Deer hunting auxiliary check stations

September 23, 2009
Contact: Joy Hill, 352-732-1225 or 352-258-3426

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will have nine auxiliary check stations where hunters can check their harvested deer during the upcoming hunting seasons on the Ocala and Fort McCoy wildlife management areas (WMAs) and the Gores Landing Unit of the Ocklawaha River WMA.

Hunters are required to check all deer harvested from the Ocala WMA at one of the following check stations prior to field-dressing or transporting the carcass out of the hunt area:

Advantage Sports Center in Salt Springs;
Country Store in Altoona;
Lake Farm and Feed in Umatilla;
Forest Hills Grocery in Forest Hills;
J&S Cowart Bait, Tackle, Etc., in Eureka;
Ocklawaha River Country Store in Hog Valley;
Wiggler's Bait and Tackle in Lynne;
South Moon Fish Camp in Astor; and
All-American Deli Club & Convenience Store in Altoona.
(See addresses, additional information for the above locations.)

The check station most convenient to the Gores Landing Unit is J&S Cowart Bait, Tackle, Etc., in Eureka; the two most convenient to Fort McCoy are J&S Cowart Bait, Tackle, Etc., in Eureka and Advantage Sports Center in Salt Springs.

Hunters using Fort McCoy and the Gores Landing Unit of the Ocklawaha River WMAs are not required to check their deer, but the FWC asks that they do. The data collected at the check stations is valuable to wildlife biologists to help them manage the deer populations in those areas. Of particular interest are the number of deer taken, general physical condition, age and weight.