The poor FWC. As if they don't catch enough flak from this program as it is. Anyway, if you submitted an application for a gator tag back in the middle of May, you must do so again beginning June 1st.
Please read below.
Dear Alligator Harvest Permit Applicant:
We regret to inform you that the alligator hunt application you submitted for Phase I may not have been recorded correctly. While preparing for the Phase I random drawing, FWC staff discovered a problem. Active Outdoors, the third party vendor that hosts the FWCs Total Licensing System, confirmed that there was a programming error on their end that caused hunt period choices in many cases to be recorded incorrectly in the data file. FWC and Active Outdoors staff tried everything they could to restore the original hunt period choices, but was unsuccessful. This means that the original applications we received must be set aside and new applications submitted.
Active Outdoors has corrected the problem in their system, and we have re-scheduled the Phase I Alligator Permit Application period to start June 1 at 10:00 AM EDT and go through 11:59 PM EDT June 14. Anyone who submitted an application previously will need to re-submit their application either online at http://www.fl.wildlifelicense.com or at any tax collector’s office.
In the event you are selected in the random drawing, Active Outdoors has informed us that they will be waiving the fee they would normally add to your transaction when purchasing your awarded permit through the Internet. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this additional application period may cause. As always, thank you for your continued interest in Florida’s alligator hunting opportunities.
A revised application worksheet detailing dates and other important information can be viewed at: http://www.myfwc.com/license/Hunt_Quota_LimitedEntryWorksheets.htm
Steve Stiegler
Alligator Management Program
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
620 S. Meridian Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600
Visit http://MyFWC.com/gators
I think I'll spend the next couple hours monitoring the outdoor forums. Oughta be some ripe commentary from the boys there!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Florida's Trophy Boars II
The thing about hunting wild boars is they’re tough to pattern, and the advantages hunters experience during fall deer or spring turkey seasons don’t really exist. Boars don’t rut, per se, and I’ve never seen one strut. What I’m trying to relay is, boars don’t possess those vulnerabilities other male game animals do. Harvesting a trophy wild boar really relies on a lot of variables lining up in your favor.
Last time I wrote about hunting boars, I discussed their virtue as a trophy. Some may disagree – a few did – and that’s fine. They may leave now. For those of you who want to learn more, let’s do a little brainstorming session on how to catch up with a prize pig.
Let’s start with their vulnerabilities. One, boars don’t rut, in the classic deer sense, because sows come into heat at throughout the year. That magical week or two when trophy bucks go nuts, doesn’t occur for the trophy boar. He gets his any time, day or night.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stay vigilant in the presence of the lady-folk. Hanging with the kinder gender is always an opportune chance for Big Boy to come sidling by. Of course, it will behoove you to lay off the trigger finger until he does.
Ahh, but finding the females can be an issue in and of itself, especially on properties where they receive healthy diets of lead. Also, more often than not, the boars nosing around herds of sows lean towards the juvenile, college kid-like demographic. Not all that bright about things, but think they’re tough. I've pulled some big teeth out of this category, sure, but usually his cutters are short little things.
If nookie won’t do it, what’s the other way to a man’s heart? Food! Yes, sir. Oak hammocks in the fall are solid places to start. The thicker edges of wet-weather ponds in the summer. Palmetto flats in the winter. Fresh, new-growth grass patches in the spring. And the ladies are sure to be there, too. Corn feeders are money but are easily over-hunted. Orange groves – if you are allowed to hunt an orange grove in the fall or winter and want to kill a big pig, hunt this area viciously. The cover of the trees and the grassy irrigation ditches that run down the rows give hogs a false sense of security. Plus, they don’t mind chowing down on an orange or two. For that matter, any agricultural area is worth checking out.
Ahh, but a mature boar is more likely to feed at night, as is their nature. You could glass over hundreds of pigs in a lot of these places and not find that stud for the wall. I guess you could just give up, shoot a younger one, and have the taxidermist pull his teeth out a couple inches, no one would know.
