PROPOSED CHANGES IN FISHING
REGULATIONS FOR 2005-2006
The following changes in the statewide fishing regulations are proposed by the
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, and are offered for your comments,
opinions and suggestions.
JOINT WATERS RULES
F1. The Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) in its
present form defines an additional management area (Central/Southern),
which necessitates several changes in the rules of the Marine Fisheries
Commission and the Wildlife Resources Commission where descriptions of
those management units appear.
JUSTIFICATION: Inaccuracies within the joint fishing rules need to be
corrected to reflect current striped bass management practices.
GAME FISH
TROUT
F2. Define artificial lure in Designated Public Mountain Trout Waters where
artificial lure only regulations apply as being a spinner, plug, fly or spoon
having a single hook.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal clarifies the definition of artificial lures having
one single hook required on Wild, Artificial Lure Only and Delayed Harvest
trout waters.
F3. Catawba River (Burke County)–Classify the section from “Muddy Creek
to the City of Morganton intake dam” as Special Regulation Trout Waters
and establish a 14-inch maximum size limit for trout, with an exception that
one trout over 14 inches may be possessed daily. The daily creel limit will be
seven trout with no bait restrictions, and no closed season.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal establishes a new regulatory classification
that allows for specific management of individual waters where unique
circumstances for exceptional fishing opportunities exist. This 12-mile section
of Catawba River has a fast-growing brown trout population and offers a
unique opportunity to create a fishery for large (>20 inches) brown trout.
Public input suggests that anglers want to manage the population for trophy
fishing without restricting traditional uses.
F4. Pigeon River (Haywood County)–Designate the section from “Stamey
Cove Branch to the U.S. 19-23 bridge” as Public Mountain Trout Waters and
further classify it as Hatchery Supported trout waters.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal provides additional public mountain trout
water.
F5. Elk River (Avery County)–Change the upper Hatchery Supported
boundary on Elk River to “SR 1305 crossing immediately upstream of Big
Falls."
F6. Green River–Upper (Henderson County)–Identify the upper and lower
boundaries of Hatchery Supported trout waters as “mouth of Rock Creek to
the mouth of Bobs Creek.”
F7. Cranberry Creek (Avery County)–Identify the lower boundary of Wild
trout waters as “the US 19E/NC 194 bridge.”
JUSTIFICATION: Proposals F5–F7 properly identify the listed boundaries.
SUNFISH
F8. Organize the N.C. Administrative Code listing of inland game fishes
taxonomically, clarify which are considered sunfish species, eliminate
“panfish,” which is undefined and add redfin pickerel to the list of game
fishes.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal clarifies which species are subject to daily
sunfish creel limits and corrects the list of game fishes in the NC
Administrative Code.
STRIPED BASS AND BODIE BASS
F9. Remove the size limit for striped bass caught in Lake Norman from June
1–September 30.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal allows harvest of fish that have low survival
when caught and released during these summer months.
BLACK BASS
F10. Remove Sutton Lake from the list of waters managed under trophy
largemouth bass regulation. Replace the 18-inch minimum length limit with
14-inch minimum length limit and retain the daily creel limit of 5 fish.
JUSTIFICATION: Due to low numbers of largemouth bass larger than 18
inches, this reduction in size limit would allow more fish to be retained in the
daily creel.
MUSKELLUNGE
F11. Establish a year round catch-and-release-only season for muskellunge
in the French Broad River upstream of the US 64 bridge at Etowah.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal allows muskie to reach a larger size and
provides an opportunity for catch-and-release anglers to catch trophy-sized
fish in this section of the river.
NONGAME FISHES
F12. Require trotlines to be set parallel to the nearest shore in all inland
fishing waters.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal adds rivers to the list of waters where
trotlines are required to be set parallel to the nearest shore.
F13. Prohibit the stocking of fishes, including mollusks and crustaceans,
into inland fishing waters without a permit from the NC Wildlife Resources
Commission.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal protects existing aquatic communities found
in inland fishing waters from damaging introductions of fishes, mollusks, and
crustaceans and allows the Commission to assess the risks of introductions
on a case by case basis before the stockings occur.
