Wildlife Commission Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Temporary Amendments to Rules, Public Hearing A
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission voted to open the public comment period and hold one public hearing for three temporary amendments to existing rules. The public comment period opens May 25 and closes June 29. Comments can be submitted online or by email. The public hearing will be held on June 6 at 7 p.m. at the Commission’s headquarters in Raleigh.
The public may comment on the following:
Amendments to the Importation of Animal Parts Rule, to regulate importation of carcass parts and prohibit importation of whole carcasses from outside of North Carolina, providing immediate protection to North Carolina’s white-tailed deer and elk populations from chronic wasting disease. This temporary amendment specifies what carcass parts may be imported and how.
Amendment to the Bear Rule, to clarify that there is no open season for bear in any area of the Green Swamp Bear Sanctuary, which spans Brunswick and Columbus counties. This clarification was made in 2017, but inadvertently omitted when the rule was amended in 2018.
Amendments to the Hunting on Game Lands Rule, to: 1) add the extended archery season for antlered deer on the South Mountains and Buffalo Cove game lands to align with the Western Deer Season, and 2) clarify that deer of either sex can be taken on the first open Saturday of the Deer with Visible Antlers Season on the Cold Mountain Game Land.
If approved, all temporary rule amendments will apply to the 2018-2019 hunting seasons.
