Fall Weather means it's hunting season for this Oak Hill gal

Outdoor fish & game $31.9 billion revenue generator for Sunshine State

Linda Hyatt of Oak Hill, FL shows off her prized deer catch / Headline Surfer®Photos for Headline Surfer® / Linda Hyatt shows off her prize catch just a few weeks ago in the local woods. The hog shown below is from a previous year's hunt.

OAK HILL -- Fall is my favorite time of the year because it's huntin' season.

 It's also an important revenue stream for our state with outdoor activities generating $31.9 billion annually, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

I love the days when the temperature drops below 80 and the sky is deep blue and the breeze has a coolish hint to it. I love to smell burning leaves and especially that hunting season is finally here.

Golden rod and wildflowers are all over the woods and the deer know cool nights make them feel frisky. And the mosquitos aren't as bad. Fishing is a lot more enjoyable because the weather just makes you feel like being outside. 

I love the days when the temperature drops below 90 and the sky is deep blue and the breeze has a coolish hint to it. I love to smell burning leaves and especially that hunting season is finally here. 

Pumpkin pie comes to mind as well as apple dishes made from this years' freshest apples. Folks in Oak Hill put Thanksgiving decorations on their front doors and even the cooler weather weather reminds us the holidays are approaching.

I don't think anyone could live in a better place or at least who would not want to with Mosquito Lagoon right here?

Linda Hyatt, a former Oak Hill vice mayor and city commissioner is an avid hunter shown here with a wild board she snared / Headline Surfer®FAST FACTS: Sunshine State hunting season dates

Hunting season zones for Florida / Headline Surfer®The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has specific dates for hunting. The dates below are for Region C which includes most of Central and North Florida:
 
General gun:  Nov. 2 – Jan. 19
Antler-less deer :Nov. 23-29
Fall turkey: Nov. 2 – Dec. 29
Quail Started: Nov. 9 – March 2
Gray squirrel: Oct. 12 – March 2
Bobcat and otter: Dec. 1 – March 1
Hunter Safety Requirement
Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, and 16 years or older, must pass a hunter safety course before purchasing a hunting license, unless using the Hunter Safety Mentoring Exemption and hunting under the supervision of a qualified hunter. Completion of a hunter safety course is required to hunt on military bases. For hunting license requirements and fees, please go online: 

http://myfwc.com/license/recreational/hunter-safety-requirement/

Did You Know?

Florida fish & game activities generate $31.9 billion and 72,000-plus jobs / Headline Surfer®The Sunshine State's hunting, fishing & boating as a collective generates $31.9 billion in revenue annually. 

Hunting: $1.6 billion, 14,700 jobs;
Freshwater Fishing: $1.7 billion, 14,000 jobs;
Saltwater Fishing: $6.9 billion, 65,200 jobs
Wildlife Viewing: $4.9 billion, 44,600 jobs;
Boating: $16.8 billion, 202,700, jobs Florida Seafood Industry.

 

Florida wildlife habitat has:
53,927 sq miles of land; 12,133 sq miles of water;
More than 34 million acres of public and private land, including 5.8 million acres of wildlife management areas (one of the largest public-hunting systems in the country);
2,276 miles of tidal shoreline (8,426 "detailed" miles);
Approximately 12,000 miles of fishable rivers, streams and canals;
About 7,700 lakes (of 10+ acres), covering 3 million total acres.
 
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission protects and manages:
More than 575 species of wildlife More than 200 native species of freshwater fish;
More than 500 native species of saltwater fish;
The FWC is charged with balancing these species' needs with the needs of approximately 19 million residents and the millions of visitors who share the land and water with Florida's wildlife.
Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-watching by the numbers:
Number of hunters (age 16-plus): 242,000;
Number of anglers: Freshwater (residents): 956,000;
Freshwater (nonresidents): 258,000;
Saltwater (residents): 1,39 million;
Saltwater (nonresidents): 1.007 million;
Days of Fishing: 57.6 million;
Number of wildlife watchers: 4.3 million.
Internet Newspaper Publisher and book author Henry Frederick / Headline Surfer®Headline Surfer® is the award-winning 24/7 internet newspaper in Lake Mary, serving greater Daytona Beach-Orlando, FL. It is owned and operated by Publisher Henry Frederick, who is nearing completion the first of three books for which he has secured publishing rights, "Creepy Ass Cracker, an 840-page book, on the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman murder trial and the aftermath. The hardcover book should hit bookstores in early 2014. His second book is "Wrestling Rewind," scheduled for publication in mid-2014, and the third is not yet titled.