Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Hunting Regulations 2020–2021 Welcome Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1951, and is home to the northernmost section of the Everglades in Palm Beach County, Florida. Public hunting is permitted on approximately 140,705 acres during specific times of the year. Permits You must possess and carry a signed refuge hunt permit (signed brochure) while hunting. You must have on your person at all times all applicable licenses, permits, and/or CITES tags. Entrance Fee An entrance pass is required. A current signed Federal Migratory Bird Hunting Conservation Stamp (Duck Stamp) covers entrance fees to all national wildlife refuges. Passes may be obtained at the self-pay stations, seasonally at the fee booths, or at the visitor center from 9 am – 4 pm daily. Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee NWR U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 10216 Lee Road, Boynton Beach, FL 33473 561/732 3684 https://www.fws.gov/refuge/ARM_Loxahatchee/ Firearms Persons possessing, transporting, or carrying firearms on National Wildlife Refuge System lands must comply with all provisions of Federal and State law. Persons may only use (discharge) firearms in accordance with refuge regulations (50 CFR 27.42 and specific refuge regulations in 50 CFR Part 32). Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8 am – 4:30 pm with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas July 2020 This brochure contains special regulations that supplement Federal and State laws with Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations. These refuge specific regulations are in place to protect our natural resources while providing a rewarding outdoor experience. These refuge specific regulations may be more restrictive than, and supersede State law. Careful adherence to these regulations and due respect for others will ensure the future of hunting on Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Commercial Guided Hunting Commercial hunting guide operations within the refuge are regulated and managed through issuance of a Special Use Permit and special conditions. This activity provides recreational opportunities for hunters who desire a successful, quality experience, but who may lack the necessary equipment, skills, or knowledge to hunt within the environment of the refuge. Boating Regulations • There is a 35 mph speed limit in all waters of the refuge. A 500-foot (150-meter) Idle Speed Zone is at each of the refuge’s three boat ramps. • Motorized vessels are permitted in the Motorized Zone, south of latitude line N 26° 27.130’, and Perimeter Canal. Non-motorized vessels are permitted throughout the Refuge Interior. • All boats operating in the Refuge Interior, outside of the Perimeter Canal, are required to display a 10-inches by 12-inches (25 cm x 30 cm) orange flag 10-feet (3 meters) above the vessel’s waterline. This is a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System, a network of lands and waters managed for the benefit of wildlife and people. • Hunters may only use boats equipped with factory-manufactured water-cooled outboard motors, boats with electric motors, and non-motorized boats. We prohibit boats with aircooled engines, fan boats, hovercraft, and personal watercraft (jet skis, jet boats, wave runners, etc.). Season 2020 - 2021 A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Hunt Permit • We allow airboats by permit only during designated times of the year. Contact the refuge headquarters for airboat permitting information. (Special Use Permit Application, FWS Form 3-1383-G) Name ____________________________ Address ___________________________ • We prohibit unrestricted airboat travel not associated with hunting. _________________________________ I have read and understand A.R.M. Loxahatchee NWR Hunt Regulations. Hunting Regulations Hunting regulations are designed to provide safe recreational opportunities through the wise use of renewable wildlife resources. Hunting is permitted in accordance with Federal regulations governing public use on National Wildlife Refuges as set forth in Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Hunting will be in accordance with applicable Federal and State of Florida regulations subject to the conditions stated on the next pages. Signature (This permit valid only when signed.) 