Lower Suwannee

± eC bo n reek Fish nC son n Joh C r eek i Æ B ar C rel 2 Ponds 3 Hunter Check Station Refuge Boundary Private Property 4 Miles Area Closed to Public Area Closed to Hunting Archery Only Area State & County Roads C Salt r eek Secondary Refuge Roads Primary Refuge Roads D le oub reek reek ee C dC bl eb Bu m er s d San ek Cre re Shi n e Creek Fish bo d Roa CR 357 r eek June 2020 1 800/344 WILD U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/lowersuwannee/ 352-493-0238 ext. 224 or call/text 703-622-3896 Chiefland, FL 32626 16450 NW 31 Place Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge 0 0.5 1 k ! i Æ e lin Shired Is. reek ain Legend as o Am er M ck k ree Ro ad ss Pa Gu st We lf ie Di x O f M e lin M a in e Otter Sink Road x s Ea i as tP s South Dead End Road Triangle Loop Road Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge Suwannee Town tC Sal c k Cr ee as in M oc k ee Cr ell M i tc h Lo Ba r M nn o er 34 k ! k ! Mc Clamory Key Deer Is. L le iv ee R d id op CR N k ! Preacher Hole k ! Shell Mound k ! k ! ! k k ! d En ad De a d th o or R Weeks Landing Road k ! 9 Barnett Creek Road a Suw k E ay nM Da k ree lC k ee Cr ne tt rive re D Natu ie Bi gT ro Li t tl eT ro u k ! k ! Nature Drive North Entrance Headquarters Drive Office i Æ Yellowjacket Loop d k ! @ ! Gate 10 Road Nature Drive South Entrance k ! CR 326 i Æ oa 7 34 CR W ill ut Cr ee tC re ek Er ics o D k nC ree k re e is C c k ad ee Ro Cr C in ab en n 7 ns xi Di e 34 Lu ke lin a in eM CR 4R ad Po nd Beaver Dam Ro SR U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service CR 347 Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge Hunting Regulations 2020-2021 o Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge 2020-2021 Refuge Access Permit Expires July 2021 A current LSNWR Hunt Brochure must be signed and in possession by all adult hunters. Signature Permits are not transferable and are valid only when signed. 24 General Information Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge (LSNWR) encompasses over 53,000 acres along the Suwannee River in Dixie and Levy Counties. Over 190 miles of roads and trails provide vehicle or foot/bicycle access to many habitat types open to a variety of public hunting and recreation opportunities. All general Refuge regulations, mapped restrictions, and mapped designations apply unless specifically addressed in this leaflet. Please note that forest management or maintenance activities, including prescribed burns and logging operations, may occur at any time during the year. The Refuge is not responsible for damage to or theft of tree stands. The Refuge reserves the right to temporarily close roads or land areas for any management reason without prior notification. The Annual Hunter Working Group meeting will be held at Refuge Headquarters on the third Thursday in April, at 2:00 pm. Please contact the Refuge Manager (352-493-0238 x 224, or 703-622-3896) to attend. The following regulations supplement Florida State hunting regulations and general regulations governing hunting on LSNWR set forth in Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations. Permit Requirements All hunters must purchase and possess a LSNWR Hunting Permit and a State of Florida Hunting License, unless otherwise exempt. A current LSNWR Hunt Brochure must be signed and in possession by all adult hunters. Hunting permits can only be purchased through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) licensing website (https://myfwc.com/ license/limited-entry/lower-suwannee-hunts/), county tax office, or other outlets that sell State licenses (Permit Vendor Code is 7800). A LSNWR hunt permit will be required for all hunters, ages 16 and older, to hunt during all Refuge hunts. Youth hunters 15 and under are not required to possess a LSNWR hunt permit. Unless otherwise exempt, hunters are required to have appropriate archery, muzzleloader, deer, and turkey stamps/ permits. Unless exempt, waterfowl hunters are required to have appropriate State and Federal waterfowl stamps. Successful hunters are required to report their bag to the FWC’s Harvest Reporting System within 24 hours of harvest. See the FWC’s Florida Hunting Regulations handbook, available at https://myfwc.com/media/21998/deer-harvest-log.pdf, for deer harvest reporting instructions. These reports allow us to better determine population health, numbers, and stability. NOTE: Absence of accurate and timely bag reports will result in shortened seasons or cancelled hunts. General Hunting Regulations Persons possessing, transporting, or carrying firearms on National Wildlife Refuges must comply with all provisions of State and local law. Persons may only use (discharge) firearms in accordance with Refuge regulations. A State-issued photo ID must always be in possession while on Refuge property. All motorized land vehicles must be State-legal and are restricted to designated roads shown on the map. Vehicles must park so they do not block roads or gates. All-terrain vehicle use (ATV/UTV, etc.) is prohibited. Hunters (including all persons accompanying hunters) must comply with State of Florida fluorescent orange safety clothes requirements during all Refuge deer hunts except archery. In addition to State of Florida hunter education requirements, hunters under the age of 16 must be supervised by an adult 18 years of age or older and must remain within sight and normal voice contact of the youth hunter. During Waterfowl, Small Game, and Family Hunts, one adult may supervise no more than two youth hunters. During Archery, Muzzleloader, General Gun, and Spring Turkey Hunts, the adult may supervise only one youth hunter. Dogs may only be used as an aid to take raccoons during the raccoon night-hunting season and for waterfowl season. Otherwise, dogs must always be leashed under the direct control of the handler. Hunters using the Refuge are subject to inspection of licenses, permits, hunting equipment, bag limits, vehicles and their contents, during compliance checks by Federal or State officers. Temporary tree stands may be left on the Refuge starting one week before Archery Season and must be removed one day after the end of General Gun Season. Temporary tree stands may be left on the Refuge starting one week before Wild Hog Season and must be removed one