OK, I’ll give my best secret on big wild boars – get some place you can see a fair distance so you can glass. This can be tough in Florida, but stay with me. In the very early moments of morning, wild boars will be trotting back to whatever hell-hole cover they hide in during the day. A lot of times, they’ll travel across the wide open to get there, whether it is a palmetto flat, sod field, or cow pasture. You probably won’t have a whole lot of time to shoot, but at least you can get a glimpse. If there is one pattern-able trait of these animals, it is boars tend to run the same routes in the mornings. Find the signs – rubbed trees, large tracks, and scat on well-worn trails. My first boar of any size was shot on a sand-tailing pile at a phosphate mine way back when. Looked like he was crossing the surface of the moon, but upon closer inspection, I could see the trails of years of hog crossing, and the rubbing posts where they would hit the heavy cover. Just this last spring while turkey hunting at Chassahowitzka WMA, a super hog wandered across an open burned pine cutover and down into the swamp first thing in the morning.
In the late evening hours, get back on those binoculars and scour the edges of swamps and hammocks and other feeding areas. Edge territory, as it is with deer, is very popular with boars. My biggest boar to date, the one that lords over my trophy room, was killed feeding along a trail on the edge of an oak hammock and a stand of palmettos it would take a bulldozer or a crippling case of insanity to get through. And I had seen him several times in this area during deer season, but was just too focused on rutting bucks to pay him mind. I remember, too, a few falls ago sitting in a hammock staring at a monster feeding right at dark on the edge of a grass field. Couldn’t thread the bullet through the small pines between us, but found later the obvious trail he used to get in and out of there.
As I said in the beginning, boars are difficult to pattern and aren’t compelled with stupidity by limited breeding seasons, but they do succumb to the same factors that lay low bucks and gobblers every year – sex and food, and some habit that satiates these two desires.
And as it is with the other two, a healthy dose of luck never hurt any hunter.
Last time I wrote about hunting boars, I discussed their virtue as a trophy. Some may disagree – a few did – and that’s fine. They may leave now. For those of you who want to learn more, let’s do a little brainstorming session on how to catch up with a prize pig.
Let’s start with their vulnerabilities. One, boars don’t rut, in the classic deer sense, because sows come into heat at throughout the year. That magical week or two when trophy bucks go nuts, doesn’t occur for the trophy boar. He gets his any time, day or night.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stay vigilant in the presence of the lady-folk. Hanging with the kinder gender is always an opportune chance for Big Boy to come sidling by. Of course, it will behoove you to lay off the trigger finger until he does.
Ahh, but finding the females can be an issue in and of itself, especially on properties where they receive healthy diets of lead. Also, more often than not, the boars nosing around herds of sows lean towards the juvenile, college kid-like demographic. Not all that bright about things, but think they’re tough. I've pulled some big teeth out of this category, sure, but usually his cutters are short little things.
If nookie won’t do it, what’s the other way to a man’s heart? Food! Yes, sir. Oak hammocks in the fall are solid places to start. The thicker edges of wet-weather ponds in the summer. Palmetto flats in the winter. Fresh, new-growth grass patches in the spring. And the ladies are sure to be there, too. Corn feeders are money but are easily over-hunted. Orange groves – if you are allowed to hunt an orange grove in the fall or winter and want to kill a big pig, hunt this area viciously. The cover of the trees and the grassy irrigation ditches that run down the rows give hogs a false sense of security. Plus, they don’t mind chowing down on an orange or two. For that matter, any agricultural area is worth checking out.
Ahh, but a mature boar is more likely to feed at night, as is their nature. You could glass over hundreds of pigs in a lot of these places and not find that stud for the wall. I guess you could just give up, shoot a younger one, and have the taxidermist pull his teeth out a couple inches, no one would know.
OK, I’ll give my best secret on big wild boars – get some place you can see a fair distance so you can glass. This can be tough in Florida, but stay with me. In the very early moments of morning, wild boars will be trotting back to whatever hell-hole cover they hide in during the day. A lot of times, they’ll travel across the wide open to get there, whether it is a palmetto flat, sod field, or cow pasture. You probably won’t have a whole lot of time to shoot, but at least you can get a glimpse. If there is one pattern-able trait of these animals, it is boars tend to run the same routes in the mornings. Find the signs – rubbed trees, large tracks, and scat on well-worn trails. My first boar of any size was shot on a sand-tailing pile at a phosphate mine way back when. Looked like he was crossing the surface of the moon, but upon closer inspection, I could see the trails of years of hog crossing, and the rubbing posts where they would hit the heavy cover. Just this last spring while turkey hunting at Chassahowitzka WMA, a super hog wandered across an open burned pine cutover and down into the swamp first thing in the morning.
