The change is being proposed in an effort to reduce the chances of chronic wasting disease (CWD) being introduced into the state. CWD is not known to affect people.

The disease, which has been discovered in 22 states, two Canadian provinces and in South Korea, is a contagious neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose. It is similar to mad cow disease, always fatal, and there is no known cure or vaccine for the animals.

The rule-change proposal will go before the Commission at its June 13 meeting in Lakeland, and the FWC encourages all those who have an interest to go to MyFWC.com/Deer and select “Captive Cervids” to read about what is being proposed and offer any comments, questions or concerns they may have.

If the proposal is passed at the June meeting, it would go into effect soon after.

For more information on CWD, go to www.CWD-info.org.

Attendance on both days is required for certification. Participants must successfully complete the online portion of the course prior to attending and bring the final Web report to the FWC course on May 11. It does not have to be notarized.

Students will learn about hunting laws, safe gun handling and hunter ethics/responsibility, among other topics, before taking the final test. The course also includes live-firing instruction on a shooting range.

Classes both days are at the North Naples Fire District, 1885 Veterans Park Drive, Naples, FL 34109.

Participants can sign up at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling the FWC’s South Region Office at 561-625-5122. A link to the online part of the course and a statewide schedule of hunter safety classes are available at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety.

Parents or legal guardians must accompany children under 16 years of age to all classes. To participate in live-fire exercises, children under 18 years old must present a parental release form signed by a parent or legal guardian.

Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must pass an approved hunter safety course and have a hunting license to hunt alone (unsupervised).

The course will be at the Beau Turner Youth Conservation Center, 9194 S. Jefferson Highway, Monticello. Instruction is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 18 and 1 to 5 p.m. May 19.

Students who have taken the Internet course and wish to complete the classroom portion must bring the online-completion report and attend only the May 19 session from 1 to 5 p.m.

An adult must accompany children under the age of 16 at all times. Students are encouraged to bring a pencil and paper with them to take notes.

Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must pass an approved hunter safety course and have a hunting license to hunt alone (unsupervised). The FWC course satisfies hunter-safety training requirements for all other states and Canadian provinces.

People interested in attending this course can register online and obtain information about future hunter safety classes at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling Hunter Safety Coordinator George Warthen at the FWC’s regional office in Panama City at 850-265-3676.

The class is in the second-floor conference room of the Farris Bryant Building, 620 S. Meridian St., Tallahassee. Instruction is from 6-9 p.m. May 14, 16, 21 and 23. The range portion of the class is May 25.

An adult must accompany children under the age of 16 at all times. Students are encouraged to bring a pencil and paper with them to take notes.

Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must pass an approved hunter safety course and have a hunting license to hunt alone (unsupervised). The FWC course satisfies hunter-safety training requirements for all other states and Canadian provinces.

People interested in attending this course can register online and obtain information about future hunter safety classes at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling Hunter Safety Coordinator George Warthen at the FWC’s regional office in Panama City at 850-265-3676.

The application process is conducted in three phases and begins by submitting a no-cost application at any tax collector’s office, license agent or online at http://License.MyFWC.com.

During the Phase I application period, alligator permits are issued by random drawing. Phase I ends May 12, and applicants are limited to being drawn for only one permit.

If selected, applicants have until June 3 to pay the cost of the permit. Otherwise, the permit will be placed back into the system, with the other remaining permits, to be sold in Phase II on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 10 a.m. June 7 and continuing through June 12. Those who received a permit in Phase I and paid for it cannot apply during Phase II.

Any permits remaining after June 12 will be issued during Phase III on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 10 a.m. June 14 until all are sold. Anyone can apply during Phase III – despite having already bought a permit in Phase I or Phase II.

Alligator trapping licenses and two hide-validation tags costs $272 for Florida residents and $1,022 for nonresidents. If you happen to buy an additional permit during Phase III, it will cost $62, regardless of whether you are a resident or not. No other hunting license or permits are required to participate in the hunts.

Each permit enables you to take two alligators from whichever county or body of water you were awarded during a specific harvest period. To purchase a permit, you must be at least 18 years old by opening day, Aug. 15.

If you don’t have all the gear necessary and you’d rather assist a friend who purchased an alligator trapping license, you can pay $52 for an alligator trapping “agent” license. You don’t even have to be 18 to buy one. This license entitles you to take alligators, but only when you’re with a licensed person.

Visit MyFWC.com/Alligator and click on “Statewide Alligator Harvest Program” for more information on these exciting gator-hunting opportunities.

Except for those who have already successfully completed the online portion of the course, attendance on both days is required for certification. Students who have completed the online course only need to attend the second day. They will need to bring the final Web report, which does not have to be notarized.

Students will learn about hunting laws, safe gun handling and hunter ethics/responsibility, among other topics, before taking the final test. The course also includes live-firing instruction on a shooting range.

The class will be held at the Everglades Youth Camp, J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, 12100 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33412. (GPS will not work for this location.)

Participants can sign up at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling the FWC’s South Region Office at 561-625-5122. A link to the online part of the course and a statewide schedule of hunter safety classes are available at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety.

Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must pass an approved hunter safety course before purchasing a Florida hunting license. Parents or legal guardians must accompany children under 16 years of age to all classes. To participate in live-fire exercises, children under 18 years old must present a parental release form signed by a parent or legal guardian.

