Wildlife District Six public hearing tonight
A public hearing for Wildlife District Six, which includes Rowan County, will be held tonight at South Stanly High School in Norwood at 7 p.m.
Nine public hearing sponsored by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission are held statewide. The hearings allow the public to discuss proposed new regulations involving hunting, fishing and trapping.
Among the proposed regulations that may impact local sportsmen are:
– Remove the exception that allows the harvest of two bass smaller than 14 inches within the five fish daily creel limit downstream of Cooleemee Dam on the South Yadkin River. The proposal would standardize rules with those of the Yadkin River and High Rock Lake.
– Implement an 8-inch minimum size limit for crappie and a 20-fish-per-day creel limit downstream of Cooleemee Dam on the South Yadkin River.
– Limit the number of jug hooks that can be fished to 100 per boat, require them to be labeled with the name and address of users, fished daily, and allow enforcement officers to remove jug hooks that are unattended.
– Establish a creel limit of one fish per day for blue catfish longer than 32 inches for Lake Norman and Badin Lake.
– Implement a two-buck bag limit for counties and parts of counties in the Eastern Deer Season that currently have a four-buck bag limit.
– Remove season and possession hunting limits for red and gray squirrels, raccoons and rabbits. Daily hunting bag limits will remain in effect (red and gray squirrels: 8; raccoon: 3; and rabbit: 5).
A complete list of the proposed regulations can be found at www.ncwildlife.org.