1 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Specific Hunting Regulations • The possession or use of alcohol while hunting is prohibited. Safety Be prepared. Watch for changing weather conditions. • Hunters must leave the hunt area once their bag limit is filled. • Non-toxic ammunition is required during all hunts. • Licenses, permits, hunting equipment, effects and vehicles, vessels and other conveyances are subject to inspection by law enforcement officers. Please do not leave valuables in your vehicle. • Hunters may only enter and leave the refuge at designated entrances. Tell a relative or friend where you are going and when you should return. Carry water, snacks, foul weather clothing, insect repellent, and emergency light. Bring a GPS navigation system and know how to use it. Cell phone coverage can be sporadic and is sometimes unreliable. • Hunters must remove decoys and other personal property from the refuge at the end of each day’s hunt. • No-entry and/or limited activity buffer zones or closures may be created to protect threatened or endangered species and other trust species. Prohibited Activities • Littering Have all required U.S. Coast Guard approved safety equipment. • Camping without a permit • Fires Ensure your boat is seaworthy and carry plenty of fuel. If you should become lost and/ or stranded, please observe the following procedures which will aid law enforcement personnel in locating you. Call the refuge emergency number 1-800-307-5789. • Overnight parking at Headquarters Area • Taking of plants (or parts thereof) • Taking of wildlife (or parts thereof) except where authorized (hunting and fishing) • Baiting or hunting over bait • Trapping If you become stranded or broken down, try to paddle to the canal or get to a levee. Do not try to walk out. Stay with your vessel. A boat, airboat, or aircraft, will be used to reach you. Display a light, flag, or other device to aid personnel in locating you. If a search vessel nears you make noise to help officers pinpoint your location. If you have made cell phone contact, give the dispatcher your current location and do not move unless in an emergency. • Marking trails with non-biodegradable flagging • Blocking gates or roadways with vehicles Alligator Hunting • Season: We allow alligator hunting the first 2 weekends during Harvest Period 1 (August) and the first 2 weekends during Harvest Period 2 (September). Following the close of Harvest Period 2, the remaining weekends in October will be open for alligator harvest permittees who possess unused CITES tags (OMB Control No. 1018-0093). Specific dates for the alligator hunt are printed on the harvest permit issued by the State. • Hunt Days: Weekend days only –Friday night through Sunday morning. In connection with the above procedures, we strongly urge that each hunter have a light, flare gun or flares which may be fired from a shotgun. • Shooting Hours: One hour before sunset Friday night to one hour after sunrise Saturday morning and one hour before sunset Saturday night to one hour after sunrise Sunday morning. Hunt Closure Refuge hunts may have to be terminated early, or some of the hunt area closed, should unusual climatic conditions result in threats to visitor safety, management activities, possible degradation of habitat by visitor use, or a concentration of endangered species within the hunt area. The refuge’s first obligation is to protect the visitor, habitat, and listed species such as snail kites and wood storks. • Hunt Area: Motorized Zone and Perimeter Canal south of latitude line 26° 27.130’ (see map). We prohibit hunting from all refuge structures and levees; within one-half mile of canoe trails, campsites, and boat ramps; and areas posted as closed. • Bag limit: Two alligators per permit • All hunters must enter and leave the refuge from Hillsboro Area or 20 Mile Bend Area. • You must have on your person all applicable licenses and permits, including CITES tags. • Alligator hunters age 18 and older must be in possession of all necessary State and Federal licenses, permits, and CITES tags, as well as a signed refuge hunt permit while hunting on the refuge. They must possess an Alligator Trapping License with CITES tag or an Alligator Trapping Agent License, if applicable. • Persons younger than age 18 may not hunt, but may only accompany an adult age 21 or older who possesses an Alligator Trapping Agent License (state-issued). 2 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Alligator Hunting - continued • You may take alligators using hand-held snares, harpoons, gigs, snatch hooks, artificial lures, manually operated spears, spear guns, and crossbows. We prohibit the taking of alligators using baited hooks, baited wooden pegs, or firearms. We allow the use of bang sticks (a hand-held pole with a pistol or shotgun cartridge on the end in a very short barrel) with approved nontoxic ammunition (see §32.2(k)) only for taking alligators attached to a restraining line. Signs Protect Visitors and Resources Millions of people visit national wildlife refuges each year. The impact of human activity, if not regulated, can degrade these wild lands. Signs control recreational activities while protecting natural resources on the refuge. • Once an alligator is captured, it must be killed immediately. We prohibit