In the late evening hours, get back on those binoculars and scour the edges of swamps and hammocks and other feeding areas. Edge territory, as it is with deer, is very popular with boars. My biggest boar to date, the one that lords over my trophy room, was killed feeding along a trail on the edge of an oak hammock and a stand of palmettos it would take a bulldozer or a crippling case of insanity to get through. And I had seen him several times in this area during deer season, but was just too focused on rutting bucks to pay him mind. I remember, too, a few falls ago sitting in a hammock staring at a monster feeding right at dark on the edge of a grass field. Couldn’t thread the bullet through the small pines between us, but found later the obvious trail he used to get in and out of there.
As I said in the beginning, boars are difficult to pattern and aren’t compelled with stupidity by limited breeding seasons, but they do succumb to the same factors that lay low bucks and gobblers every year – sex and food, and some habit that satiates these two desires.
And as it is with the other two, a healthy dose of luck never hurt any hunter.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
To the Squirrels or Whatever
Ummmm....there's nothing I can write here that won't make me sound like an insensitive plod, but what the heck?
In semi-related news, a raptor rehab center down the street is also suffering from suppressed feeding funds. Just saying. It's only gonna get worse when oil-covered squirrels start washing up on the beach. I heard the squirrel that chewed through the transformer causing the power outage in Mulberry last week made it here. Nicknamed him Sparky.
In full disclosure, I did raise a baby squirrel when I was young. It fell out of a tree, and I weaned it back to health on evaporated milk. When it got old enough, it ate everything. After a few months when it could run and play and bite like normal squirrels, I released it at my friend's house. Here's hoping it found a natural supply of peanut butter.
Squirrel rehab facility squeezed by economy, animal's status
In semi-related news, a raptor rehab center down the street is also suffering from suppressed feeding funds. Just saying. It's only gonna get worse when oil-covered squirrels start washing up on the beach. I heard the squirrel that chewed through the transformer causing the power outage in Mulberry last week made it here. Nicknamed him Sparky.
In full disclosure, I did raise a baby squirrel when I was young. It fell out of a tree, and I weaned it back to health on evaporated milk. When it got old enough, it ate everything. After a few months when it could run and play and bite like normal squirrels, I released it at my friend's house. Here's hoping it found a natural supply of peanut butter.
Squirrel rehab facility squeezed by economy, animal's status
Monday, May 24, 2010
Fun with Blackpowder
In the last three or four years I’ve really come to enjoy hunting with a muzzleloader. The reason is simple - I’ve been pretty successful in that time. The reason I’ve been successful is that my rifle has actually shot when aimed at live game. This hasn’t always been the case.
My first frontstuffer came to me wayyyyy back in 1998. It was a .45 caliber sidelock that my grandmother owned. I ran the loose powder, pushed the patch and ball down the barrel, and prayed the cap would spark the charge which it rarely did. It was maddening
No doubt this was my entire fault. All the literature I’d read about muzzleloading said to keep the weapon firing reliably took great care, and most 19 year olds don’t keep great care of anything. I did, however, manage to fire off three successful shots in a row at a very dumb spike before grounding him with the fourth. The Confederate Army would have been proud of my reloading skills and profanity in the interim.
The next muzzleloader was one of these fancy inlines that traditional hunters abhorred – maybe still abhor. You pulled a bolt straight back and on the pull of the trigger, it slammed forward on the primer. Equipped with a musket cap nipple, it did fire with greater reliability than the sidelock. Problem was it couldn’t hit the broadside of a bull elephant. I’d learned how to keep it clean, fed it powder pellets, and stoked it with expensive sabots that would allegedly extend its range out to 150 yards. Not that this mattered when it couldn’t hit paydirt at 40.
Even more maddening.
I missed a great boar with it in 2001. Following year I missed a doe. And finally in 2003, sitting in a very hot October treestand, it failed to fire on an eater sow that walked up to a feeder. The gun was lucky it wasn’t wrapped around a tree that day. My dad has gone on to miss several deer with it since.
