It seems like every time I sign into the internet there are more bulletins from some governmental fish, wildlife, environmental, outdoor recreational, or conservation group with either a new or changed regulation or law that outdoorsmen are supposed to keep abreast of. If you’re intent on staying within the legal (and ethical as defined by our government) boundaries of this world, you’d best have a computer and access to the internet.

I’d be surprised if sixty-percent of today’s hunters and fishermen have assess to the internet or, if the do have access, bother to read most of these constantly changing rules. Recently one hunter told me that he was constantly glancing over his shoulder when he was in the field to see if a game warden was sneaking up on him with a rule book in his hand full of new rules.

From what I’ve been hearing from some of the hunters, they believe that some of the issues approved by the N.C wildlife Resources Commissioners have already become the rule of law for this year’s hunting season. The NCWRS just released the following press release to clarify the matter.

A number of rules adopted at the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s March Commission meeting will not be in effect when hunting seasons open this fall.

The North Carolina Rules Review Commission referred a number of the proposed rules changes to the General Assembly as a consequence of written opposition, an action required under state law. As a result, these rules changes cannot take effect until reviewed by the Legislature next year. Legislators have 30 days from the start of the next session to propose a bill disapproving any of these rules. If no bill is proposed, the rules automatically go into effect for the 2010-11

season.

Rules NOT in effect for the 2009-2010 season:

H1) Require persons harvesting deer through the Deer Management Assistance Program to use tags provided by the Commission and report their harvests, whether those deer are antlerless or antlered. Allow harvest of deer on DMAP areas under the big game harvest report card and the bonus antlerless deer harvest report card, where applicable.

H2) Change the description of where bonus antlerless deer harvest report cards may be used from “private lands” to “lands other than those enrolled in the Commission’s Game Land Program” in order to permit the use of these cards on military installations, national wildlife refuges, and other public lands that are NOT game lands.

H3) Remove the daily bag limit for deer.

H4) Allow hunters to use archery equipment to harvest deer during the muzzleloading firearms season on game lands.

H5) Shorten the bow season by one week and open the muzzleloader season one week earlier to create a two week muzzleloader season.

H6) Deer seasons in the Northwestern deer season will be changed so that the regular gun season is extended through January 1. Deer seasons in the Eastern, Central, and Western deer season structures will remain unchanged.

H7) Deer seasons on game lands in the Northwestern deer season will be changed so that the regular gun season is extended through January 1. Deer seasons on game lands in the Eastern, Central, and Western deer season structures will remain unchanged.

H8) Open all private lands in the Eastern, Central, and Northwestern deer seasons to the

maximum either-sex deer season.

H9) Assign all of Moore County to the Eastern deer season.

H25) Allow falconry on Sundays, except for migratory game birds.

H26) Allow bow hunting on Sundays on private lands only, except for migratory game birds.

H28) Allow the use of crossbows, without permit, anytime bow and arrows are legal weapons.

H48) Disallow the selling of live foxes and coyotes taken under a depredation permit to

controlled hunting preserves.

H50) Allow a landowner with a valid depredation permit to give away the edible portions of deer to anyone. Require the recipient to retain a copy of the depredation permit.

H51) Eliminate the requirement that a landholder must get a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit for the taking of migratory birds before getting a Commission permit to do so.

One of the best ways to keep on top of the fish and wildlife laws and regulations is to take the Hunter Education course offered statewide by the NCWRC. Some hunters I’ve talked with were experienced outdoorsmen and have held their Hunter Education cards for years yet they still sit in on a current session of the training program in order to stay up-to-date on current laws. Some of the value of earning you Hunter Education card was recently pointed out by the North Carolina Camouflage Coalition”

Due to the generosity of NC Camouflage Coalition members, NCWF was able to raise and provide nearly 2 thousand dollars to the 2 teams so they could travel to New Mexico to compete in the national Tournament.

Once again, teams and individuals from North Carolina topped the competition at the Youth Hunter Education Challenge, held this year at the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, New Mexico.

By the time the 24th annual national championship was over, Yadkin County's two Forbush teams had taken first place in both senior and junior divisions. Park Ridge Sharpshooters of Stanly County came in third in the junior division.

Austin Warner, of West Montgomery High School, took first place in the overall senior individual division, while Todd Patterson, of Forbush Elementary School, won first place in the junior individual division, and Nick McDonald, of Fall Creek Elementary School, came in third.

The Youth Hunter Education Challenge is a demanding weeklong series of events, featuring shooting competitions of .22-caliber rifle at knockdown targets, muzzleloader at knockdown targets, shotgun on a sporting clays course and archery at three-dimensional game targets. The non-shooting competition tests consist of orienteering skills, wildlife identification, a written hunter responsibility and ethics exam, and a hunter safety trail test.

"The Youth Hunter Education Challenge is a demanding and rewarding event," said Travis Casper, assistant hunter education coordinator for North Carolina. "Everyone gets a chance to demonstrate what they've learned through hunter education, and it is an opportunity to learn. We're proud of all the teams from North Carolina that undertook the time and expense to make the trip out west."

Some 350 youth competitors, adult coaches and parents attended this year's event. Some 50,000 young people take part in a youth hunter safety and skills competition events across the United States and Canada annually.

In North Carolina, the Youth Hunter Education Skills competition is an incentive component of the state's hunter education program, with teams from elementary, middle and high schools, both public and private. Home-schooled students and teams representing organizations, such as 4-H or FFA, also can compete, provided they meet eligibility requirements.