F14. Prohibit possession of the following exotic species whose introduction
would threaten North Carolina's native aquatic fauna: rudd, round goby,
tubenose goby, ruffe, Japanese mysterysnail, Chinese mysterysnail, red-rim
melania, red swamp crayfish (except by aquaculture facilities licensed by
NCDA), virile crayfish and rusty crayfish.
JUSTIFICATION: These exotic fish present significant potential threats to
North Carolina’s native fishes and other aquatic life.
F15. Add Lake Norman to the list of waters where grass carp may not be
taken or possessed.
JUSTIFICATION: The proposal protects grass carp in specific waters where
they have been stocked to control aquatic vegetation.
F16. Allow bow hunters to take no more than two grass carp per day with
bow and arrow from those waters where grass carp cannot otherwise be
taken.
JUSTIFICATION: Allowing the occasional take of large grass carp from
protected waters will not negatively impact the fish population.
F17. Add the following waters to the list of “posted waters” where the daily
creel limit for channel, white and blue catfish is six fish:
• Squirrel Park Pond, Mecklenburg County
• Lake Julian, Buncombe County
• Indian Camp Lake, Richmond County
• Rabbit Shuffle Pond, Caswell County
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal provides additional fishing opportunities in
urban areas.
F18. Delete the special device season for taking nongame fish with dip and
cast nets in Gaston and Roanoke Rapids reservoirs.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal limits the taking and selling of forage fish
under the provisions of the special fishing device license to Kerr Reservoir.
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AREAS
F19. Remove the requirement for anglers to possess a game lands license in
addition to a state fishing license when fishing on Wildlife Conservation
Areas.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal provides consistent fishing license
requirements on Commission-managed lands.
MINOR RULE CHANGES
The following proposed rule changes are required for administrative purposes or
for clarification and have no impact on fishing opportunities.
F20. Tuni Creek (Clay County)–Correctly identify the creek name as “Big
Tuni Creek” in accordance with USGS quadrangle maps.
F21. Cullasaja River (Macon County)–Correctly identify the Hatchery
Supported trout waters section as “Sequoyah Dam to US 64 bridge near
junction of SR 1672, including portions on game lands, excluding those
portions of Buck Creek and Turtle Pond Creek on game lands” in
accordance with USGS quadrangle maps.
F22. Regulations for largemouth bass in all waters east of I-95, except Tar
River Reservoir, (14 inches, with no exception, and five fish per day) became
effective July 1, 2003, and separately listing all District 1 waters is no longer
necessary.
F23. Change the designation of “posted Community Fishing Program
waters” to “posted waters.”
PROPOSED CHANGES IN HUNTING AND TRAPPING
REGULATIONS FOR 2005-2006
The following changes in the statewide hunting and trapping regulations are
proposed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and are offered
for your comments, opinions or suggestions.
SPECIES
DEER
H1. Open all of Robeson County to the moderate antlerless deer season.
JUSTIFICATION: Deer populations in this area have increased and will
sustain additional harvest of antlerless deer by hunters.
H2. Open all of Columbus County to the maximum antlerless deer season.
JUSTIFICATION: Deer populations in this area have increased and will
sustain additional harvest of antlerless deer by hunters.
TURKEY
H3. Establish a Youth Hunt Day on the Saturday preceding the current
spring turkey season on private lands statewide. Establish permit hunts
for the Youth Hunt Day on selected game lands.
JUSTIFICATION: In a recent survey of wild turkey hunters, 73% of the
respondents supported a Youth Only Turkey Hunt on the Saturday prior to
opening day of the spring turkey season. A Youth Only Turkey Hunt on this
one day should not negatively impact the resource.
H4. Create a split season for spring turkey hunting. Under this proposal
the spring turkey season would be from the first Saturday in April through
the fourth Saturday thereafter east of I-95; and from the second Saturday
in April through the fourth Saturday thereafter west of I-95.
