January meetings will give sportsmen a chance to sound off on proposed regulation changes
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will conduct nine public hearings across the state in January on proposed changes to the wildlife management, game lands and fishing regulations for the 2015-16 seasons.
The large majority of proposed changes involved additions and changes to public mountain trout waters, but of interest to many anglers will be changes to size and creel limits for striped bass and hybrid bass in reservoirs, and to crappie size minimums on Yadkin River reservoirs.
The Commission proposes that the statewide regulations managing striped bass and hybrid bass change from an 8-fish daily limit and a 16-inch size minimum and two-fish exemption to a 4-fish daily limit and a 20-inch size minimum.
The Commission is also proposing the elimination of the 20-fish daily creel limit and 8-inch size minimum on crappie in the Yadkin River and South Yadkin rivers downstream from Idols and Coolemee dams, including High Rock and Tuckertown lakes.
One proposal would create a Youth Deer Hunting Day on the fourth Saturday in September to coincide with National Hunting and Fishing Day. On that day, youth under the age of 16 would be able to use all legal weapons to hunt deer of either sex on private or public lands. Adults can accompany youth but are restricted to the legal weapon for the open season in that area.
Among the wildlife management-related proposed changes are temporary rules regulating the holding of deer in captivity. The proposals meet the General Assembly’s directive and follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Chronic Wasting Disease Program standards when regulating deer, elk and other ruminants in the cervid family. In addition, the temporary rules would allow captive cervid licensees to sell antlers, antler velvet and hides from the animals held at their facilities.
More information on all of the proposed regulations to the state’s wildlife management, game lands and fishing regulations for the 2015-16 seasons, including additional ways to comment, can be found at http://www.ncwildlife.org/ProposedRegulations.aspx.
Public hearings, which begin at 7 p.m., are scheduled as follows:
Jan. 6, District 4, Bladen Community College Auditorium, Dublin;
Jan. 7, District 5, Alamance County Courthouse, Graham;
Jan. 8, District 6, South Stanly High School, Norwood;
Jan. 13, District 9, Tri-County Community College, Murphy;
Jan. 14, District 8, Municipal Auditorium, Morganton;
Jan. 15, District 7, Walker Center, Wilkes Community College, Wilkesboro;
Jan. 20, District 1, Swain Auditorium, Edenton
Jan. 21, District 2, Craven County Courthouse, New Bern;
Jan. 22, District 3, Johnston County Community College Auditorium, Smithfield.
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