Changes to 2008-2009 Hunting & Trapping Regs

[cannonball]

Here is a link to the new 2008-2009 Hunting and Trapping Regulations.

# 13, 14, 15, and 16 deal mostly with tapping.
# 48 describes changes to depridation permits.
# 50 limits snapping turtles to 100/year and 10/day

The trapping season was changed and is listed just below #48.

Districts 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 ( Western part of the State ) have a season running from Nov 1 thru the last day of Feb.

District 1 & 2 ( Eastern part of the State )have a season from Dec 1 thru the last day of Feb.

Does anybody know where the districs lines are ?

If the link does not work go to

www.wildlife.state.nc.us/
Under News click Wildlife Commission Approves .........
Then in the grey box click on Changes to Hunt Trap and Fish Regs.

www.wildlife.state.nc.us/news_stories/pg00_NewsRelease/Changes_in_FishHuntTrap_Regulations_2008to2009_Season.pdf

[7oaksfarm]

the district lines are in a different thread
Mind if I insert this here?

[bmlutra]

Its not totally final yet, but nothing should change. The big thing is no limit on coons anymore. I was surprized the 2 buck limit didn't pass.

[Newt]

Man, they are putting me out of the turtle busness.

[cannonball]

bmultra

I keep hearing exactly what you said "that it is not final" but when you read the way it is posted on the wildlife website it leads one to believe it has been approved. It is what it is.

7 oaks

What thread has the district lines in it ? Your help in this matter is appreciated.

[bmlutra]

Go to the questions and comments section. Its also on the wrc site and in the regs. book. There are several levels of approval that the regs have to go through in order for them to be final. It would be unusual for it to change now.

[Ldsoldier]

Newt, are you still buying this year?

[cannonball]

Here it is in black and white as taken from the web site I posted.


RALEIGH, N.C. (March 6, 2008)— The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission met on March 5 and approved 83 changes to state hunting, fishing and trapping regulations, including the harvest of striped bass in eastern rivers and the opening of the black bear hunting season in Greene, Lenoir and Pitt Counties.

Proposed Regulations Booklet
(PDF - 426KB)

Changes in Fish/Hunt/Trap Regulations
for 2008 to 2009 Season
(PDF - 188KB)

The striped bass harvest regulation change closes the season in the inland and joint fishing waters of the Cape Fear River and its tributaries year-round; reduces the daily creel limit to two fish and establishes an Oct. 1-April 30 harvest period for the inland and joint fishing waters of the Tar-Pamlico, Neuse and Pungo rivers and other rivers and waters in the Coastal Plain, excluding the Roanoke River/Albemarle Sound striped bass management area and Cape Fear River.

“These rules were developed by Commission staff in concert with N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries and based on studies that indicated excessive mortality rates on these stocks,” said Robert Curry, chief of the Division of Inland Fisheries. “It is our hope that with restrictions on both recreational and commercial fisheries, that these stocks will increase and provide additional angling opportunities in the future.”

Wildlife Commissioners disapproved three proposed hunting regulations: 1) moving Cleveland and Rutherford counties into the Northwestern deer season; 2) allowing falconry on Sundays and; 3) reducing the buck bag limit in the Eastern Deer Season from four to two.

Public input led to the modification of some proposed rules, such as a reduction in the number of jug hooks from 100 to 70 per boat and a consolidation of trapping seasons from one statewide season to two regional seasons.

Due to a technical problem dealing with rule procedures, the hunting proposal to extend the red and gray squirrel season could not be considered by the Commission.

Wildlife Commissioners also approved a fishing regulation, applying to public mountain trout waters, that defines natural bait as any living or dead organism or prepared substance designed to attract fish by taste or smell, while artificial lures are defined as bait that neither contains nor has been treated with any substance that attracts fish by the sense of taste or smell.

”This rule clarifies what kinds of lures are allowable when trout fishing on waters that require anglers to only use artificial lures,” Curry said. “With new attractant lures coming on the market every year and no definition of what comprised natural bait and artificial lures in the NC Statutes or regulation digest, anglers have had a lot of questions.