JUSTIFICATION: In some years, gobbling peaks are earlier in some areas
east of I-95. This proposal was submitted at the request of some turkey
hunters in eastern NC.
WATERFOWL
H5. Establish disease testing requirements for issuance of a permit for
waterfowl to be imported into N.C. and for issuance of a propagation
license for waterfowl to be raised for sale and subsequent release within
N.C.
JUSTIFICATION: The proposed rule helps ensure that captive-reared
waterfowl released into the wild in N.C. are disease free, thereby reducing
disease transmission risks to wild waterfowl populations.
H6. Add "release" to the list of activities (in addition to purchase,
possession, propagation, sale, and transportation) authorized under a
Game Bird Propagation License.
JUSTIFICATION: The change further defines what is allowed under the game
bird propagation license, recognizing that currently many game birds are
released.
WILD BIRDS
H7. Change crow season to allow hunting on Wednesday, Friday, and
Saturday during the open season.
JUSTIFICATION: Currently, North Carolina sportsmen may only hunt
crows one day per week on three-day-per-week game lands. Opening the
season to Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday will increase hunting
opportunity with no needed increase in law enforcement activities, nor
negative impact on crow populations.
BEAR
H8. Change the boundary (north to south) of the northern portion of the
western bear season zone from NC 113 and NC 18 to I-77 and I-40.
JUSTIFICATION: The range of the black bear has expanded and
densities have increased east of the current legal bear hunting area
along the Blue Ridge escarpment. The increases in bears observed in
these areas have resulted in sportsmen requests for bear hunting
opportunities in portions of the proposed expansion area. The opening of
the bear season within the areas identified in this proposal will facilitate
increased bear hunting opportunities for North Carolina sportsmen in
areas that currently have bear populations, as well as provide the
necessary buffer to negate small movements of the hunting line in the
foreseeable future as bear populations continue to expand.
H9. Allow bear hunting on the Dare County Bombing Range by
permit only.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposed rule will allow the taking of bear by
permit only through the Special Hunt Opportunities program. The
landowner, Department of Defence, requested that the WRC establish a
permit black bear hunt with a controlled number of hunters and harvest.
H10. Change the definition of a bear cub to any bear weighing less than
100 pounds.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal was submitted at the request of some
bear hunters in western N.C. in a perceived effort to reduce harvest of
juvenile black bears.
WILD BOAR
H11. Remove restrictions on taking or possessing a wild boar weighing
less than 30 pounds.
JUSTIFICATION: Removing this prohibition on taking wild boar should
increase harvest of this exotic species and curb detrimental habitat
destruction in many areas of N.C.
GAME LANDS
H12. Remove that portion of Buffalo Cove Game Lands in Wilkes County
from the county-wide Northwestern bow-and-arrow deer season and
establish the bow-and-arrow season for deer on Buffalo Cove Game Land to
run concurrent with the western bow-and-arrow season.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal would eliminate having separate deer
season regulations for that portion of Buffalo Cove Game Land in Wilkes
County (approx. 300 acres).
H13. Add one day to the Disabled Sportsman Special Hunt on Caswell Game
Land, making this hunt the Thursday and Friday preceding the central
muzzleloading firearm deer season.
JUSTIFICATION: This date change will add one additional day of
opportunity to the Special Disabled Sportsman Hunt Program on Caswell
Game Land, will offer no potential for conflict with other sportsmen, and will
make the dates of this special hunt consistent with those offered on
Sandhills Game Land.
H14. Allow still hunting for deer on that portion of Holly Shelter Game Land
west of Shaw Highway on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays during all
established deer hunting seasons.
JUSTIFICATION: This proposal would add 3 additional hunting days per
week on a portion of the Bear Garden Tract of Holly Shelter Game Land
that would be still hunting only. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays
would remain open to any type of hunting.
H15. Establish a maximum antlerless deer season on Stones Creek
Game Land.