Participants must successfully complete the online portion of the course prior to attending and bring the final Web report to the FWC course on May 4. It does not have to be notarized.

Students will learn about hunting laws, safe gun handling and hunter ethics/responsibility, among other topics, before taking the final test. The course also includes live-firing instruction on a shooting range.

The class will be held at the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office shooting range in Fort. Pierce. The range is at the end of Coolidge Road, which is one-quarter mile west of the turnpike overpass on SR 70.

Participants can sign up at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling the FWC’s South Region Office at 561-625-5122. A link to the online part of the course and a statewide schedule of hunter safety classes are available at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety.

Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must pass an approved hunter safety course before purchasing a Florida hunting license. Parents or legal guardians must accompany children under 16 years of age to all classes. To participate in live-fire exercises, children under 18 years old must present a parental release form signed by a parent or legal guardian.

Participants must successfully complete the online portion of the course prior to attending and bring the final Web report to the FWC course on May 4. It does not have to be notarized.

Students will learn about hunting laws, safe gun handling and hunter ethics/responsibility, among other topics, before taking the final test. The course also includes live-firing instruction on a shooting range.

The course is at the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office shooting range, between Clewiston and La Belle, 0.7 miles down Witt Road off State Road 80, 9 miles west of U.S. 27. Take the first road east of the Pioneer Shell Gas Station.

Participants can sign up at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling the FWC’s South Region Office at 561-625-5122. A link to the online part of the course and a statewide schedule of hunter safety classes are available at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety.

Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must pass an approved hunter safety course before purchasing a Florida hunting license. Parents or legal guardians must accompany children under 16 years of age to all classes. To participate in live-fire exercises, children under 18 years old must present a parental release form signed by a parent or legal guardian.

These extraordinary hunts offer large tracts of land with an abundance of game and low hunting pressure. All deer hunts enable you to take only mature bucks with at least one antler having four or more points, one inch or longer. This practice of deer management offers hunters excellent chances of taking quality bucks on public land. Wild hogs also are legal to take, and there is no size or bag limit on them.

These special-opportunity deer and wild hog hunts take place on Fort Drum (Indian River County), Lake Panasoffkee (Sumter County), Triple N Ranch (Osceola County) and Green Swamp West Unit (Pasco County) wildlife management areas.

Fort Drum has 20 permits available for its seven-day general-gun deer and hog hunt on 20,858 acres; they cost $50, should you get drawn. Lake Panasoffkee offers eight four-day archery hunts on the 8,676-acre tract at a cost of $100 each. Triple N Ranch has two seven-day general-gun deer and hog hunts on its 15,391 acres, and each permit costs $175.

Green Swamp West Unit is where James Stovall took the state’s highest-scoring deer on record – a 25-point, nontypical that netted a 206 Boone-and-Crockett score. He took the trophy buck in 1999 after getting drawn for the special-opportunity archery hunt. The area offers archery and gun hunts on 34,335 acres, and permits cost $100 each.

The FWC also has week-long released-quail hunts on the Blackwater Carr Unit in Santa Rosa County. With these hunts, you must bring and release your own pen-raised quail. There’s just one $100 permit available for each of the 16 weeks, and if you’re lucky enough to draw one, you and up to three of your friends will have the entire 590 acres to yourselves.

If you’d like to apply for any of these great hunts, the first thing you’ll need to do is get a 2013-2014 Special-Opportunity Fall Hunt Worksheet. It is available at MyFWC.com/Hunting by clicking “Limited Entry/Quota Hunts” then “Special-Opportunity Fall Hunts” toward the bottom of the page.

Beginning at 10 a.m. (EDT) on May 1, you can submit your completed application at License.MyFWC.com or at any county tax collector’s office or license agent. The application period runs through June 2.

These coveted permits are issued by random drawing, and you may apply for as many hunts and dates as you like to increase your chances of being selected. You must include a $5 nonrefundable fee for each hunt application, although hunters are limited to being drawn for one permit per hunt.

If you’re selected in the random drawing, you have until the deadline specified to pay the cost of the selected hunt. You can do this online at License.MyFWC.com or at any license agent or tax collector’s office. If not, you forfeit it, and it’ll go to the next applicant selected in the random drawing.

Whether still hunting by yourself or hunting with family and friends for deer, hogs or released quail, the FWC’s special-opportunity fall hunts are just what the doctor ordered for a premium hunting experience.

Participants must successfully complete the online portion of the course prior to attending and bring the final Web report to the FWC course on April 27. It does not have to be notarized.

Students will learn about hunting laws, safe gun handling and hunter ethics/responsibility, among other topics, before taking the final test. The course also includes live-firing instruction on a shooting range.

The class is at the Glades County Sheriff's Office Shooting Range in Moore Haven on Gun Club Road (north of the city barn), 3 miles north of U.S. 27 on State Road 78, and 6 miles south of Lakeport, near the Fisheating Creek entrance. (GPS will not work for this location.)

Participants can sign up at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling the FWC’s South Region Office at 561-625-5122. A link to the online part of the course and a statewide schedule of hunter safety classes are available at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety.

Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must pass an approved hunter-safety course before purchasing a Florida hunting license. Parents or legal guardians must accompany children under 16 years of age to all classes. To participate in live-fire exercises, children under 18 years old must present a parental release form signed by a parent or legal guardian.