Each year in March, Wildlife Commissioners vote on proposed regulations changes after hearing staff recommendations and reviewing comments received at a series of public hearings held across the state every January.

To view the full text of all regulations changes, click on the Changes in Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping Regulations for 2008 to 2009 Season link.



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CHANGES IN FISHING REGULATIONS FOR
20082009
SEASON
Effective July 1, 2008
The following changes are approved by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission:
GAME FISH
TROUT
F1)
Define artificial lure and natural bait for Designated Public Mountain Trout Waters.
F2)
Change the time that trout fishing may begin on HatcherySupported
Trout Waters on the
first Saturday in April from 6:00 to 7:00 a.m.
F3)
Allow only youths under 16 years old to fish from 6:00 a.m. to 11:59 a.m. on the first
Saturday in June on DelayedHarvest
Trout Waters, when these waters convert to HatcherySupported
rules.
F4)
North Toe River (Mitchell County) – Classify 2.3 miles of this river within the Town of
Spruce Pine as DelayedHarvest
Trout Waters.
F5)
Reddies River (Wilkes County) – Classify 1 mile of this river within the Town of North
Wilkesboro as DelayedHarvest
Trout Waters.
F6)
Dugger Creek (Watauga and Wilkes counties) – Classify portions of this creek as
CatchandRelease/
Artificial Lure Only Trout Waters.
F7)
Laurel Creek (Watauga County) – Classify portions of this creek as CatchandRelease/
Artificial Lure Only Trout Waters.
F8)
West Fork Tuckasegee River (Jackson County) – Reclassify from HatcherySupported
to Wild Trout/Natural Bait Trout Waters.
F9)
Shoal Creek (Jackson County) – Reclassify from HatcherySupported
to Wild
Trout/Natural Bait Trout Waters.
F10)
Buff Creek (Jackson County) – Reclassify from HatcherySupported
to Wild
Trout/Natural Bait Trout Waters.
F11)
Big Creek (Macon County) – Reclassify from HatcherySupported
to Wild Trout
Waters.
F12)
Persimmon Creek (Cherokee County) – Remove the Public Mountain Trout Waters
designation for this creek.
F13)
Beaver Dam Creek (Cherokee County) – Remove the Public Mountain Trout Waters
designation for this creek.
F14)
Shuler Creek (Cherokee County) – Identify the upper boundary of HatcherySupported
Trout waters as “Joe Brown Highway (SR 1325) bridge.”
F15)
Pigeon River (Haywood County) – Identify the lower boundary of HatcherySupported
Trout Waters as the upstream (northbound) bridge.
F16)
Nantahala River (Macon County) – Identify the lower boundary of DelayedHarvest
Trout Waters as the “Nantahala hydropower discharge canal.” F17)
Glade Creek
(Alleghany County) – Change its name from Big Glade Creek to Glade Creek.
F18)
Allow nontrout
species to be harvested from DelayedHarvest
Trout Waters during the
catchandrelease
trout season.
Black Bass
F19)
Lake Raleigh (Wake County) Remove
the exception that allows the harvest of two
bass less than 14 inches in length within the five fish daily creel limit.
F20)
Cane Creek Lake (Union County) – Reduce the 18inch
minimum size limit to 16
inches.
F21)
South Yadkin River – Remove the exception that allows the harvest of two bass less
than 14 inches in length within the five fish daily creel limit downstream of Cooleemee Dam.
Striped Bass
F22)
Neuse, TarPamlico,
and Pungo rivers – Reduce the daily creel limit from three to two
fish, prohibit harvest of fish between 22 and 27 inches in length, and establish a season open to
harvest from October 1 through April 30 in inland and joint fishing waters.
F23)
Cape Fear River – Impose a harvest moratorium on striped bass in inland and joint
fishing waters.
Crappie
F24)
South Yadkin River – Implement an eightinch
minimum size limit and 20 fish per day
creel limit downstream of Cooleemee Dam.
American Shad
F25)
Roanoke River – Decrease the creel limit from 10 to one fish per day.
Nongame Fish
F26)
*Limit the number of jug hooks that can be fished to 70 per boat, require them to be
labeled with the name and address of users, fished daily, and allow enforcement officers to
remove jug hooks that are unattended.
F27)
Establish a creel limit of one fish per day for blue catfish greater than 32 inches in length
