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| CAB Meeting Hears The Usual Comments |
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| By Nick Carter |
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Posted Friday February 19 2010, 1:58 PM |
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The new DCNR Honor Guard made its first appearance before the CAB at the Feb. 6 meeting in Montgomery. The new detail was formed in 2009.
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All the regular topics — dog-deer hunting, dove seasons and extending the deer season — popped up again at this year’s first meeting of Alabama’s Conservation Advisory Board (CAB) Feb. 6 in Montgomery, but there were also a few other issues raised that might concern Alabama’s hunters and anglers. Regulation changes for trout on the Sipsey Fork and use of magnifying scopes on crossbows were a couple of the topics raised that may be voted on at the remaining meetings this year.
Forever Wild
Leading off public comment on the agenda was the Forever Wild Program. Tim Gothard, executive director of the Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF), spoke on behalf of the more than 60 organizations that have come together to form the Protect Forever Wild Coalition.
The program, which has purchased or protected about 200,000 acres of undeveloped land in Alabama since its inception in 1992, is scheduled to expire in 2012, said Gothard. In order for it to continue, its funding must be reauthorized in the state legislature.
“Forever Wild has been the primary source in this state that has allowed us to preserve public hunting land,” he said.
Gothard asked board members to educate their legislators and constituents on the importance of the Forever Wild Program, and he urged them to support reauthorization of the program’s funding in its current form.
The CAB was quick to show its support for Forever Wild. Board member Bill Hatley, of Gulf Shores, proposed a resolution in support of Forever Wild and its continuance in its present state. The board voted unanimously in support of the resolution.
Crossbow Scopes
Blount County crossbow hunter Michael McAlpine asked the board to consider allowing magnifying lenses on archery equipment. He pointed out that innovations in archery are increasing the effective range for archers, and that hunters with vision problems would be aided by such technology.
“If it was legalized, we’d be able to choose our equipment to make cleaner kills better,” he said.
Board Member Dr. Warren Strickland, of Huntsville, countered McAlpine’s statement on ethical ranges for archers, saying magnification lenses might encourage bowhunters to take unethical shots. Some discussion followed concerning McAlpine’s definition of archery equipment, and it was determined he was only asking that magnification lenses be made legal for crossbows. Hatley motioned that magnification sights be allowed on crossbows. It will be eligible for a vote at the March CAB meeting.
Dove Seasons
Dove seasons were a subject of some discussion at the board meeting, and several proposals for season dates were put forward. Fallsdale hunting preserve owner Van Collins III argued that the first phase of last year’s season was too early. He suggested the start date be moved to the middle of September for the north zone. South zone hunter Anthony Fillingim spoke in favor of an earlier season, saying there are plentiful birds where he hunts from the middle of August into early September.
“We’re all covered up with birds that time of year. By later in the season, they’re all gone...” he said. “I would much rather go out in 80-degree heat for 30 minutes and kill 30 birds than I would go out in October, stay all day and kill 12 birds.”
Board Member Dr. Wayne May, of Eutaw, repeatedly stressed his belief that dove should be allowed to mature to at least 30 days of age before seasons open. He feels an early season is detrimental to dove populations. He said he would bring a proposal for north zone seasons to the March meeting.
A request was made by Board Member Ross Self, of Gulf Shores, that the south zone seasons be changed to Sept. 11-19, Oct. 9-Nov. 14 and Dec. 18-Jan. 9. This will be eligible for a vote at the March meeting.
Extended Deer Season
John Boutwell, who runs a commercial hunting lodge in Butler County, and Ashley Butler, who said he hunts all over the state, both requested that the board consider extending deer season into February. They both said they were just beginning to witness rutting activity when the season closed.
Board Chair Dan Moultrie questioned if Boutwell had deer fetal studies to support his claim. Gary Moody said the late rut behavior was probably due to the buck-to-doe ratio being off. No action was taken on this issue.
Dog-Deer Hunting
Ten members of the public made their cases on dog-deer hunting.
Despite the new permit system being used, there are still conflicts over dog-deer hunting in Pickens County. Several suggestions were made by the public to strengthen the permit system. Those included: Increasing the minimum size of land to 1,000 acres; giving conservation officers more authority to regulate dog-deer hunting; and requiring dog-deer permits to include the number and types of dogs being used.
In Tallapoosa County, disputes over dog-deer hunting — notably in the Jacksons Gap area — received a good deal of time at the meeting. Board Member Grant Lynch, of Talladega, offered to try and mediate the issues, but did raise the possibility of voting to go to a permit system in that county.