Enough was enough. One fateful day I walked into the Bass Pro Shop in Orlando and purchased a Knight Disc Rifle. This was a thoroughly modern outfit. A closed bolt protected the disc and 209 shotgun primer from the elements. A heavy rifle, it lessened some of the blow from the .50 caliber projectile, making it easier to shoot. Stainless barrel, synthetic stock, and fiber optic sights – Davy Crockett I am not. I topped it with a Bushnell Banner 3-9X 40 scope and was ready to roll.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t. The 209 primers would leave a ring of crap near the breech, ruining bullet seating after the first shot. Groups on paper looked like you’d spun me around in circles on a baseball bat before firing. I just resigned myself to believe blackpowder hunting wasn’t my bag.
A couple years later I ran across an article detailing this very problem. Remington – many thanks to them – introduced the Kleanbore primer. Topped with two of Hodgdon’s 50-grain 777 pellets and a Barnes-250 grain Expander MZ bullet, I was large and in charge. It was like in Jeremiah Johnson when he found Hatchet Jack and his Hawken. Went from starving to Happy Pilgrim.
My first kill was a Cedar Key coyote. The next, a solid Manatee County 8pt. Two years ago I plugged a small 8 and two fine hogs, including a 100 lb. boar that literally rolled into the palmettos he was hit so hard. Never a miss or a misfire. And it was then I learned to enjoy the cap-and-boom-and-smoke sensation of hunting with a blackpowder rifle.
(Knight has since, tragically, gone out of business. Luckily I have enough of those orange discs to last generations of Nance hunters to come – assuming one day muzzleloaders aren’t ignited by lasers.)
Now, some, and rightly so, will argue I’m violating the original intent of the blackpower season, and this rifle isn’t much different than hunting with a centerfire. Really, I’m OK with this. One day I’ll probably sneak back to a sidelock – and I’ve seen some modern flintlocks that really intrigue me – but I only have so much time to hunt, and I want my rifle to fire and fire accurately.
So there we go. I’ll never pretend to be an expert on the subject, but here are a few tips to pass along for those looking to extend their season or play around with a new hunting tool.
1. Keep your barrel clean in the offseason – the new propellants that have largely replaced true blackpowder burn cleaner, leaving less corrosive residue. But, the plastic of sabots can gum up a barrel. Point is, pay close attention to your barrel. Clean it soon after season is over or after extended shooting periods. If not, I’ve had breech plugs become so stuck I thought the gun would be ruined.
2. Figure out how much/how often to clean – some more in the know than I may fall out of their chair reading this, but I’m very casual about cleaning during the season or at the range. Run a jag, sure, but I’ve fired numerous shots with little accuracy problems. Maybe I’m just lucky, but these newer guns and projectiles just aren’t as picky as they used to be. Now, if you’re looking to shoot small groups to impress your friends, you may want to rethink this.
3. Mark your ramrod – when you seat your first charge, take a knife or marker and make a line on your ramrod. In the future this will serve as your gauge to ensure your bullet is seated at the correct depth or that there is no other charge down that barrel, Mr. Three Fingers.
4. Check the local laws – In Florida, pretty much anything goes – scopes, sabots, whatever. Not all states are so forgiving. Last I knew Georgia didn’t allow scopes. My rig has detachable mounts for just this purpose.
Other than that, there isn’t a whole lot more I can think of at the moment; it’s like hunting with any other tool. Know your limitations of what you and the gun are capable of.
There is one thing, though, that’ll get you excited after a few muzzleloading seasons that other methods of hunting sorely lack – that acrid smell of sweet smoke that lingers in the dry fall air.
And spying that antler poking up through the grass as it all clears away.
My first frontstuffer came to me wayyyyy back in 1998. It was a .45 caliber sidelock that my grandmother owned. I ran the loose powder, pushed the patch and ball down the barrel, and prayed the cap would spark the charge which it rarely did. It was maddening
No doubt this was my entire fault. All the literature I’d read about muzzleloading said to keep the weapon firing reliably took great care, and most 19 year olds don’t keep great care of anything. I did, however, manage to fire off three successful shots in a row at a very dumb spike before grounding him with the fourth. The Confederate Army would have been proud of my reloading skills and profanity in the interim.
The next muzzleloader was one of these fancy inlines that traditional hunters abhorred – maybe still abhor. You pulled a bolt straight back and on the pull of the trigger, it slammed forward on the primer. Equipped with a musket cap nipple, it did fire with greater reliability than the sidelock. Problem was it couldn’t hit the broadside of a bull elephant. I’d learned how to keep it clean, fed it powder pellets, and stoked it with expensive sabots that would allegedly extend its range out to 150 yards. Not that this mattered when it couldn’t hit paydirt at 40.