for Lake Norman and Badin Lake.
F28)
Allow blue crabs to be taken recreationally from inland fishing waters with a single
baited line and a collapsible trap. The daily possession limit is 50 crabs per person or 100 per
vessel, and they may not be sold.
F29)
Clarify that alewife and blueback herring taken from public waters may not be sold,
except for those taken from Kerr Reservoir.
F30)
Establish that electrical fishing devices may not be used within 800 feet of Lock No. 1 on
Cape Fear River.
F31)
Disallow the use of automobiles tires as an authorized special fishing device.
* This rule change is a modification from the proposal presented at public hearings in January,
which limited the number of jug hooks that can be fished to 100 per boat. Staff recommended
that the number of jug hooks be reduced to 70 per boat.
OTHER
F32)
Define and designate spawning areas for anadromous fishes in inland fishing waters.
F33)
New River (Onslow County), White Oak River (Onslow and Jones counties), and
Northeast Cape Fear River (Pender County) – Designates sections of these rivers as inland
primary nursery areas.
CHANGES IN HUNTING AND TRAPPING REGULATIONS
FOR 20082009
SEASON
Effective July 1, 2008
The following changes have been approved:
1) Condense the language for current falconry bag limits to simplify rule text and reduce
confusion.
2) Change the names of the following species on the Endangered, Threatened and Special
Concern lists to correct misspellings, update common and scientific names, and remove
abbreviations:
· Roseate tern (Sterna dougallii dougallii)
· Appalachian elktoe (Alasmidonta raveneliana)
· Tar River spinymussel (Elliptio steinstansana)
· Kemp’s ridley seaturtle (Lepidochelys kempii)
· Atlantic hawksbill seaturtle (Eretmochelys imbricata imbricata)
· Leatherback seaturtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
· Brook floater (Alasmidonta varicosa)
· Carolina creekshell (Villosa vaughaniana)
· Knotty elimia (Elimia christyi)
· Tennessee clubshell (Pleurobema oviforme)
· Eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius fulvius)
· Noonday globe (Patera clarki nantahala)
· Bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii)
· Green seaturtle (Chelonia mydas)
· Loggerhead seaturtle (Caretta caretta)
· Eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum)
· Northern sawwhet
owl (Aegolius acadicus)
· Eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana floridana)
· Rafinesque’s bigeared
bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii rafinesquii)
· Bigtooth
covert (Fumonelix jonesiana)
· Clingman covert (Fumonelix wheatleyi clingmanicus)
· Engraved covert (Fumonelix orestes)
· Smoky Mountain covert (Inflectarius ferrissi)
· Dwarf salamander (Eurycea chamberlaini)
· Eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis)
· Longtail salamander (Eurycea longicauda longicauda)
· Southern zigzag salamander (Plethodon ventralis)
· Olivesided
flycatcher (Contopus cooperi)
· Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus)
· Broadtail madtom (Noturus sp.)
· Highfin carpsucker (Carpiodes velifer)
· Smoky dace (Clinostomus sp.)
· Yellowfin shiner (Notropis lutipinnis)
· Eastern smallfooted
bat (Myotis leibii)
· Southern rock shrew (Sorex dispar blitchi)
· Southern rock vole (Microtus chrotorrhinus carolinensis)
· Southern water shrew (Sorex palustris punctulatus)
· Dwarf proud globe (Patera clarki clarki).
· Queen crater (Appalachina chilhoweensis).
· Rainbow (Villosa iris).
· Spike (Elliptio dilatata).
· Velvet covert (Inflectarius subpalliatus).
· Carolina pygmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius miliarius)
· Carolina watersnake (Nerodia sipedon williamengelsi)
· Eastern smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis vernalis)
· Eastern spiny softshell (Apalone spinifera spinifera)
· Northern pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus)
3) Add the James spinymussel, Tan riffleshell and Roanoke logperch to the list of federallyendangered
species in the N.C. Administrative Code.
4) Add the Bennett’s Mill cave water slater and Robust redhorse to the state endangered species
list.
5) Uplist the Bridle shiner from the special concern list to the state endangered species list.
