Stifle your rifle!

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Written by Mark Mussett Monday, 19 April 2010 18:41

 

The Recent News

On April 9, 2010 the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued a press release concerning a proposed restriction in the means of take for the 2011 spring turkey season.  While the seasons and bag limits would not be effected from this proposal, the legal firearms allowed on public land would be limited to shotguns, both muzzle loading and modern, with buckshot no larger than size 2.  The rule change would not impact bow regulations.  The FWC declared the rule change was proposed due to concerns over safety issued by the public.  Private land will not be effected by the rule change.

 

Setting the Stage

Hunting wild turkeys is a rich tradition throughout much of the United States, and Florida is no exception. For many sportsmen, the month of March signals the waning days of small game, wild hog and deer hunting, and the advent of spring turkey season.

Every spring in the Sunshine State tens of thousands of hunters don clothing and equipment meant to conceal them against a natural backdrop, making them all but invisible and helping them avoid detection from their sharp-eyed quarry.  Because of the nature of the wild turkey, the standard safety measure of orange clothing mandated during deer season is not required for the spring turkey season, making detection of hunters more difficult.  The spring turkey hunting experience, however, is not complete by simply blending into the surrounding woodlands and waiting complacently for a wild turkey to approach within range of the hunter's chosen bow or firearm; hunters also use an assortment of calls mimicking the sounds of wild turkeys to coax in love-struck birds for a clean shot. The sites and sounds of wild turkeys committing to a call is one of the most exciting experiences a hunter can enjoy.

So essentially there is an approximate six week period every spring when hunters, often unidentifiable as human in the natural backdrop of the woods, mimic the very game many others are also attempting to harvest.

 

In the Forest

Florida offers over 120 managed hunting areas in which the pubic may pursue turkeys during the spring season.  While the State of Florida establishes seasons, legal methods of take and bag limits for the entire state, regulations on the individual managed areas differ.  For the 2010 spring turkey season, over half of the areas allow center fire and rim fire rifles and pistols, in addition to bows, crossbows and shotguns for use in hunting wild turkeys.

Approximately 8 of every 10 managed areas require additional permits, besides a hunting license, turkey stamp and (in most cases) wildlife management area stamp.  These areas restrict the numbers of hunters who may pursue game during the spring turkey season.  The concept is to maintain a safe, enjoyable experience for sportsmen to hunt less pressured wild turkeys while not contending with prohibitive hunting pressure.

While the system of limited access for areas requiring special permits may reduce hunter -to-hunter interaction, there is often still a higher density of hunters per acre than would likely be encountered on private lands.  Additionally, as public lands are a public resource, it is difficult and in many cases impractical to limit hunters to only a small segment of the land.  The result is that even the safest hunters may not realize another hunter is in their immediate area while they are hunting.  These two issues were specifically cited in the FWC’s press release.  Note that on lands not regulated by various types of limited access permits the hunter density may be much higher.

 

Pros and Cons

One obvious pro, and the motivation behind the proposal, is safety.  While a broadhead arrow or #4 twelve gauge shot can injure or kill a person, the terminal range is appreciably less than a center fire rifle.  For instance, a .308 may be lethal on a human at over 800 yards.  Most turkey hunters firing #4,#5 or #6 shot from a twelve gauge will not risk firing at a turkey outside of 50 yards for fear of crippling it.

Florida’s flat terrain and the fact that most turkey hunters hunt from the ground, firing with barrels parallel to the ground leads to a possible accident from a bullet traveling a half mile before striking a tree, hill or other obstruction.  To put hunter density in perspective, Green Swamp WMA experiences a density of one hunter to every 0.4 miles during the turkey opener.  Center fire rifles are presently legal for use there.

A con may be a loss of hunting accessibility.  Without center fire rifles or handguns a legal means of take, some hunters may no longer continue to hunt turkey, or hunt at all, if they are not allowed their choice of firearm.  A similar problem to the proposal exists with limiting the choice of ammunition to size 2 shotgun shells or smaller.  In some areas where multiple game and non game animals are legal to shoot, would law enforcement officers be compelled to restrict possession of shells not legal for use in turkey hunting?  Likewise, would persons authorized to carry concealed weapons be unable to exercise that privilege in areas and at times when handguns are not a legal means of take?

 A related con to the proposal could be seen in a decreased number of licenses sold.  For the last several years a trend of decreasing license sales in Florida has been seen.  Further restriction of hunting on public lands may drive away potential hunters, or cause some hunters to pursue another outlet.  Fewer license sales equate to less money entering the FWC coffers for management, as well as fewer citizens utilizing the resource.

 

Considerations

 

Still Just A Proposal

The FWC wants to know what you think.  Should the proposal carry as is?  Are rimfire .22 rifles acceptable?  Do you have a strong position on the matter?  Take the time to fill out their survey linked to below.  The FWC expects to take comments for several months via the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/S/TJD5P58

 

 

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