August Commission Meeting.

[DW]

Any news or words of wisdom from the latest commission meeting?

[DUOGLIDE]

i think the commission may have a new chairman i think the majestic one stepped down/aside to make way for new blood to head things

[LoweBow]

KDFWR Recommends 2005-06 Waterfowl Seasons


Frankfort, KY -The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission set tentative dates for the 2005-2006 waterfowl seasons and modified trout regulations on the Cumberland River at its quarterly meeting August 19 in Frankfort.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission recommends all hunting, fishing and boating regulations for approval by the General Assembly and approves all expenditures by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR).

The Commission must place waterfowl seasons in the framework mandated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because all migratory game birds are under federal control.

Ducks, Coots and Mergansers:

The duck seasons (except for canvasbacks) will be split for 2005-2006. The first duck season runs from November 24 (Thanksgiving Day) through November 27, 2005 statewide. The season again opens December 5, 2005 and closes January 29, 2006 statewide. The daily bag limit on hen mallard ducks will be reduced from 2 to 1 hen mallard duck, but all other bag limits remain the same as last year except scaup, which is dependent on the final frameworks of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Northern pintails may now be taken for the entire duck season, but under a one pintail daily limit.
Season dates for mergansers and coots are the same as the duck season dates for the 2005-2006 seasons. The daily bag limit for mergansers is five, only one of which may be a hooded merganser. The daily limit for coots is 15.
The season on canvasback ducks is December 31 through January 29, 2006. The daily limit is one canvasback duck.
Dates for the goose hunting seasons are as follows:
Canada Geese:

Western Goose Zone (except the portion of Fulton County in Western Goose Zone that extends to February 15, 2006) - December 5, 2005 - January 31, 2006
Pennyrile-Coalfield Goose Zone (including West-Central Canada Goose subzone) - December 13, 2005 - January 31, 2006
Eastern Goose Zone - December 13, 2005 - January 31, 2006
Northeastern Canada Goose Zone - December 31 - January 8, 2006 and January 21 - January 31, 2006
White-fronted Geese:

Statewide - November 24, 2005 - January 31, 2006
Snow Geese:

Regular Season - November 24, 2005 - January 31, 2006
Conservation Order Season:
Eastern Goose Zone: February 1 - March 31, 2006
Western, Pennyrile-Coalfield and West-Central Goose Zones:
February 1-3, 2006; February 6 - March 31, 2006

Fulton County - February 16 - March 31, 2006
Youth Waterfowl Season:

Eastern Zone: November 5-6, 2005
Western Zone: February 4-5, 2006
In other waterfowl related business, the reporting area quota for Canada geese will be 6,700 in the Ballard Reporting Area and 2,600 in the Henderson-Union Reporting Area. The Commission recommended removing the restriction of no more than five hunters occupying a waterfowl blind on private lands in the Ballard Reporting Area. Regulations remain unchanged on public hunting lands.

Also, the Commission recommended that a quota waterfowl hunter shall be prohibited from participating in other waterfowl quota hunts that year and the year following if the waterfowl quota hunter violates state or federal regulations while participating in a KDFWR waterfowl quota hunt.

In fisheries related business, the Commission also recommended modifying trout regulations on the Cumberland River (Lake Cumberland tailwater) below Wolf Creek Dam. Anglers can no longer cull trout on the Cumberland River.

Culling means anglers cannot replace a trout in their possession with another trout. Once an angler holds a trout in their possession, it counts toward the daily creel limit. Also on the Cumberland River, anglers may not attract (chum) trout with bait, corn or other attractants designed to draw numbers of trout to a specific area. (These items remain legal bait for hook and line use.) This includes all tributaries up to the first riffle and Hatchery Creek.

The fisheries related recommendations, if approved by the legislative review committees, take effect on March 1, 2007.
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission elected officers to serve until August, 2006. First District Commission Member Charles Martin was elected chairman and Seventh District Commission Member Doug Hensley was elected vice-chairman. Dr. James Rich, Fifth District, was elected secretary.

