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Rusty Hallock
08-09-2007, 10:52 AM
2007-2008 Proposed Late Waterfowl Seasons and Bag Limits


These seasons and bag limits are preliminary and are under consideration by the Maryland DNR – Wildlife and Heritage Service. Final season selections will be made in late August following the public review process. Final season selections will be forwarded to the USFWS no later than September 1 for approval. Final selections will not become official until mid-September. A synopsis of the 2007/08 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Seasons will be distributed to sport-license agents throughout the State in mid September.
DNR Public Forum on Waterfowl Regulations Now Open

Note: Shooting hours for waterfowl are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset except for (1) teal during the September season when shooting hours are sunrise to sunset and (2) for Resident Canada geese during September seasons when shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset. All dates are inclusive. No possession limit for snow geese; for all other waterfowl, the possession limit is twice the daily bag limit. Waterfowl hunting is closed on Sundays in Maryland by federal regulation to compensate for the prohibition of hunting on Sundays by Maryland law.


DUCKS, COOTS, and MERGANSERS
Season Dates:
Nov. 3 (juniors only)*
Oct. 13 - Oct. 20
Nov. 10 - Nov. 23
Dec. 11 - Jan. 26

Black Duck
Nov. 3 (juniors only)*
Nov. 10 - Nov. 23
Dec. 11 - Jan. 26
National Youth
Waterfowl Hunting Day
Nov. 3*

Duck Daily Bag and Possession Limits: 6 ducks (including mergansers) per day which may include no more than: 5 long-tailed ducks, 4 scoters, 4 mallards (max. 2 hen mallards), 2 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 scaup, 2 canvasbacks, 2 hooded mergansers, 1 pintail, 1 fulvous tree duck, 1 mottled duck, and 1 black duck (during black duck season), no harlequin ducks. In addition to the duck bag limit, hunters may take 15 coots per day.

The daily bag limits for the National Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day are: 6 ducks per day (including mergansers) but the total may not include more than: 5 long-tailed ducks, 4 mallards (max. 2 hen mallards), 4 scoters, 2 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 scaup, 2 canvasbacks, 2 hooded mergansers, 1 black duck, 1 pintail, 1 fulvous tree duck, and 1 mottled duck. In addition to the duck bag limit, youth hunters may take 2 Canada geese, 15 snow (white or blue color phase) geese, 2 brant, and 15 coots on Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day. There is no open hunting season for harlequin ducks and swans.


*Hunters 15 years of age or younger may participate in the National Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day if the individual possesses a valid hunting license or is exempt from Maryland hunting license requirements. The individual must possess a Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp, and must be accompanied in the field by an individual who:

Is 21 years old or older.

Possesses a valid Maryland hunting license, or is exempt from hunting license requirements.

Is not afield with a firearm, bow or other hunting device.


SEA DUCKS
(Scoters, Long-tailed Duck, and Eiders)
Season Dates and
Daily Bag Limit
in Sea Duck Zone
Oct. 6 - Jan. 26
5
(no more than 4 scoters)
per day

ATLANTIC POPULATION (AP) CANADA GOOSE
Season Dates and
Daily Bag Limit
Nov. 3 (juniors only)
Nov. 15 - Nov. 23
Dec. 15 - Jan. 26

2 per day

AP Hunt Zone: Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Wicomico, Worcester Counties and that portion of Carroll County east of MD 97 and MD 140, Baltimore County north of MD 137 and MD 13, Anne Arundel County east of Interstate 895, Interstate 97, and Route 3, Prince George's County east of Routes 3 and 301, and Charles County east of Route 301 to the VA state line.


RESIDENT POPULATION (RP) CANADA GOOSE

Season Dates and
Daily Bag Limit
Nov. 3 (juniors only)
Nov. 15 - Nov. 23
Nov. 26 - Feb. 15
5 per day
RP Hunt Zone: Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery, and that portion of Carroll County west of MD 97 and MD 140, Baltimore County south of MD 137 and MD 13, Anne Arundel County west of Interstate 895, Interstate 97 and Route 3, Prince George’s County west of Route 3 and Route 301, and Charles County west of Route 301 to the Virginia State line.


ATLANTIC BRANT
Season Dates and
Daily Bag Limit
Nov. 3 (juniors only)
Nov. 15 - Nov. 23
Dec. 10 - Jan. 26
2 per day

GREATER SNOW GEESE
Season Dates and
Daily Bag Limit
Oct. 13 - Nov. 23
Dec 7 - Jan. 31
Feb. 1 - Mar. 10*
15 per day
No Possession Limit
Note*: Season only open on Mon., Wed., Fri., and Sat. after January 31.

