The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed continuation of liberal hunting season lengths for the upcoming 2009-2010 late waterfowl seasons. Duck hunting season lengths would be 60 days in both the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways, 74 days in the Central Flyway, and 107 days in the Pacific Flyway. Highlights of the proposed frameworks include: a full season on pintails with a one bird daily bag limit in the Atlantic, Mississippi and Central Flyways, and a two bird daily bag limit in the Pacific Flyway and a full season on canvasbacks with a one bird daily bag limit offered nation-wide. Additionally, the Service is proposing to have a bag limit of 2 scaup in the Atlantic, Mississippi and Central Flyways for the full season and a bag limit of 3 scaup in the Pacific Flyway for 86 days.
States select their season and earliest season beginning and latest ending dates from within the frameworks which establish the maximum season length and bag limits.
The proposed late season waterfowl frameworks will appear in a mid-August edition of the Federal Register for public comment and on http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/fedreg/MGBHR.HTML.
To see the "Status of Waterfowl" report and video as well as last year's harvest figures, please see www.flyways.us.
Flyway-specific highlights of the proposed late-season frameworks are
below:
Mississippi Flyway (Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin):
· Ducks: A hunting season is proposed of not more than 60 days between September 26, 2009, and January 31, 2010. The proposed daily bag limit is six and may include no more than four mallards (two hens), one mottled duck, three wood ducks, two redheads, two scaup, one black duck, one canvasback and one pintail. The proposed daily bag limit of mergansers is five, only two of which may be hooded mergansers.
· Geese: Generally, seasons for Canada geese would be held between September 26, 2009, and January 31, 2010, and vary in length among States and areas, with daily bag limits varying from one to three. States would be able to select seasons for light geese not to exceed 107 days with 20 geese daily between September 26, 2009, and March 10, 2010; for white-fronted geese the proposed season would not exceed 72 days with a two-bird daily bag limit or 86 days with a one-bird daily bag limit between September 26, 2009, and February 15, 2010; and for brant it would not exceed 70 days with a two-bird daily bag limit or 107 days with a one bird daily bag limit between September 26, 2009, and January 31, 2010. There would be no possession limit for light geese.
Atlantic Flyway (Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia):
· Ducks: A hunting season is proposed of not more than 60 days between September 26, 2009, and January 31, 2010. The proposed daily bag limit is six and may include no more than four mallards (two hens), three wood ducks, two redheads, two hooded mergansers, two scaup, one black duck, one pintail, one canvasback, one mottled duck, one fulvous whistling duck, and four scoters. The season on harlequin ducks is closed.
· Geese: For light geese, States would be able to select a 107-day season between October 1, 2009, and March 10, 2010, with a daily bag limit of 15 birds and no possession limit. Seasons for Canada geese would vary in length among States and areas depending on the populations of birds that occur in those areas. The daily bag limit would be five birds in hunt zones established for resident populations of Canada geese. In hunt zones established for migratory populations, bag limits would be three or fewer and would vary among States and areas. For Atlantic brant, the season length may be 50 days with a daily bag limit of two.
Central Flyway (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and portions of Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming):
· Ducks: Duck seasons are proposed to be held between September 26, 2009, and January 31, 2010. The daily bag limit would be 6 ducks, with species and sex restrictions as follows: mallard – five, no more than two of which may be females; scaup and redhead – two; wood duck – three; pintail, mottled duck, and canvasback – one. The mottled duck season will begin five days after the beginning of the regular season. The possession limit would be twice the daily bag limit. In the High Plains Mallard Management Unit (roughly west of the 100th Meridian), a 97-day season is proposed. The last 23 days would be able to start no earlier than December 12, 2009. A 74-day season is proposed for the remainder of the Central Flyway.
· Geese: Under the proposal, States may select seasons between September 26, 2009 and February 14, 2010, for dark geese and between September 26, 2009, and March 10, 2010, for light geese. East tier States would be able to select a 107-day season for Canada geese season with a daily bag limit of three. For white-fronted geese, States would be able to select either a 72-day season with a daily bag limit of two birds or an 86-day season with a daily bag limit of one bird. In the West Tier, States may select a 107-day dark- goose season with a daily bag limit of five birds. In the Western Goose Zone of Texas, the State would be able to select a 95-day season with a daily bag limit of four dark geese (including no more than one white-fronted goose). Colorado would be able to select a 107-day season with an aggregate bag limit of four. For light geese, all States would be able to select a 107-day season with a daily bag limit of 20 and no possession limit.
Pacific Flyway (Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and portions of Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming):
· Ducks: Under the proposal, States are allowed a 107-day general duck season between September 26, 2009, and January 31, 2010. The proposed daily bag limit is seven ducks, including no more than two mallard hens, two redheads, one canvasback and two pintails. In addition, an 86 day season for scaup can be chosen with a daily bag limit of three.
· Geese: 100-day seasons are proposed for the Pacific Flyway between September 26, 2009, and March 10, 2010. Proposed basic daily bag limits are up to 10 light geese and four dark geese. There are exceptions to the basic bag limits and season structures for geese in many States, so consult State regulations for specific details. In California, Washington and Oregon, the dark goose limit does not include brant. For brant, the proposed season lengths are 16 days in Oregon and Washington and 30 days in California, with a two-bird daily limit. Washington and California would be able to choose seasons in each of the two zones.