The next Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting will be held at 8 a.m. on Friday, December 9, 2005 at the Game Farm off U.S. 60 in Frankfort. Persons interested in addressing the Commission must notify the KDFWR Commissioner's office in writing at least 30 days in advance to be considered for placement on the meeting agenda. People who are hearing impaired and plan to attend the meeting should contact the KDFWR at least 10 days in advance and the agency will provide a translator. To request to address the commission, write to KDFWR, Commissioner Jon Gassett, #1 Game Farm Road, Frankfort, Kentucky, 40601.



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The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) manages, regulates, enforces and promotes responsible use of all fish and wildlife species, their habitats, public wildlife areas and waterways for the benefit of those resources and for public enjoyment. KDFWR, an agency of the Commerce Cabinet, has an economic impact to the state of $4.8 billion annually. For more information on KDFWR, visit our web site at fw.ky.gov.

[Highbow]

Thanks Mike for a good report.

[LoweBow]

Thanks!! I'll take credit!!! really I just copied the email I got from the dept....
LOL
Mike

[Birdman]

What happened in the Wildlife meeting? :rolleyes: What happened to those minutes? :confused:

[Birdman]

Kentucky Afield Magazine

During the wildlife session, commissioner Baker recommended a parity between groups within the state concerning the pricing of Kentucky Afield Magazine. After a lengthy conversation, Mr Slone will met with Commerce Secretary Host, for suggestion and report back at the November Committee meeting.

Scoring of Deer and Elk:

After a lengthy discussion concerning who, why, and how the league got involved in this matter. Commissioner Baker make a motion, "The League of Kentucky Sportsmen give the commission a position paper on where the league stands on the quality deer management program and the elk restoration program". Commission Gailor seconded that motion, all voted in favor.

Commissioner Angle, ask what type of information the department would submit to the league for the league to make this decision.

Dr. Gassett, said they could provide information on what we have done as far as deer management in Kentucky over the past 15 years. "Reducing the buck bag limit from 2 to 1. Implementing antler restrictions on certain WMA's.
Increasing doe harvest throughout the state. Restricting baiting on public lands". Commissioner Baker included Chronic Wasting Disease testing and all the issues we've put into place. Mr. Baker wants to know how the league feels about those issues. Dr. Angle ask, what the pacific of the elk restoration program the department would provide for the league? Commissioner Baker simply shrugged his shoulders, and looked to Dr. Gassett. Dr. Gassett's reply was, scoop, goals, intent, where we would like for them to be, population estimates, and how many we intend to harvest. Dr. Gassett, added, we can't get into production of record book animals yet, because we haven't produced any yet. Because of a very young herd. But we can certainly provide preliminary information for the league to respond to.

Cervid Ranching:

Commissioner Baker make a motion the commission request from the league a position paper on our position on cervid ranching. And the departments policies on CWD and their handling of CWD issues within the state.

Crossbow Survey:

Jim Lane said the department gave them (Cornell Univ.) the history of the issue, "we gave them some things we (dep.) wanted answers to and they helped us develop the questions" Cornell's staff worded the questions. The survey will be on all hunting licenses and sportsmen's license buyers, and land owners who allow hunting to determine their stands on the expansion of crossbow season for deer and turkey. Results of this survey will be available at the November Committee meeting.

The MOU was a little over $50,000.00.


League resolutions:

Coyote season will remain the same. Open to all hunters, year round.

I apologize for not remembering the gentlemen's name, he is the person in charge of our bear study going on in eastern Ky. In my opinion the material was presented very professionally, along with being, interesting.

Commissioner Baker, requested the department develop a position statement on the following three things: high fenced operations, canned hunting, (native or non-native) commercial hunting (even if their his own indigenous species). Regardless of species. Consider all hunting behind high fence, all species, not just cervids.

The next committee meeting will be in November.

