are still at large... Hunting seasons, regulations November 9, 2012 Florida, Tampabay.com ... gun season started last Saturday ... Hunters can take bucks having at least one antler 5 inches or longer, but anyone hunting deer in Florida must have the $5 deer permit. On private lands, the daily bag limit for deer is two, but during some quota hunts in wildlife management areas, the bag limit is one, and in some cases, there may also be antler restrictions. ... East Lake, More deer crossing signs put up in East Lake to warn drivers November 7, 2012 Florida, Tampabay.com ... last year, local Audubon Society members teamed with county officials to reduce wrecks with new, bright yellow, orange-flagged "Deer Crossing" signs and electronic message boards warning drivers to watch for deer... Before the new warnings were installed, Audubon member and East Lake resident Ronda Musca saw at least 10 deer struck by cars. This year, she's seen one... St. Lucie men charged with illegally killing deer on public land November 1, 2012 Florida, TCPalm A commission officer investigated and found two men walking on South Florida Water Management District property carrying black bags containing the cutup remains of a newly shot male deer, the reports state... Wyoming won't conduct deer hunt November 1, 2012 Florida, Marco Island Sun Times ... City Council had passed an ordinance in July that would allow a controlled bow hunt to cull the population of deer within the city limits. After reviewing options that included the Wyoming Golf Course and Ritchie Preserve, city officials could not determine a viable site, according to City Manager Lynn Tetley. Rancher fights against deer disease [EHD] October 9, 2012 Florida, The Independent Florida Alligator Donnie Young, president of the Florida Deer Association, said EHD has affected herds of white-tailed deer for “eons,” ... “When it occurs, it’s devastating to the white-tailed deer population,” Phillip Kaufman, a UF associate professor of veterinary entomology, said. “This year in Florida, we’re having a bigger outbreak.” ,,, The fly carries epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD ... Diseases strike deer, horses locally September 29, 2012 Florida, Tallahassee Democrat ...Epizootic hemorrhagic disease is spread through the biting flies “no-see-ums.” ... Officials confirmed the disease was found in two animals, one in the Tallahassee area and one in the Gainesville area with up to 10 more potentially carrying the disease... “This virus has been around for a while. We usually get a couple of cases each year, but a few more this year because of the drought conditions,” said FWC research institute spokesman Kevin Baxter... Viral disease found in North Florida deer September 27, 2012 First Coast News The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said a viral disease commonly found after an area experiences drought has been found in North Florida deer. Epizotic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) has been confirmed in two white-tailed deer ... Dr. Mark Cunningham, wildlife veterinarian for the FWC said, "This is a disease that you typically see in late summer or the fall, and it often occurs after periods of drought. The good news is we don't expect long-term impacts to our state's deer herd." Tracking the Big Snakes September 12, 2012 Florida, Yale Environment 360 ... invasions of non-native species altering ecosystems ... the proliferation of Burmese pythons across Florida’s Everglades. ... Florida, experts believe there may now be tens of thousands of these giant snakes living across an 8,000-square-kilometer region and that these growing populations have dramatically reduced the numbers of once-common native species, including deer, ... Permits to hunt wildlife management areas (with dogs) September 11, 2012 Florida, Historic City News Relay Wildlife Management Area is on 19,682 acres in Flagler County off State Road 11. Permit holders are allowed to hunt deer using dogs in this Wildlife Management Area; one of only four such areas in the Northeast Florida Region ,,, Three Week-Old Deer Cares for Newborn Fawn July 24, 2012 Florida, Patch.com ... Palm Harbor's Suncoast Animal League have some great news to share about "Dawn", the baby deer ,,, had surgery to have an eye removed after she was rescued....most likely bitten by a poisonous water moccasin. ...Now, the league has rescued another baby deer. This one, was a newborn that still had remnants of her umbilical cord attached. Dawn has taken a liking to the newborn and is playing the role of big sister and mom... | Search for news and information by keyword above or find links to state news stories organized by topic. Florida data: An estimated 700,000 white-tailed deer in 2011. Key deer: As few as 250 in the early 1980s, estimated at about 600 in 2011 after 30 years of protection. Report poaching: Wildlife Alert Line at 1-888-404-FWCC Other useful links: - Florida Department of Environmental Protection - Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Goal (mission statement): Managing fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well being and the benefit of the people From Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Long Range Program Plan Scroll down to see more tweets Scroll down for more news Deer Management: (1) ensure the existence of robust deer populations that meet the public's desire for recreational opportunities and protection of private property while ensuring the long-term welfare of the species, (2) ensure a high degree of public satisfaction with deer management in Florida, and (3) manage deer habitats consistent with ecosystems health, deer population goals, and customer satisfaction goals. From: Strategic Plan for Deer Management in Florida 2008-2018. |
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