Even more maddening.
I missed a great boar with it in 2001. Following year I missed a doe. And finally in 2003, sitting in a very hot October treestand, it failed to fire on an eater sow that walked up to a feeder. The gun was lucky it wasn’t wrapped around a tree that day. My dad has gone on to miss several deer with it since.
Enough was enough. One fateful day I walked into the Bass Pro Shop in Orlando and purchased a Knight Disc Rifle. This was a thoroughly modern outfit. A closed bolt protected the disc and 209 shotgun primer from the elements. A heavy rifle, it lessened some of the blow from the .50 caliber projectile, making it easier to shoot. Stainless barrel, synthetic stock, and fiber optic sights – Davy Crockett I am not. I topped it with a Bushnell Banner 3-9X 40 scope and was ready to roll.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t. The 209 primers would leave a ring of crap near the breech, ruining bullet seating after the first shot. Groups on paper looked like you’d spun me around in circles on a baseball bat before firing. I just resigned myself to believe blackpowder hunting wasn’t my bag.
A couple years later I ran across an article detailing this very problem. Remington – many thanks to them – introduced the Kleanbore primer. Topped with two of Hodgdon’s 50-grain 777 pellets and a Barnes-250 grain Expander MZ bullet, I was large and in charge. It was like in Jeremiah Johnson when he found Hatchet Jack and his Hawken. Went from starving to Happy Pilgrim.
My first kill was a Cedar Key coyote. The next, a solid Manatee County 8pt. Two years ago I plugged a small 8 and two fine hogs, including a 100 lb. boar that literally rolled into the palmettos he was hit so hard. Never a miss or a misfire. And it was then I learned to enjoy the cap-and-boom-and-smoke sensation of hunting with a blackpowder rifle.
(Knight has since, tragically, gone out of business. Luckily I have enough of those orange discs to last generations of Nance hunters to come – assuming one day muzzleloaders aren’t ignited by lasers.)
Now, some, and rightly so, will argue I’m violating the original intent of the blackpower season, and this rifle isn’t much different than hunting with a centerfire. Really, I’m OK with this. One day I’ll probably sneak back to a sidelock – and I’ve seen some modern flintlocks that really intrigue me – but I only have so much time to hunt, and I want my rifle to fire and fire accurately.
So there we go. I’ll never pretend to be an expert on the subject, but here are a few tips to pass along for those looking to extend their season or play around with a new hunting tool.
1. Keep your barrel clean in the offseason – the new propellants that have largely replaced true blackpowder burn cleaner, leaving less corrosive residue. But, the plastic of sabots can gum up a barrel. Point is, pay close attention to your barrel. Clean it soon after season is over or after extended shooting periods. If not, I’ve had breech plugs become so stuck I thought the gun would be ruined.
2. Figure out how much/how often to clean – some more in the know than I may fall out of their chair reading this, but I’m very casual about cleaning during the season or at the range. Run a jag, sure, but I’ve fired numerous shots with little accuracy problems. Maybe I’m just lucky, but these newer guns and projectiles just aren’t as picky as they used to be. Now, if you’re looking to shoot small groups to impress your friends, you may want to rethink this.
3. Mark your ramrod – when you seat your first charge, take a knife or marker and make a line on your ramrod. In the future this will serve as your gauge to ensure your bullet is seated at the correct depth or that there is no other charge down that barrel, Mr. Three Fingers.
4. Check the local laws – In Florida, pretty much anything goes – scopes, sabots, whatever. Not all states are so forgiving. Last I knew Georgia didn’t allow scopes. My rig has detachable mounts for just this purpose.
Other than that, there isn’t a whole lot more I can think of at the moment; it’s like hunting with any other tool. Know your limitations of what you and the gun are capable of.
There is one thing, though, that’ll get you excited after a few muzzleloading seasons that other methods of hunting sorely lack – that acrid smell of sweet smoke that lingers in the dry fall air.