6) Downlist the Cutlip minnow from the state endangered species list to the special concern list.
7) Add the Broad River stream crayfish, Yancey sideswimmer, Blackbanded darter and Bald
eagle to the state threatened species list.
8) Add the Carolina redhorse and Sicklefin redhorse to the state threatened species list.
9) Uplist the Carolina madtom and Turquoise darter from the special concern list to the state
threatened species list.
10) Downlist the freshwater drum and striped shiner from the state threatened species list to the
special concern list.
11) Add the American oystercatcher, black rail, cerulean warbler, goldenwinged
warbler,
Henslow’s sparrow, least bittern, painted bunting, vesper sparrow, Wilson’s plover, Carolina
skistodiaptomus, Carolina well diacyclops, graceful clam shrimp, Blue Ridge sculpin, Buxton
Woods whitefooted
mouse, Coleman’s oldfield mouse, Eastern bigeared
bat and Florida yellow
bat to the special concern species list.
12) Remove the Black vulture, Cooper’s hawk, Keen’s bat and Southern Appalachian woodrat
from the special concern species list.
13) Clarify that trappers need to obtain tags for fox, bobcat and otter before leaving N.C.
14) Remove the restriction on trapping and taking otters in areas north of US 64/264 on
Roanoke Island.
15) Remove the restriction on setting steel traps on upland terrain for muskrat and mink in
portions of WRC Districts 7, 8, and 9.
16) Remove possession and season bag limits for trapping raccoons.
17) Allow controlled shooting preserve operators to propagate game birds under their operator
license.
18) Allow authorized rehabilitators to rehabilitate wild whitetailed
deer fawns under a captivity
permit.
19) Eliminate the reference in 10H.0904 to paragraph (b) of Rule 10H .0901 because there is no
paragraph (b) in 10H .0901, and insert the correct reference.
20) Move the camping restrictions for ButnerFalls
of the Neuse, Caswell and Sandhills game
lands that are written in 10D .0102 to the list of restrictions applied to each one of these game
lands individually in 10D .0103.
21) Add Halifax County to the description of Shocco Creek Game Land.
22) Correct the description of Mitchell River Game Land from a six day per week area to a three
day per week area.
23) Add a new zone on the game lands, a temporary restricted zone.
24) Allow youth to hunt all game lands without a permit on Youth Waterfowl Day unless
otherwise prohibited in Rule for a particular game land.
25) Change the eithersex
deer season from Moderate to Maximum on Bladen Lakes State
Forest, Croatan and Holly Shelter game lands.
26) Change the eithersex
deer season from Introductory to Conservative on the Dare Game
Land.
27) Create a uniform Introductory eithersex
deer season for all of Pisgah Game Land.
28) Prohibit hunting deer and bear with dogs on the Canetuck Tract of Cape Fear Game Land
and the Pender 4 and Greentree Impoundment tracts of the Holly Shelter Game Land.
29) Keep all of South Mountains Game Land in the Western deer season.
30) Add Bertie and Hertford counties to the description of Chowan Swamp Game Land and
limit bear hunting to the first three days of the November bear season and the first three days of
the December bear season.
31) Allow turkey hunting on Tillery and White Oak game lands by permit only.
32) Prohibit the use of firearms for hunting turkey on Kerr Scott Game Land.
33) Restrict entry onto Suggs Mill Pond Game Land during scheduled permit hunts.
34) Allow waterfowl hunting on posted impoundments on Lantern Acres Game Land by permit
only.
35) Consolidate waterfowl hunting on Holly Shelter and Stones Creek game lands to the
opening and closing days of the season, holidays and Tuesdays and Saturdays.
36) Prohibit activities other than hunting and trapping on waterfowl impoundments that have a
posted “Scoutingonly
Zone” and direct scouting, birdwatching
and other activities to the
“Scoutingonly
Zone” from November 1 to March 15.
37) Open all game lands and bear sanctuaries west of the dog line to hunting using dogs for
small game and game birds during the open season for these species.
38) Change the name of Caswell Game Land to R. Wayne BaileyCaswell
Game Land.
39) Restrict nonhunting
bicycle riders to designated areas on ButnerFalls
