to soy bean or not to soy bean.

[JBUG308]

I don't miss feeders or feeding one friggin' bit!

[Iluv2hunt]

spreading corn without an established feeder is not legal the last time i checked......just sayin....

Not true at all.
It says in the regulations a "game feeding station"....Never does it or did it ever say FEEDER. A game feed station could be a motorized spin feeder, a PVC tube feeder, A trough feeder or dumping corn on the ground in a particular spot. Its supposed to me maintained 6 months prior to hunting it...but it is an unenforceable law.....


Feeding game: Taking game on lands or waters upon which corn, wheat, grain, food or
other substances have been deposited by means other than normal agricultural
harvesting or planting is prohibited, except as noted below.
• Resident game and wild hogs may be hunted in proximity of year-round gamefeeding stations on private lands, provided the feeding station has been
maintained with feed for at least six months prior to taking resident game.
• Wild turkey may not be taken if the hunter is less than 100 yards from a game
feeding station when feed is present.
• The intentional placement of feed in a manner that is likely to create or creates a
public nuisance by attracting black bears, foxes or raccoons is prohibited.

[nachogrande]

un-reinforceable, you aint kidding. how are you supposed to control bears coons or foxes from coming in to a feeder. who in their right mind comes up with this stuff and actualy enacts it into law. talk about having their heads up their azz.

[Ifitsbrownitsdown]

spreading corn without an established feeder is not legal the last time i checked......just sayin....

food plot is an established food source... just sayin
who's to say you were not trying to plant it

[blackpowderscout]

Eastern North Carolina grows a BUNCH of soybeans......they also have a BUNCH of BIG azz BEARS!!!!

[GoodOyster]

Eastern North Carolina grows a BUNCH of soybeans......they also have a BUNCH of BIG azz BEARS!!!!

We used to hunt around Kinston and there were soybean, corn and sweet tater fields all around, and bears in all of them every night.

[Iluv2hunt]

At my old lease, we put up a tri-pod feeder(before we knew any better) right in the road 200 yards from camp, and filled it with soybeans. We put it up around noon that day. At 3PM, we were sitting around camp relaxing, having some beers. I looked down the road and there was a bear laying on the ground eating soybeans. Before we could get on the 4 wheelers and get down there to run it off, she had turned it over, and tried to run us off from around it

[Christian]

Anyone hear anything more of a black bear season for the near future?

[Iluv2hunt]

Anyone hear anything more of a black bear season for the near future?

FWC shares black bear conservation success, solicits feedback on new bear management plan

News Release
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Media contact: Diane Hirth, 850-410-5291
After dwindling to as few as 300 bears in the 1970s, the Florida black bear population has rebounded to an estimated 3,000 bears today. Bears and their cubs roam forests and swamps from Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle to Ocala National Forest in the state's midsection and Big Cypress National Preserve in Southwest Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which worked with its partners to increase the state's black bear population, today released a new draft management plan for the bear and is asking for public input. Both a summary of public feedback and the draft plan will go before the Commission at its February 2012 meeting.
"The Florida black bear is truly a conservation success story. Bear populations have clearly benefited from broad public support and diligent conservation efforts across Florida, particularly in those communities where black bears have become more common," said FWC Executive Director Nick Wiley. "We welcome the public's thoughts on how to best continue our bear conservation efforts in the future, as both our human and bear populations expand."
The goal of the draft management plan is to "maintain sustainable black bear populations in suitable habitats throughout Florida for the benefit of the species and people." It includes measurable objectives regarding bear populations, habitat, citizen education and outreach, and human-bear conflicts.
The Florida black bear currently does not meet the criteria of being at high risk of extinction, based on the FWC's Biological Status Review on the species completed in early 2011. When a bear management plan is approved, the bear will no longer be on the state's list of threatened species. A similar process was followed for the bald eagle, which is no longer listed as a state threatened species but is carefully managed through specific conservation measures established under an FWC management plan.
The FWC is seeking public input on the draft bear management plan. The open process will include four public workshops: Bristol (Nov. 22), Naples (Nov. 29), Deland (Dec. 6), and Gainesville (Dec. 13). Go to MyFWC.com/Bear to access workshop details, read the plan and comment online.
The draft bear management plan includes:
Establishment of seven bear management units (BMUs) to provide localized bear management and public involvement appropriate to the area, from about 1,000 bears in the Central BMU, which includes Ocala National Forest, to about 20 bears in the Big Bend BMU, which includes Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.
A section on the history of bear hunting in Florida. A bear hunt is not proposed in the plan. Currently, Florida black bears may not be hunted, harmed or killed, and similar prohibitions would continue under a rule proposed in the plan.
Creation of "Bear Smart Communities" in areas of high bear activity. Human-bear conflicts are on the rise in Florida. In 2010, the FWC received more than 4,000 calls from citizens about bears. In the past 10 years, more than half of those calls were related to bears rummaging through garbage. A "Bear Smart Community" would involve residents, local governments, businesses and schools in changing people's behaviors to reduce human-bear conflicts.
"People's involvement in conserving bears is critical," Wiley said. "For example, employees at the U.S. Air Force's Hurlburt Field have an active bear education program for base residents and recently acquired hundreds of bear-proof garbage cans. Those efforts dramatically reduced the number of bears wandering into their neighborhoods."
Black bears are generally shy and nonaggressive toward humans. But bears can smell food from more than a mile away and so are tempted to leave forests and swamps to dine on garbage and pet food that is left outdoors and unsecured.
The diet of Florida black bears is mostly vegetarian, with 15 percent insects, and 5 percent animal matter. The bear's menu includes saw palmetto, acorns, ferns, blackberries, bees, alligator eggs, armadillo and opossum. Male bears typically weigh between 250 and 400 pounds; females are smaller, weighing 125 to 250 pounds. At birth, a bear cub is about the size of a can of soda and weighs less than a pound.
Conservation of Florida wildlife habitats on both public and privately owned lands helped ensure the rebounding bear population had room to grow. However, expected future loss of large forests is the major long-term challenge to maintaining black bears in a growing state of nearly 19 million people. The adult male black bear rambles over a 60,000-acre range; the female's range is 15,000 acres. The more immediate danger to a black bear is crossing the road. Being hit by a car or truck is the major cause of known bear deaths in the state, with 158 bears killed or euthanized after being injured on highways in 2010.
The Florida black bear is among the 62 wildlife species that soon will join the list of Florida species, like the bald eagle, already under an FWC management plan. Florida's new threatened species conservation model requires that management plans be created for all species that have been state-listed and then updated at specified intervals. Those management plans give citizens an active role in Florida's efforts to conserve its diverse wildlife for future generations.
Suggestions on revising the bear plan will be accepted online through Jan. 10, 2012, at MyFWC.com/Bear, where more information also is available on the Florida black bear.