From FWC

This report represents some events the FWC handled March 29 to April 4 in the Northwest Region. (No cases were reported in Wakulla County)

BAY COUNTY

  • Senior Officer D. Palmer was patrolling the Econfina Wildlife Management Area and found evidence of two subjects who entered the area of Blue Springs, which is closed to hunting, fishing, and trapping. Officer Palmer located the subjects, who were hunting wild turkey. Citations for hunting in a closed area were issued to both subjects and warnings were issued for quota hunt permit violations.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

  • Officer McHenry was patrolling an area where he located bait and observed a recently killed wild turkey. He located a subject hiding in the woods. After speaking to the subject, a second recently killed wild turkey was found. Upon further investigation, Officer McHenry found both wild turkeys were shot over bait. The subject was charged for the violations.

GULF COUNTY

  • Officers Lipford and Gerber were on patrol and checking wild turkey hunters when they observed one individual hunting within 100 yards of a game feeding station with bait present. The individual was issued the appropriate citation.

WALTON COUNTY

  • Throughout the 2023-24 deer hunting season, Officer Yates received several complaints from a landowner having issues with a subject allowing his hunting dogs to pursue wildlife on his property without his permission. Officer Letcher and Reservist White assisted Officer Yates with a season-long investigation uncovering five separate documented incidents of the subject allowing his hunting dogs to pursue deer through the complainant’s posted property. At the conclusion of the investigation, the subject was cited for five counts of violation of hunter responsibility, allowing dogs to pursue or molest wildlife on the lands of another without written permission, and one count of driving with a suspended/revoked license.