JUSTIFICATION: This area supports a well-established deer herd and an
either sex harvest will help maintain the herd within an acceptable
population level.
H16. Change the antlerless deer season on Thurmond Chatham Game Land
from the conservative to the moderate season.
JUSTIFICATION: Increasing the antlerless season length should help
maintain lower deer numbers to maximize food quantity and quality while
providing additional opportunity to harvest a deer.
H17. Prohibit hunting deer with dogs on that portion of Butner-Falls of
Neuse Game Land west of NC 50 and south of Falls Lake.
JUSTIFICATION: Hunting deer with dogs is already prohibited in Durham
County and that portion of Wake County south of NC 98. The remaining
open area south of the lake is very small, with limited access, and
surrounded by multiple adjacent landowners. This area is not conducive to
the use and subsequent retrieval of deer dogs.
H18. Allow use of archery equipment to hunt within 150 yards of any
residence located on or adjacent to Butner-Falls of Neuse and Jordan Game
Lands.
JUSTIFICATION: A previous rule eliminated the opportunity to archery
hunt on a significant portion of these game lands located in populated
areas. Changing this rule to state "firearm", rather than "weapon", will return
this rule to its original intent and will re-establish archery hunting in areas
where such hunting represents no threat to public safety.
H19. Add Martin Luther King Day to the list of holidays on which waterfowl
hunting is allowed on Croatan, Goose Creek, Gull Rock, Holly Shelter, and
White Oak River Impoundment game lands.
JUSTIFICATION: With the long 60-day waterfowl season, MLK holiday has
become a popular holiday with waterfowl hunters. This proposal would
allow waterfowl hunting on these game land impoundments on the MLK
holiday.
H20. Establish a waterfowl hunting framework on waterfowl impoundments
on Croatan, Goose Creek, Gull Rock, Holly Shelter, and White Oak River
Impoundment game lands that allows waterfowl hunting on Tuesdays,
Saturdays, and listed holidays when the USFWS framework exceeds 45
days. Otherwise, waterfowl hunting on these areas would be allowed on
Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and listed holidays.
JUSTIFICATION: With extended waterfowl seasons, prolonged hunting
pressure and disturbance has resulted in a decline in quality on coastal
waterfowl impoundments. The increase in waterfowl seasons from 40-60
days, along with increased bag limits has resulted in increased disturbance
to waterfowl using these areas. As a result, hunt quality has declined, along
with waterfowl usage during the season on these impoundments. This
proposal would allow the WRC to adjust its waterfowl hunt framework to
correspond to that of the USFWS. By having the flexibility to manage
hunting pressure and disturbance on these impoundments, hunt quality
should be improved and waterfowl will have the opportunity to use the
quality habitat offered on these areas.
TRAPPING
T21. Allow coyote trapping during any fox seasons established by statute.
JUSTIFICATION: As coyotes become more numerous and widely
distributed across the state, trappers trapping foxes under seasons
established by statutes in certain counties will be trapping coyotes
incidental to fox trapping during seasons that may or may not coincide with
the regular coyote trapping season. This rule change would allow those
trappers to take these coyotes rather than releasing them.
T22. Open the otter trapping season in and west of Stokes, Forsyth, Davie,
Iredell, and Mecklenberg counties and establish a season limit in this area of
five otters.
JUSTIFICATION: All indications are that the river otter population in
western NC is well established. Otters are now being trapped in the closed
area incidental to beaver trapping. Opening the otter trapping season with a
5 otter annual limit in this area should not result in an increased effort to
trap river otters, but would make taking river otters incidental to beaver
trapping during the regular trapping season legal and therefore more likely
to be reported.
MANNER OF TAKE
H23. Remove barrel length restriction and standardize caliber requirements
for handguns used in taking big game.
JUSTIFICATION: Current barrel length restrictions have eliminated the use
of accurate handguns that fire cartridges as powerful as the .357 magnum.
This proposal would allow use of handguns that are no less than .24
caliber.