Announcements
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Waterfowl Hunting Seasons Similar To Last Year
By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Aug 1, 2006, 06:38

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Waterfowl Hunting Seasons Similar To Last Year

Contacts

Joshua Winchell, 202/208.5634

On Friday, July 28, 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed liberal hunting regulations for the upcoming 2006-2007 late waterfowl seasons due to improved habitat conditions and waterfowl production estimates. Hunting season lengths will be 60 days in both the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways, 74 days in the Central Flyway, and 107 days in the Pacific Flyway.

"Based on improved breeding habitat conditions and an improved outlook for production in many breeding areas, the agency adopted the 'liberal package,' " said Service Director H. Dale Hall. "Good to excellent conditions in the northern grasslands and parklands of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and above average precipitation in previously dry portions of Southern Alberta will benefit many prairie-nesting species this year. The exception is in the Dakotas."

When compared to last year, there will be an extra hooded merganser in the daily bag limit in three eastern flyways. The canvasback and pintail daily bag limit will be one for the entire season. Last year's reduction in the daily bag limit to two scaup in the Atlantic, Mississippi and Central Flyways and three in the Pacific Flyway will remain unchanged.

"The scaup population has experienced a significant long-term decline and this year's estimate is the lowest on record," said Hall. "The Service is proposing to continue the reduction on the daily bag limit it established last year in all flyways. We may need to consider additional restrictions in the future if the trend continues."

Highlights of the proposed frameworks (states select their season from within the frameworks or the outer limits of season length, bag limits and season beginning and ending date) include:

· Hunters in the Atlantic, Mississippi and Central Flyways will be allowed two hooded mergansers per day; and

· The Central Flyway will initiate a three year evaluation of the Hunter's Choice duck bag limit.

"It is also important to consider what hunters think about waterfowl regulations in developing the season proposals," said Hall. "Until now, wildlife managers did not have data to quantify this. Thanks to efforts by the National Flyway Council and the Wildlife Management Institute and completion of The National Duck Hunter Survey 2005, that information is available and was used in development of these frameworks. It will help us recruit and retain duck hunters and allow managers to fine tune the regulations process."

The survey is available at www.ducksurvey.com.

The Service also published its proposed early season waterfowl hunting regulations in Friday's Federal Register. Under these regulations, the special September teal season is available between September 1 and September 30, and may not exceed nine consecutive days in the Atlantic Flyway and 16 days in the Mississippi and Central Flyways. The daily bag limit is four teal. The seasons for Canada goose, youth hunting days, sea ducks, snipe, woodcock, rails, common moorhens and purple gallinules, sandhill cranes, band-tailed pigeons, mourning doves, white-winged and white-tipped doves and falconry will continue with little change from last year.

 Both the early and late season waterfowl frameworks appear in the Federal Register for public comment and on:

http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/fedreg/MGBHR.HTML.