Not long ago I commenced a noteworthy hunters' rights action in the state of Florida that I believe may have broader implications for the rights of communities as diverse as digital nomads, migrants, citizens, homeowners and the homeless. I will write at greater length about that soon.
But in this post I'd like to share just some opening words of the petition filed last month as I hope it will convey how passionate I am about the right of individuals to enjoy the outdoors and the bounty of the land...
In Florida Hunting, Fishing and the Taking of Game Are Rights;
The Cultural Heritage of Florida and Should Be Forever Preserved for Floridians.
See Article I section 2 of the Florida Constitution and 379.104, Fla. Stat.
Photo by Matt Nelson on Unsplash
With that said, let's take a look at what the state of Florida defines as game. When reading the hunting regulations the following terms will crop up. Despite some similar sounding common terms in the regulations these words and phrases have a very precise meaning. Here's what they mean in detail:
Game refers to quail, wild turkeys, deer, gray squirrels, rabbits, black bears, ducks, geese, common moorhens, coots, snipe, rails, woodcocks, and mourning doves as well as white-winged doves.
Resident game birds are the quail and wild turkeys.
Game mammals means only the deer, gray squirrels, rabbits, and black bears.
The migratory game birds are ducks, geese, common moorhens, coots, snipe, rails, woodcocks, and the two kinds of doves mentioned as game above.
Non-migratory game means quail, wild turkey, deer, gray squirrels, rabbits, and black bears.
And then we have furbearers. This is an interesting category because while many hunters would think of these as mammals there are key differences legally. The main one is that these animals, often pursued for their fur or trophy more so than their meat, may also be trapped.
The furbearers include bobcats, otters, raccoons, opossums, coyotes, beavers, skunks and nutria.