Aaron Hitchins
08-09-2007, 11:16 AM
That is the most confusing series of anything I have ever attempted to comprehend. Our Goose season starts September 4th, ends December 20th, and our duck season starts September 15th, and ends December 20th. We can kill 5 geese a day with the exception of the early season in which we can kill 8 a day, and 6 ducks all year long. We can only shoot 1 Black duck, 4 Redheads and 4 Canvasbacks. The end. Simple. You have to have a calculus degree to understand all of those crazy mondo limit species restrictions and days of hunting. Those would make my head hurt so much I wouldn't even want to hunt, why can't they have an opening day, and a closing day, and whats with the Black Duck season?

Thats my rant for today...

Aaron

Montauker
08-09-2007, 11:29 AM
Aaron- Try doing that in three or four different states. I literally keep notes in my blind bag.

We are allowed 60 days for ducks, less for blacks because they are still rebounding. The seasons are split to allow us to shoot different species as they migrate through, some of our best hunting happens in late January, but we get better teal and pintail numbers earlier in the year. Splitting the season allows us to spread the season out over several months, rather than just start and then end 60 days later.

Rob Jepson
08-09-2007, 11:56 AM
That is the most confusing series of anything I have ever attempted to comprehend. Our Goose season starts September 4th, ends December 20th, and our duck season starts September 15th, and ends December 20th. We can kill 5 geese a day with the exception of the early season in which we can kill 8 a day, and 6 ducks all year long. We can only shoot 1 Black duck, 4 Redheads and 4 Canvasbacks. The end. Simple. You have to have a calculus degree to understand all of those crazy mondo limit species restrictions and days of hunting. Those would make my head hurt so much I wouldn't even want to hunt, why can't they have an opening day, and a closing day, and whats with the Black Duck season?

Thats my rant for today...

Aaron
Aaron...when are you and your Dad coming down? Consider this an official invite!

Aaron Hitchins
08-09-2007, 01:11 PM
Thankyou Rob! Which of the 74 subseasons would be the optimal for us to visit in? It's only an 11 hour drive according to Google...

Aaron

Rob Jepson
08-09-2007, 01:25 PM
All depends on what you want but if it were up to me I would wait until at least the 2nd split (Dec 15 - Jan 26) of the AP Canada season. Most duck will be in then also as well as Brant!

Aaron Hitchins
08-09-2007, 01:31 PM
We might swing down at the very end if we were to come down, the season will be over here, over and Brugmans' and I will be home from hunting Kansas... that might be a good last hurrah, to see how long we can go into the winter!

Aaron

Rusty Hallock
08-09-2007, 03:15 PM
You have to have a calculus degree to understand all of those crazy mondo limit species restrictions and days of hunting. Those would make my head hurt so much I wouldn't even want to hunt, why can't they have an opening day, and a closing day, and whats with the Black Duck season?

Thats my rant for today...

Aaron


No wonder I did so well in math. You should have used the point system.

Jeff "Pitboss" Coats
08-09-2007, 07:15 PM
thanks Rusty!

jeff

Swampy
08-09-2007, 09:06 PM
Loks like the Brant Limit will be 2 for Joisey then as well

Rusty Hallock
08-10-2007, 09:48 AM
Looks like Brant had a good breeding year. Extended the season to 50 days. Looks like the entire Atlantic Flyway has the potential for a good waterfowl season.

Rusty Hallock
08-10-2007, 10:49 AM
Aaron,



Here is the reason for our Black Duck season.


"Since 1983, MD and other AF states have been required to reduce black duck harvest 25%. We elected to close black duck hunting in Ocotber as band recovery data revelaed that in October we are shooting solely Maryland breeding black ducks. Banding has also reveleaed that migrant black ducks do not show up in Maryland until after early November so we allow hunting of black ducks when migrant black ducks are in the State mixing with our own. The delay in the black duck season opening ensures that we buffer the impact of hunter harvest on MD breeders." - Maryland DNR

Aaron Hitchins
08-10-2007, 11:25 AM
Wow, that actually makes sense! You would think that cutting the limit down to 1 would reduce the harvest by more than 25%. I personally believe that the Black Ducks problem isn't in overharvest, but by being outcompeted by Mallards, something that I don't see stopping anytime soon.

Aaron

Rusty Hallock
08-10-2007, 12:01 PM
Aaron,



Black ducks limit has been 1 as long as I can remember. Even when we had a 100 point system for duck limits, the black duck duck was a 100 point duck. One and done. There are a lot of facts that affect the black duck population; reduced habitat, mallard/black cross breeding, and competition from invasive species on nesting grounds. I am glad that our limit is one. If it wasn't one, I believe we could adversely affect the black duck population with over harvest. This is just my opinion.