RALEIGH, N.C. (May 18, 2012) — With Memorial Day weekend right around the corner, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding beach-bound anglers to purchase their saltwater fishing licenses before leaving home.

Anglers can purchase licenses online, www.ncwildlife.org, or they can visit a local wildlife service agent, most of which are located in bait-and-tackle shops, hunting and sporting goods stores and larger chain stores. They also can call the Wildlife Resources Commission at 1-888-248-6834 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Anglers with smartphones, tablets or other portable devices can now purchase licenses using the Commission’s new mobile site, which is designed specifically for small screens and touch technology. Users simply access the Commission’s full website, which then re-directs them automatically to the mobile site where they can purchase licenses, view size and creel limits of saltwater fishes, find a nearby wild

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 17, 2012) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open approximately 64 miles of trout streams and two lakes classified as delayed-harvest trout waters under hatchery-supported regulations on Saturday, June 2.

From 6 a.m. until 11:59 a.m., waters are open only to anglers 15 years old and younger. At noon, waters open to all anglers. Delayed-harvest waters will stay open under hatchery-supported regulations through Sept. 30. During this time, anglers can keep up to seven trout per day — with no bait restrictions or minimum size limits.

The Commission stocks delayed-harvest trout waters from fall through spring with high densities of trout to increase anglers’ chances of catching trout. Once summer arrives, waters become too warm for trout to survive so the Commission opens delayed-harvest streams and lakes to harvest. Delayed-harvest trout waters are posted with diamond-shaped, black-and-white signs. 

The youth-o

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (May 17, 2012) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is offering 11 fishing-related events, clinics and workshops this summer at the John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center in Fayetteville. 

All are free and open to the public. For fishing events and clinics, loaner rods and reels are available free of charge on a first-come, first-serve basis and bait is provided.

- June 2 – Youth Fishing Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  This fishing event is open to children and their families as part of National Fishing and Boating Week. Register onsite the day of event. -  June 6, 7, 8 – Three-Day Basic Rod-Building Course from 6:30-9 p.m. each night. This course, open to the first 15 registrants ages 14 and older, will cover the basics of building a fishing rod. Participants will make a rod to take home with them. Pre-registration is required. - June 13 – Wounded Warriors Fly-Fishing Clinic from 1-5 p.m

HAMPSTEAD, N.C. (May 15) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and Pender County have scheduled a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Hampstead Boating Access Area in Pender County.

The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday at the boating access area, which is located at 613 Lewis Road in Hampstead. The new access area, which will be open to boaters after the ceremony, allows boaters to launch onto the Intracoastal Waterway.

The 6.6-acre Hampstead site has three launch lanes, along with floating and fixed docks. The gravel lot has about 70 parking spaces, including those for trailered and single vehicles. Pender County purchased the property with a $2.8 million grant from the North Carolina Waterfront Access and Marine Industry (WAMI) fund. The site was built using the WAMI grant, money from sales of the Coastal Recreational Fishing License and motorboat registration receipts.

“We are so grateful for the partnership with Pender

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 11) — As the weather warms, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is offering advice on avoiding conflicts with black bears emerging from hibernation.  

The Commission is cautioning people to take care not to feed bears that wander into camp sites, yards, parks, sidewalks or other residential areas. Feeding a bear rewards it for coming close to people and their homes, and makes it more likely to approach again.

While black bears are rarely aggressive toward people, they can become bold when they become accustomed to feeding on human-provided foods, such as garbage and bird seed. Often, they may lose their fear of people.

Contrary to popular belief, wildlife employees will not trap and relocate bears, because this would simply relocate the problem, rather than solve it. The solution is to modify habits, such as how you feed your pets or where you store your garbage, before a problem begins.

Residents can prevent problems by:

-Securin

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 9, 2012) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding the public that they should not approach, touch, feed or move fawns seen hiding in the grass, brush or other vegetation. This time of year — during the first several weeks of a fawn’s life — the female will hide her fawn in vegetation while she feeds elsewhere.

Though white-tailed deer fawns may look abandoned and alone, they often are just waiting for the female deer to return from foraging for food. Contact with a human may do more harm than good.

“White-tailed deer are a ‘hider species,’” said Evin Stanford, deer biologist for the Commission. “Spotted and lacking scent, fawns are well camouflaged and usually remain undetected by predators. The doe will return to the fawn several times a day to nurse and clean it, staying only a few minutes each time before leaving again to seek food.”

