holeyland!!!

Conditions have improved in Holey Land and Rotenberger Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reopened these areas as of 12 a.m. Sept. 28. These areas are open for hunting during muzzleloader season Oct 1-16.

The Everglades and Francis S. Taylor WMA remains closed by executive order from Kenneth Haddad, FWC executive director. The order contains special regulations for this WMA, which are necessary due to inordinately high water levels associated with recent storms that jeopardize wildlife, particularly deer. The special regulations prohibit:

taking game other than fish and alligators

the use of vehicles, airboats or ATVs, and all other public access, except by special access permit and in Conservation Area 2 from the L-35B levee north to the east-west airboat trail

This order does not apply to:

persons permitted to participate in statewide alligator egg collections or alligator hunts

persons operating boats (other than airboats) within established canal systems and within one mile of adjacent marshes lying in the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor WMA. Area users can fish in these canals and marshes.

Persons participating in the statewide alligator egg collections or alligator hunts must stay at least 100 yards from any tree island and the L-5 South and L-4 South levees when operating a vessel or airboat to minimize disturbance to upland wildlife.