[skin_dog1]

do I understand correctly that everyone hunting legally in KY will have the oppurtunity to partake in the CB poll?

[Birdman]

Only if your one of the people surveyed. That's up to Cornell on how they choose individuals.

[schuyler olt]

The one category that puzzles me is that concerning landowners who are allowing hunting. Aside from a few, such as coal companies, how would they know who these folks are? Habitat program participation?

My other concern is this. For years and years various organizations have sought to get lists of license holders, and the KDFWR has steadfastly resisted those efforts. If Cornell has now been given access to them, that may make them fair game for everyone else. I'm not sure that's a good thing.

[Birdman]

Very interesting, hadn't considered that angle.

[Multidigits]

The one category that puzzles me is that concerning landowners who are allowing hunting. Aside from a few, such as coal companies, how would they know who these folks are? Habitat program participation?

My other concern is this. For years and years various organizations have sought to get lists of license holders, and the KDFWR has steadfastly resisted those efforts. If Cornell has now been given access to them, that may make them fair game for everyone else. I'm not sure that's a good thing.

Landowners being surveyed would be those who check deer or turkeys on a landowner tag in the past. For the Dept. to authorize a survey of it's constituients and not provide a list of those would be kind of crazy for an independent, out of state group to find those they need to survey. As one who actively asked for a new survey, why not wait to see what it comes in as before trying to tear it apart??

[daking]

The list of license holders transmitted to Cornell would be a privelidged work product. I am confident that the Dept would have insisted (as would Cornell) that a confidentiality agreement would be signed before the list is transmitted. Cornell has made a business out of exactly this kind of work. One would doubt that they would sell a relatively low-value list and endanger their reputation as a fair broker; the reputation that makes them (as Jim Strader so adroitly points out) BIG money for their work.


Terry

[schuyler olt]

Terry,

As you know, I've been doing litigation for 25 years, and served in government, and I've extensively represented governmental agencies and the media for many years.

"Privileged work product" applies only in the context of litigation, and does not apply in this instance. Obviously, neither does the attorney-client privilege, nor any other privilege recognized under state law.

Our open records laws, state and federal, are construed broadly in favor of disclosure. The limited exceptions to disclosure are construed narrowly, again in favor of disclosure. Clearly, while the study is ongoing, it is a preliminary matter protected from disclosure under Kentucky's open records law. However, once it is released, it is open to the public, as is all the underlying information. That will include the lists from which study participants were identified.

They can sign confidentiality agreements from now until Doomsday, but they have absolutely NO effect when a governmental agency is involved unless it is to protect proprietary information OF THE PRIVATE PARTY, not the government. For example, you can put a nondislosure clause in a settlement agreement, but it will not block a person seeking disclosure of the agreement if the government is a party. There is NOTHING proprietary about a list of license holders.

Multi,

I'm not trying to poke holes in the survey, at least until I see the results. I'm just curious how the KDFWR knows what landowners allow public hunting. A landowner checking on a landowner tag gives no insight whatsoever as to whether that landowner allows public hunting.

[Multidigits]

Multi,............poke holes in the survey, at least until I see the results....... :) ...........?????....... :)

[schuyler olt]

Just keeping my options open.... :-)

[daking]

That being the case, whether or not a survey is done, anyone who asks the KDFWR for a list of licenseholders has a dead running shot at getting it under open records laws. Why don't people like Cabelas just ask for it under open records?

[Birdman]

When Commission member Webb ask, who ask for this survey, Chairman Hensley replyed, we did, the commission.

[Multidigits]

When Commission member Webb ask, who ask for this survey, Chairman Hensley replyed, we did, the commission.

Obvious answer. no one else could approve of spending $40-50,000 on public opinion. But it was driven from critizism of the Commission(by various groups and individuals), of the KYDFWR as a whole (including it's employees), and the negative comments from the anti-crossbow side. Crossbow supporters didn't have a problem with the old survey, as you well know.

[Birdman]

Simply stating FACTS.