catch-and-release of alligators. Once the alligator is dead, you must lock a CITES tag through the skin of the carcass within 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) of the tip of the tail. The tag must remain attached to the alligator at all times. Please respect the following signs: Refuge Boundary Sign - National Wildlife Refuge - unauthorized entry prohibited. NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE • Alligators must remain in whole condition while on refuge lands. Duck and Coot Hunting • Season: State regulations UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY PROHIBITED U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE • Shooting Hours: State regulations • Bag limit: State regulations AREA • Hunt Area: Motorized Zone and Non-motorized Zone (see map). We prohibit duck and coot hunting from all refuge structures, canals, and levees; within one-half mile of canoe trails, campsites, and boat ramps; and areas posted as closed. R M E R R T IO PA BEYOND THIS SIGN U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE DE Area Beyond This Sign Closed - No entry of any kind allowed beyond this sign. EN N T OF T HE I CLOSED T All public entry prohibited • All duck and coot hunters must possess a valid Florida State Hunting License and Florida State Duck Stamp, except children under 16. In addition, all hunters age 16 and older must possess a signed valid Federal Migratory Bird Hunting Conservation Stamp. AREA CLOSED U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE • All hunters younger than age 18 must be supervised by a licensed and permitted adult age 21 or older, and must remain with the adult while hunting. Hunters younger than age 18 must have completed a hunter education course. R R TM IO PA To pursuing, hunting, capturing, taking or killing of migratory birds. DE Area Closed to Hunting - No hunting allowed in the area beyond this sign. EN T OF T HE I N TE R By order of the SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations Section 32.4 Idle Speed – No Wake - There is a 35 mph speed limit in all waters of the refuge. • We allow only temporary blinds of native vegetation that must be removed at the end of each day’s hunt. • We allow airboats with a Duck and Coot Hunting Airboat Permit during Phase 2 of the State duck and coot season only. We will issue airboat permits through a separate lottery. Contact the refuge headquarters for airboat permitting information. • Motorized vessels used while duck and coot hunting must be stopped and shut off for 15 minutes prior to shooting. Motorized vessels must be in place one hour before sunrise and not move until one hour after sunrise. A 500-foot (150-meter) Idle Speed Zone is at each of the refuge’s three boat ramps • The use of dogs is encouraged to retrieve dead or wounded waterfowl. Dogs must remain under the control of their handlers at all times. For emergencies or to report violations, contact law enforcement personnel at 1-800-307-5789. Non-motorized Zone Non-motorized vessels are permitted throughout the Refuge Interior. Motorized vessels are permitted in the Motorized Zone, south of latitude line N 26° 27.130’. Please Read This Important Message: Attention Hunters! Hunting on a national wildlife refuge is a privilege and your behavior while participating in this hunt may affect future hunting on refuges. Every national wildlife refuge in this state provides habitat for several endangered or threatened species. Federal and State laws prohibit any activity that might harm endangered or threatened plants or animals. We believe that these hunts can be conducted without harming any endangered species and have taken certain precautions to make it so. We cannot, however, prevent irresponsible acts by hunters, and if such acts do occur, we may be forced to discontinue the hunt. Remember: Your hunt permit authorizes you to take only the species list on the permit. Harming or needlessly disturbing any other wildlife, including any birds, mammals, turtles, frogs, lizards, or snakes is a violation of federal law and is cause for prosecution. 3 Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge 2020 Hunt Area Map Southern Blvd E Canal St S Twenty Mile Bend Boat Ramp Road Forest H ill Blvd ATTENTION HUNTERS Not all species can be hunted in all areas. See attached regulations for your specific hunt area. Wellington 20 Mile Bend Lantana Rd Non-motorized Watercraft Only at St Boynton Beach Blvd e Ro ad 27 Headquarters Area Lee Road N 26° 27.130' Atlantic Ave Refuge Boundary US-441 S / State Road 7 Legend Motorized Zone Motorize d Zone (non-motorized watercraft allowed) Non- mot orized Zone No Hunting Hillsboro Area Refuge He adquarte rs Glades Rd Park ing WCA2 (South of refuge) Rest room Lox a Fe e Kiosk 0 Roa ds 4 5 5 Kilometers Perim ete r Ca nal hee Rd W. Hillsboro Blvd Miles 0 Boa t Ram p hatc