of the Neuse and
Jordan game lands.
40) Prohibit target shooting on all game lands owned by Progress Energy: Sutton Lake, Mayo,
Lee, Hyco, Harris, Chatham and Pee Dee River.
41) Prohibit horseback riding on Buckhorn Game Land.
42) Add Johns River Game Land to the game land program as a permit only area with the
following restrictions: during permitted deer hunts deer of eithersex
may be taken by permit
holders; entry on posted waterfowl impoundments is prohibited October 1 through March 31
except by lawful waterfowl hunting permit holders and only on those days written on the
permits; and the use or construction of permanent hunting blinds is prohibited.
43) Establish Juniper Creek in Brunswick County as a sixdayper
week game land with a
Maximum eithersex
season.
44) Open a bear season in Greene, Lenoir and Pitt counties from the second Monday in
November to the following Saturday.
45) Reassign Carteret County, Hoke County and those portions of Richmond and Moore
Counties currently in the Moderate eithersex
season to the Maximum eithersex
season.
46) Reassign the Dare County mainland and that part of the Outer Banks south of Whalebone
from the Introductory eithersex
season to the Conservative eithersex
season.
47) Remove possession and season bag limits for hunting seasons for raccoons, squirrels (red
and grey only) and rabbits.
48) Amend the current depredation permit rules to allow depredation permits to be issued in
instances of population overabundance or human safety. Authorize only agency personnel to
issue these overabundance or safetybased
depredation permits. Also, allow depredation permits
to be issued to entities (e.g., local governments, homeowners’ associations, airports, etc…) as
well as to individuals.
49) Allow dogs to be used during permit hunts for small game, bear, opossum, and raccoon on
the Dupont State Forest Game Land.
50) Clarify language in the current collection license rule to specify that an individual can
collect less than five reptiles and less than 25 amphibians without a license annually. Also, set a
limit of snapping turtles a licensed individual can collect within a calendar year to 100 turtles,
but no more than 10/day. Set a limit of mud and musk turtles a licensed individual can collect to
10/day and 100/year.
Proposal Recommended for Revision and Subsequently Approved:
1. Original Proposal:
Consolidate the four regional trapping seasons into one statewide season, November 1 to the last
day of February.
Proposal Recommended for Approval:
1. Consolidate the two western most regional trapping seasons (including all
counties and parts of counties in WRC Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) into one
statewide season, November 1 to the last day of February.
2. Establish a trapping season for all counties and parts of counties in WRC Districts
1 and 2 from December 1 to the last day in February.
Proposal Recommended for Revision and Subsequent Approval:
1. Original Proposal:
Prohibit the release of mute swans into public waters and require those released onto private
property or that currently occur on private property to be pinioned. Mute swans currently
existing on private property must be pinioned by January 1, 2009.
Proposal Recommended for Approval:
1.) Prohibit release of mute swans into public waters.
2.) Any individual who releases a mute swan into privately controlled waters
must ensure that the animal is pinioned.
3.) Mute swans currently existing on private property or privately controlled
waters must be pinioned by January 1, 2009.
4.) For this rule, define privately controlled waters as: “A body of water lying wholly
upon a single tract of privately owned land or a body of water lying entirely
within private property, even if that property is comprised of multiple tracts
owned by one or multiple individuals. In addition, privately controlled waters are
waters to which the public does not have access without permission of the private
landowners surrounding the water(s).
RECOMMENDATION WAS TABELED FOR RECONSIDERATION AT THE MAY
WRC MEETING.

[Newt]

Ld, Yes- But I'm gona HAVE to record your licens Number

[Ldsoldier]

I've already sent in my $5. I'll buy a couple of traps in April or May.