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Committee advances DNR's wildlife management area regulations, including WMA additions and season adjustments
Summary
The Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee moved several DNR wildlife management area (WMA) regulations to the floor after discussion about dove-field crowding, bear quotas and turkey bag limits; DNR staff said changes aim to add opportunities while maintaining safety and conforming to statewide statute changes.
The Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee on Oct. 12 voted to advance multiple Department of Natural Resources regulations affecting wildlife management areas, including quota and season adjustments, creation of public dove fields and the addition of new WMAs.
Committee staff summarized roughly 10 regulatory changes. Notable items included an increase in the bear quota for Game Zone 4 from 30 to 40, modifications to turkey seasons and bag limits on WMAs to conform with a statute change from the prior year, and regulations establishing public dove fields. DNR staff said the public dove fields are highly popular and described crowding on opening day as a predictable safety concern to be managed with on-site safety briefings and observers on the most crowded fields.
Billy Dukes, DNR's chief of wildlife, said DNR is seeking to expand opportunity by adding areas, including the South Saluda WMA in Pickens County (described as about 2,000 acres) and by adding Coosaheechee WMA to Cat 1 and Cat 2 waterfowl areas. Dukes told the committee that most additional changes were administrative and that DNR would answer questions about the new rules.
Committee members raised several safety and wildlife-management concerns. One senator asked whether large numbers of hunters (the committee discussed an opening-day crowd approaching 4,500 participants statewide for dove fields) and the practice of hunters running into fields could create unsafe conditions; DNR replied that safety briefings, observers, and requests to remove unsafe participants are standard mitigation measures and that expanding the number of fields could reduce crowding.
Other senators pressed DNR about wild hog control on WMAs and whether weapon and season restrictions limit removal options; DNR staff explained the agency favors short, concentrated removal seasons combined with trapping and other measures and said safety concerns and longstanding regulations influence weapon rules. A senator said he intended to continue pressing the agency on that issue.
After discussion, the committee voted to move the WMA regulations to the floor. The chairman recorded the vote as unanimous and noted proxies from Senators Cromer, Turner and Young in the affirmative. Committee members said some issues raised in the hearing could be addressed by withdrawing and resubmitting regulations if needed in order to refine language before final adoption.