An otherwis

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 8, 2012) — Pups, cubs, chicks, kits and other young wildlife are an important —and welcome — harbinger of spring in North Carolina. But the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding people that feeding them can hurt the wildlife and jeopardize the health of humans. It also can harm the ecosystem.

“Wild animals are not pets, and they are not meant to be raised and fed by humans,” said David Cobb, chief of the Commission’s Division of Wildlife Management. “Wild animals never totally lose their wild instincts, even if the animal seems tame. Those instincts can show up anytime and the results can be harmful to people and the animal.”

Capturing and handling a young animal can stress it, sometimes fatally. In addition, young animals that look abandoned often are not. Many species do not stay with their young constantly and only return to feed them. The parent may return an

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 7, 2012) – Take a kid fishing and help instill a lifelong love of the sport at one 40 free kids’ fishing events held in celebration of National Fishing and Boating Week 2012.  

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, in cooperation with Neuse Sport Shop, Trout Unlimited, Bass Pro Shops and the U.S. Forest Service, is supporting these fishing events, which are scheduled from late May through early June throughout the state.

Young anglers registered at any fishing event are eligible to enter a statewide drawing for prizes.  The grand prize is a lifetime sportsman license, which includes freshwater and saltwater fishing privileges, as well as hunting privileges, donated by Neuse Sport Shop, located in Kinston. The first prize is a lifetime freshwater fishing license, donated by the N.C. State Council of Trout Unlimited. Bass Pro Shops is donating 50 fishing-related prizes, such as tackle boxes, rod-and-reel

WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 7, 2012) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is calling for volunteers with two good ears, one free evening, and an interest in learning more about frogs and toads to participate in a Calling Amphibian Survey Program (CASP) workshop.  

The workshop, which is free, will be held at Halyburton Park in Wilmington on May 15 from 6-9 p.m. Participants will begin the workshop by learning frog and toad call identification techniques and CASP protocols before heading outdoors to put their newly acquired listening skills to the test.  

Wildlife Commission employees Mike Campbell and Jeff Hall will conduct the workshop.  Campbell is an education specialist in southeastern North Carolina and Hall is coordinator of the North Carolina chapter of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, a partnership dedicated to the conservation of reptiles and amphibians and their habitats. 

“Spring i

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 3, 2012) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Onslow County and Jacksonville Thursday morning that will dramatically increase water access on the New River by building a new boat ramp.

Under the agreement, the Wildlife Commission will build a new boating access area across the river from its existing site, using land donated by Onslow County and the City of Jacksonville. The Wildlife Commission will design and construct the boating access area, and Jacksonville will provide day-to-day maintenance.

“This is an especially exciting project in Jacksonville, because we have so much demand for access to the New River and public water in this area of the state,” said Erik Christofferson, chief of the Wildlife Commission’s Division of Engineering Services. “This project is not only hugely beneficial for City of Jacksonville and Onslow County residents, but for anglers and recrea

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 3, 2012) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission took a step toward implementing a rule Thursday that allows for the taking of coyotes and feral swine by hunting on private lands at night with a light.

The rule would also allow the hunting of feral swine and coyotes on public lands from ½ hour after sunset to ½ before sunrise with a light by permit only. Night hunting is one means of controlling localized populations of coyotes and feral swine, both of which are non-native to North Carolina and destructive to the landscape.

The new regulations are year-round, seven days a week. Hunting on Sundays is allowed only on private lands with archery equipment.

The new regulations are scheduled to take effect August 1, 2012 pending final approval by the Rules Review Commission. Currently, there is no closed season on either species, but hunting them at night is not allowed except by permit for feral swine.  

ELLERBE, N.C. (May 2, 2012) — Gray Stone Day School and Park Ridge Christian School, both from Stanly County, won team championship honors at the 2012 Youth Hunter Skills Tournament State Championship, a pre-collegiate shooting sports competition annually held by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. The championship was held April 28 at Millstone 4-H Center near Ellerbe.

About 600 students from 54 schools participated in this year’s tournament, which determined state champions in team and individual categories for rifle, shotgun and archery marksmanship. Competition is conducted on senior (high school) and junior (middle and elementary schools) divisional levels, with overall team and individual awards based on aggregate scores in all events.

Gray Stone Day School, in Misenheimer, won the senior division with a score of 3,798. Park Ridge Christian School, in Albemarle, won the junior division with a score of 3,597. Individuals who posted high scores to le