FWC Law Enforcement Weekly Report February 7, 2020 through February 13, 2020

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report Patrol, Protect, Preserve February 7, 2020 through February 13, 2020 This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. NORTHWEST REGION CASES FRANKLIN COUNTY Officer Kossey was on patrol around Phipps Critical Wildlife Area when he observed two subjects returning from fishing. Officer Kossey recognized one of the subjects from previous encounters and knew his fishing license had been revoked. He conducted a resource inspection and found the subject was also in possession of 135 mullet, 85 over the daily bag limit. The subject was arrested, and the fish were seized and entered into evidence. Twenty-two officers from FWC Northwest and Northcentral Regions conducted Operation “Friends and Neighbors” in the Tate’s Hell Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The two-day operation addressed elevated tensions between local and non-local sportsmen (dog hunters) within the management area. During the operation 620 hunters were checked, 19 warnings and 13 citations were issued, two of which pertained to the Illegal harvest of antlerless deer and possession of deer in violation of the forked-horn requirement. JACKSON COUNTY Officer H. Forehand was on patrol when a car came by with a light being displayed out the passenger side window. Officer Forehand conducted a traffic stop and found that two suspects in the car were in possession of a loaded 30-06 rifle. Both suspects were issued citations for night hunting. SANTA ROSA COUNTY Officers found a baited hunting site within Eglin Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The officers worked the baited area along with the assistance of a K-9 officer. Two subjects were found hunting over bait and one of the subjects shot a hog well before hunting hours on the WMA. A bow equipped with a light was seized as evidence and the subjects were charged with distributing bait on a WMA and hunting before legal hours. The Eglin Range Patrol responded and revoked the hunters’ Eglin permits. WAKULLA COUNTY Officer Specialists N. Korade and P. Schulz along with Officer S. Gray were working the deer decoy in the Apalachicola Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in response to complaints of illegal deer being shot. The officers set up the decoy and a hunter stopped, exited his vehicle, and fired several shots at the decoy (an antlerless/doe deer). The subject was cited accordingly. WALTON COUNTY Officer Hahr received information about a 16-year-old that killed a buck not meeting the antler restriction. He located the student at his high school and interviewed him with his father present. During the interview, it became apparent that the father committed several violations along with his son. While hunting with his son, he killed a six-point buck and told his son to shoot the other deer. The deer was a spike buck well under the required size by law, and neither deer had been reported as required. The man was cited for failure to comply with deer reporting requirements. The juvenile was issued a warning for the shorthorn buck and failing to report the deer, as well as hunting without the required licenses. Officers Brown, Tison, and Letcher questioned a subject about a deer the officers suspected of being shot at night based on information Officer Brown had received. The subject had knowledge of the Harvest Reporting System but had not reported the deer harvest. The suspect was in possession of two additional deer at the time he was questioned. Further investigation determined the additional deer had been taken by other subjects who had not reported the harvests as well. The three subjects were cited accordingly. Lieutenant Hollinhead and Officer White stopped a vehicle on Eglin Air Force Base property after hearing two-gun shots from the road. The two subjects in the vehicle shot a buck with antlers less than ten inches in length. The portion of property was open to hunting and has an antler restriction requiring a minimum of three points on one side. The subjects were aware of the antler restriction and were cited accordingly.

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