day after the end of that season. All tree stands left on the refuge must display the hunter’s name and hunting license number legibly written on or attached to the stand. Tree stands not in compliance may be confiscated and disposed of according to Federal Regulation. Flagging, reflective markers, paint, litter, or pins may NOT be used for marking in any manner on refuge property, with the exception of the following: clothes-type pins or removable clips with reflective or colored markings can be used for the temporary marking of vegetation in order for identifying a route of travel to or from a tree stand. These pins must be removed by the end of the scheduled deer season. Each clothes-type pin or clip must contain both the name and hunting license number of the hunter. Hunters may enter no earlier than 1 and 1/2 hours before legal sunrise and must be out of the woods no later than 1 and 1/2 hours after legal sunset. Special Needs Hunts are considered; call the Refuge to discuss such requests. Prohibited Actions • All commercial activities including guiding or participating in a guided hunt are prohibited. • Target practice or any non-hunting discharge of a weapon is prohibited. • The use of organized drives for taking or attempting to take game is prohibited. • Marking any tree, or other Refuge feature with carving, flagging, litter, paint or blaze is prohibited. • Possession, intoxication, or use of alcoholic beverages is prohibited while hunting on the Refuge. • Camping, fires, littering, and horses are prohibited. • Collecting or harvesting any articles of antiquity, plants, animals or parts thereof is prohibited unless specifically authorized by a Refuge permit. • Cutting trees, removing wood or other plant matter from the Refuge is prohibited. • Hunting or shooting from within 150-feet of Refuge roads, open to public vehicle travel, is prohibited. • Hunting from a tree in which a metal object has been inserted is prohibited. • Field dressing or discarding an animal carcass or parts thereof within 1000 feet of any developed public recreation area, game check station, gate, or within 100 feet of a road or trail, open to the public, is prohibited. Dumping of game carcasses is prohibited. • Construction of permanent blinds or stands is prohibited. • The placing of, or hunting with the aid of bait, salt, oil or ingestible attractant is prohibited. Specific Hunt Regulations State bag limits and firearms regulations apply unless otherwise listed. In designated Archery Only Areas (see map), only bows and crossbows are allowed. Wild hogs, coyote, and beaver may be taken during Archery, Muzzleloader, General Gun, Small Game, and Family Hunt seasons. There is no taking of Swamp or Skunk Apes. HOGS: There is NO size or bag limit for hogs; these can be taken during any season except Spring Turkey. Legal Deer Antlered deer – Legal deer will have at least one antler having two or more points (each point one-inch or more in length) and having at least one antler five-inches or more in length. As part of the statewide annual deer limit, youth less than 16 years of age may harvest one deer annually not meeting antler point requirements but having at least one antler five inches or more in length. Antlerless deer are deer that do not have antlers or have antlers less than five inches in length. It is illegal to take spotted fawns. Waterfowl State waterfowl season; ducks and coots only. Decoys and boats must be removed daily. Hunters must use and be in possession of shells containing non-toxic shot only. Archery September 19 - October 11, 2020: Archery equipment (bow and crossbow) are allowed. Legal to take antlered or antlerless deer, wild hog, gray squirrel, rabbit, armadillo, opossum, and raccoon. Archery hunters can hunt all refuge lands open to hunting. Archery Only Areas (see map) are open during all hunts with approved archery equipment only. Muzzleloader October 17 – October 25, 2020: muzzleloader firearms and archery equipment only; legal to take antlered deer and hogs. General Gun October 31 – November 15, 2020: Legal to take antlered deer and hogs, and November 26 – November 29, 2020: Legal to take antlered deer and hogs (no antlers on hogs...) Family / Senior Hunt November 20 - 22, 2020: Up to two youth hunters (less than 16 years old) may hunt but must be supervised by an adult 18 years of age or older. The supervising adult may also hunt but must accompany at least one youth hunter. Senior adult hunters (65 years of age or over) may also hunt during the Family Hunt and may be accompanied by one companion of any age that may also hunt. Legal to take antlered deer, antlerless deer, and hogs (no size or bag limit for hogs). The FWC’s Antlerless Deer Season (Deer Management Unit C3) bag limits apply during the family hunt. Wild Hog Hunt January 30 – February 14, 2021: Legal to take hogs only (no size or bag limit). An annual Florida hunting license and Refuge hunt permit is required to hunt hogs. Small Game January 30 – February 14, 2021: Legal to take gray squirrel, armadillo, opossum, rabbit and raccoon. Raccoon/Opossum January 30 – February 14, 2021: Night hunting only, from sunset until sunrise. State regulations, weapons, and ammunition requirements apply. Limit two raccoons per night. Youth Spring Gobbler Hunt March 13 - 14, 2021: (Only youth under 16 years of age may hunt and must be under the supervision and in the presence of an adult 18 years of age or older. The youth hunter must carry the firearm. Adults with required licenses and permits for taking wild turkeys may participate when in the presence of a youth but may not harvest a wild turkey. Shooting hours from 1/2 hour before legal sunrise until legal sunset. Bearded turkeys only. Only bows, crossbows, pre-charged pneumatic air guns propelling a bolt or arrow and shotguns using a #2 or smaller shot size may be used for hunting. Turkey (Spring Season) March 20 through April 11, 2021: Bearded turkeys only. Shooting hours from 1/2 hour before legal sunrise until 1/2 hour before legal sunset. Only bows, crossbows propelling a bolt or arrow, pre-charged pneumatic air guns, and shotguns using a #2 or smaller shot size may be used for hunting. Questions, concerns, reports of violations Call/Text the Refuge Manager anytime at 703-622-3896. Report Violations: 1-888-404-3922