Don Knight, president of the Alabama Dog Hunters Association, spoke out in support of the permit system and offered his services to the board.
“We will try to contact clubs that problems have been had with. If they won’t work with us, I’ll be the first to tell you to outlaw them. Get rid of them,” he said. “Let’s take this permit system and make it work for the good of all.”
Susan Morrow, with the Alabama Dog Hunting Association, suggested the board consider allowing more dog-deer hunting days on WMAs.
Hunting Deer Over Bait
Tuscaloosa County hunter John Perkins requested the board consider allowing deer hunting over bait. Dr. May took the opportunity to suggest the hunting-over-bait regulation be better worded to provide a definition for the “area where feeding has taken place.” Currently there is no set distance from feed designating where hunters are or are not allowed to hunt.
Trash in Boats
A regulation was proposed by Marine Police which would require boats to carry trash recepticles. After clarifying that a trash bag would meet this requirement, Ross Self motioned for approval of this regulation.
Trout Fishing on Sipsey Fork
A slew of trout fishermen showed up to propose a gaggle of changes for the Sipsey Fork trout fishery at the Smith Lake tailrace. David Erickson, with Sipsey River Trout Unlimited (TU), led off the discussion by explaning to the board changes that Alabama Power is making that would benefit the cold-water fishery.
Among those changes are the establishment of a minimum flow for the river, which combined with an oxygenation system in the dam, would supply a dependable flow of oxygenated water necessary for trout survival. Erickson also mentioned improved angler access and trout habitat and recommended stockings be increased to a monthly basis, instead of every two months.
Other requests for the Sipsey Fork made by eight other TU members included a regulation restricting boats with motors on 3 miles of the river from Highway 69 to the dam; a stretch of river with catch-and-release, artificial-lures-only regulations; stocking of brown trout in addition to the rainbow trout currently stocked; and the introduction of a trout stamp, which would be required in addition to a fishing license for trout anglers.
Local angler Michael Key spoke up against increased regulations on the Sipsey Fork.
“A lot of the people in our community want to carry these fish home and eat them,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any benefit to the people of Alabama to regulate the river any more than the regulations now.”
Although most of the requests were politely dismissed by Corky Pugh, director of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF), Board Member Grady Hartzog, of Eufaula, asked Fred Harders, WFF assistant director, to study the possibility of an artificial-only stretch of the river.
Of note in the trout-fishing discussion is the institution of regulation prohibiting the culling of a rainbow trout in the tailrace in the draft Seasons and Bag Limits for 2010-11. Once an angler keeps a trout on a stringer or in any type of container, it counts as part of their limit. It cannot be culled.
Franklin County Turkey Season
Don Epperson, of Russellville, said he had petitioned the board with more than 100 signatures asking that Franklin County be added to the list of counties with March 15-April 30 spring turkey seasons instead of April 1-April 30. He said the county has plenty of birds. Wildlife Section Chief Gary Moody said he does not recommend any change based on staff recommendations and public support. No action was taken on this item.
Saltwater Fishing
A non-resident saltwater pier fishing license is currently working its way through the state legislature (HB 386). Instead of purchasing a more expensive saltwater license, non-resident anglers could purchase a $10 annual pier fishing license, which would allow them to fish from public piers.
Two changes are being made to bring Alabama’s regulations into accordance with federal regulations. The first is a change to the list of shark species anglers are prohibited from taking. Vernon Minton, director of Marine Resources, said the new sharks on the list rarely show up in Alabama waters, but anglers should be aware of those new sharks on the list. The second change is to replace the words “red snapper” with “all reef fishes” in the Alabama regulations. Minton said this would automatically bring Alabama’s regulations into compliance with federal regulations whenever changes are made to the federal regulations. He made a point to say the DCNR commissioner still has the power to decide on the Alabama regulations, and that this change will not affect next year’s red-snapper seasons and bag limits.
On the bright side, Marine Fisheries is proposing a study to research red-drum populations in federal waters of the Gulf. The purpose is to collect information with an eye toward opening the fishery in federal waters.
Paddlefish
Steve Brown, of Elmore, asked the board when and if the moratorium on paddlefish (spoonbill) fishing would be lifted. It was noted that there is ongoing data collection on paddlefish, and there is a possibility regulations may be loosened in the southern end of the Alabama River system.
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