And spying that antler poking up through the grass as it all clears away.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
TWL Classics - My Gator Hunting Journal I
Originally Published May 2009
I figured it was something I should do one day. I’m not a huge fan of bugs or humid August nights, or even really lakes, but as a hunting Floridian, I felt I needed to get with the program and apply for a gator tag. And wouldn’t you know it? I was drawn over a number of other, more wanting applicants. The Forces That Be granted me a 1st Phase, Polk County license. So, it’s incumbent upon me to chapter this whole experience from start to finish.
The Application Process
Though Florida has been offering gator hunts since 1988, the computerized application process was about as primitive as the reptile itself. This year, it evolved. 2009 was the first year the FWC has relied on a random draw. To the best of my understanding, 2008 was a first-come, first-serve debacle. Servers seized up, hunters got angry, and the FWC was ridiculed.
(Honestly though, if they’d not switched to a random draw, I would not have bothered; some may complain, but it is an egalitarian process, that can’t be argued.)
Four of us applied, I was chosen. We selected 1st Phase Polk County as our first choice, Lake Hancock 2nd, Lake Parker 3rd, and Polk County 2nd Phase fourth. We really didn’t read the rules well for the Polk County tag, though, which restricts the permit-holder from hunting in lakes that have their own set number of tags - like Hancock or Parker - meaning that though they are in Polk County, these lakes were off-limits to us. We assumed otherwise. Oh well, we live in lake-infested central Florida, we should be able to find some public or private pond with a lizard in it.
Each permit allows the hunter two gators which must be properly reported after harvesting. Additional hunters may assist the permit-holder, but only after purchasing an additional alligator trapping agent license. Really, this is a team sport. Our hope was for more than one of us to draw tags to increase our harvest. As it is, two gators is a lot of hide and meat.
While the actual act of filling out an application was simple and straightforward, waiting on the results was somewhat maddening. The FWC, in a classic governmental screw-up of establishing a deadline that can’t possibly be kept, was a bit late to reveal the results of the draw, eliciting howls of derision from the faithful on Internet forums. Never mind the fact the FWC had to sort through thousands of applications and enter them into a brand new system, the agency endured the cyberspace equivalent of being dragged into the streets and flogged.
And true, I was anxious and frustrated too. At first it showed I didn’t even apply. Then the computer – which I became openly hostile to - said I’d been drawn, but not for what phase or lake. Scouring the Internet forums, tales were being spun of some applicants pulling two permits, a tauntingly evil glitch, and others going to pay for what they thought was a successful draw, only to be denied. I’m guessing other computers were being cursed at besides mine. A mass e-mail was sent out Friday the 19th assuring applicants that yes, there were problems, but FWC was fervently working to amend them, and thanks for your patience.
By Monday the 22nd, the waters calmed and the ship seemed to be righted. I paid for my tag and eagerly await the information packet and CITES permits in the mail. I’m strongly considering attending the optional orientation meeting at the fairgrounds in Tampa for no other reason than to watch the vindictive crowd verbally assault some poor biologist over the system screw-ups.
Research
I’m not one to dive into an endeavor like this without some research on where to go, and what to expect. Unfortunately - and yes, I will blame the FWC for this - I didn’t find help to be a common commodity. My biggest query was to discover which lakes in Polk County we could hunt without leaving in shackles. The Polk County permit allows the holder and his agents to hunt public lakes, but they must be outside city limits. I guess the good citizens around Lake Hollingsworth would be troubled by bangsticks torching off at midnight. I had my guesses on where to go, but really wanted a Voice of Authority to tell me yes or no.
I e-mailed the FWC for some help to which, a week later, nary a reply. I called the Lakeland branch of the FWC thinking they’d be of the most help. Instead, I was told to contact – wait for it – the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (!), where the woman in animal services was more than flabbergasted by my request. She did, however, direct me to the agriculture division, and here’s where I found some help.
I discussed a few potential hunting locations with a gentleman who knew a great deal about the gator hunt program. He seemed amused by my depth of questioning, and at one point even asked if I’d ever been in trouble with the Man in Green. I told him no, just minding my P’s and Q’s. We tossed about ideas, and I hung up the phone wanting to send him a bouquet of flowers for his assistance.
He also shared with me a website with data about all the lakes in Polk County – Polk County Water Resources Atlas. You could learn just about anything you’d ever want to know about a particular body of water in Polk County. Other than, of course, the number of gators that are in it.
That’s going to take some field work.
I figured it was something I should do one day. I’m not a huge fan of bugs or humid August nights, or even really lakes, but as a hunting Floridian, I felt I needed to get with the program and apply for a gator tag. And wouldn’t you know it? I was drawn over a number of other, more wanting applicants. The Forces That Be granted me a 1st Phase, Polk County license. So, it’s incumbent upon me to chapter this whole experience from start to finish.
The Application Process
Though Florida has been offering gator hunts since 1988, the computerized application process was about as primitive as the reptile itself. This year, it evolved. 2009 was the first year the FWC has relied on a random draw. To the best of my understanding, 2008 was a first-come, first-serve debacle. Servers seized up, hunters got angry, and the FWC was ridiculed.
(Honestly though, if they’d not switched to a random draw, I would not have bothered; some may complain, but it is an egalitarian process, that can’t be argued.)
Four of us applied, I was chosen. We selected 1st Phase Polk County as our first choice, Lake Hancock 2nd, Lake Parker 3rd, and Polk County 2nd Phase fourth. We really didn’t read the rules well for the Polk County tag, though, which restricts the permit-holder from hunting in lakes that have their own set number of tags - like Hancock or Parker - meaning that though they are in Polk County, these lakes were off-limits to us. We assumed otherwise. Oh well, we live in lake-infested central Florida, we should be able to find some public or private pond with a lizard in it.
Each permit allows the hunter two gators which must be properly reported after harvesting. Additional hunters may assist the permit-holder, but only after purchasing an additional alligator trapping agent license. Really, this is a team sport. Our hope was for more than one of us to draw tags to increase our harvest. As it is, two gators is a lot of hide and meat.
While the actual act of filling out an application was simple and straightforward, waiting on the results was somewhat maddening. The FWC, in a classic governmental screw-up of establishing a deadline that can’t possibly be kept, was a bit late to reveal the results of the draw, eliciting howls of derision from the faithful on Internet forums. Never mind the fact the FWC had to sort through thousands of applications and enter them into a brand new system, the agency endured the cyberspace equivalent of being dragged into the streets and flogged.
And true, I was anxious and frustrated too. At first it showed I didn’t even apply. Then the computer – which I became openly hostile to - said I’d been drawn, but not for what phase or lake. Scouring the Internet forums, tales were being spun of some applicants pulling two permits, a tauntingly evil glitch, and others going to pay for what they thought was a successful draw, only to be denied. I’m guessing other computers were being cursed at besides mine. A mass e-mail was sent out Friday the 19th assuring applicants that yes, there were problems, but FWC was fervently working to amend them, and thanks for your patience.
By Monday the 22nd, the waters calmed and the ship seemed to be righted. I paid for my tag and eagerly await the information packet and CITES permits in the mail. I’m strongly considering attending the optional orientation meeting at the fairgrounds in Tampa for no other reason than to watch the vindictive crowd verbally assault some poor biologist over the system screw-ups.
Research
I’m not one to dive into an endeavor like this without some research on where to go, and what to expect. Unfortunately - and yes, I will blame the FWC for this - I didn’t find help to be a common commodity. My biggest query was to discover which lakes in Polk County we could hunt without leaving in shackles. The Polk County permit allows the holder and his agents to hunt public lakes, but they must be outside city limits. I guess the good citizens around Lake Hollingsworth would be troubled by bangsticks torching off at midnight. I had my guesses on where to go, but really wanted a Voice of Authority to tell me yes or no.
I e-mailed the FWC for some help to which, a week later, nary a reply. I called the Lakeland branch of the FWC thinking they’d be of the most help. Instead, I was told to contact – wait for it – the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (!), where the woman in animal services was more than flabbergasted by my request. She did, however, direct me to the agriculture division, and here’s where I found some help.
I discussed a few potential hunting locations with a gentleman who knew a great deal about the gator hunt program. He seemed amused by my depth of questioning, and at one point even asked if I’d ever been in trouble with the Man in Green. I told him no, just minding my P’s and Q’s. We tossed about ideas, and I hung up the phone wanting to send him a bouquet of flowers for his assistance.
He also shared with me a website with data about all the lakes in Polk County – Polk County Water Resources Atlas. You could learn just about anything you’d ever want to know about a particular body of water in Polk County. Other than, of course, the number of gators that are in it.
That’s going to take some field work.
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