Texas Duck Hunting Season Openers - Proposed

If you like duck hunting in Texas, click on the text link below and read this article. Also, get out your duck hunting gear and start making plans. Tenative dates for the upcoming season are listed below.

Texas duck hunters can thank the Hunter’s Choice bag limit experiment for saving them from seeing two considerable changes in duck regulations this coming season.

TEXAS’ PROPOSED 2008-09 WATERFOWL SEASONS
Season dates and bag limits Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials are proposing for the 2008-09 late-season migratory game bird-hunting seasons:

Ducks

• North Zone regular season: Nov. 1-30 and Dec. 13-Jan. 25; youth-only Oct. 25-26.

• South Zone regular season: Nov. 1-30 and Dec. 13-Jan. 25; youth-only Oct. 25-26.

• High Plains regular season: Oct. 25-26 and Oct. 31-Jan. 25; youth-only Oct. 18-19.

• Bag limit: Five ducks per day, to include no more than two scaup, two redheads, two wood ducks and one from the following group of ducks — mallard hen, canvasback, pintail, “dusky” (mottled, black, Mexican-like).

Geese

• Eastern Zone season: Light (snow, blue, Ross) geese, Nov. 1- Jan. 25; white-fronted geese, Nov. 1-Jan. 11; Canada geese, Nov. 1-Jan. 25.

• Bag limit: Light geese, 20 per day; Canada geese, three per day; whitefronts, two per day.

• Light Goose conservation season: Jan. 26-March 9.

• Western Zone season: Light (snow, blue, Ross) and dark (Canada, white-fronted), Nov. 8-Feb. 8.

• Bag limit: Light geese, 20 per day, Canada geese, four per day; whitefronts, one per day.

• Light Goose conservation season: Feb. 9-March 29.

Sandhill cranes

• Zone A season: Nov. 8-Feb. 8.

• Zone B season: Nov. 28-Feb. 8.

• Zone C season: Dec. 20-Jan. 25.

• Bag limits: Three per day for Zones A and B; two per day for Zone C.

Minnesota Duck Hunting Season 2008 Dates and Bag Limits

These are the 2008 Minnesota waterfowl season regulations at the time of printing.
If changes are made there will be an announcement, and the changes will
be available on the DNR Web site:www.mndnr.gov






Minnesota's Duck Hunting Season Dates:

Oct. 4th through Dec. 2nd 2008.

Duck Hunting Bag Limits:

6 ducks daily; may not include more than any combination of the following:

4 mallards (only 1 hen mallard), 2 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 1 black duck, 1 pintail. If not listed up to 6 ducks of a species may be taken. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit.

Scaup bag limit: One scaup daily except from Oct. 25-Nov. 13 when two scaup may be taken daily.

Canvasback closed: No canvasback may be taken.
Coot and moorhen (gallinule) bag limits: Daily bag limit is 15. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit.

Merganser bag limits: Daily bag limit is five, no more than 2 of which may be a hooded merganser. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit.

Minnesota Goose Hunting Season Dates and Bag Limits:

Snow Blue and Ross Geese - Oct. 4 - Dec. 22. Bag Limit 20 combined and possession, 40 combined.
White-Fronted Geese - Oct. 4 - Dec. 22. Bag Limit 1 combined and possession, 2 combined.
Brant Geese - Oct. 4 - Dec. 22. Bag Limit 1 combined and possession, 2 combined.
CANADA GEESE
West-Central zone Oct. 16 - Oct. 19th, Oct. 25 - Nov. 30 bag limit 2 possession limit 4

West zone Oct. 4 - Dec. 2 bag limit 2 possession limit 4
Remainder of state (includes Metro & SE zone) Oct. 4 - Dec. 12 bag limit 2 possession limit 4

SEPTEMBER (EARLY) CANADA GOOSE HUNT Shooting hours are one half hour before sunrise to sunset Southeast zone (map, page 22) Sept. 6 - 22 2 bag limit, 4 possession limit.
Remainder of state (includes all Sept. 6 - 22 5 bag limit, 10 possession limit.
zones not listed above including the northwest goose zone which has been merged with the remainder of the state.)
(The controlled hunting zone at Lac Qui Parle is closed to goose hunting during the September goose season.)

DECEMBER (LATE) Canada Goose Hunt Shooting hours are one half hour before sunrise to sunset.
West central zone (map, page 22) No late goose season
Southeast zone (map, page 22) Dec. 13 - 22 2 4
Remainder of state (includes all Dec. 13 - 22 5 10

Youth Hunt:

On Sept. 20, 2008, waterfowl hunters age 15 and younger, when accompanied by
a non-hunting adult (age 18 and older, no license required) may take ducks, Canada geese, mergansers, coots and moorhens from one-half hour before sunrise to 4 p.m. Motorized decoy restrictions are in effect. Bag limits are the same as the regular duck season. Five Canada geese may be taken, except in the Metro, southeast and northwest goose zones, and Carlos Avery WMA and Swan Lake area (map, page 22-23), where the limit is one. There are no license requirements, except hunters ages 13 to 15 must have a firearms safety certificate in their possession. All other
migratory bird hunting regulations apply.

Special Falconry Season

Dates:

Ducks, coots and moorhens may be taken by falconry from Oct. 4, 2008 to
Jan. 17, 2009.

Geese may be taken by falconry during any open goose season. Woodcock,
rails and snipe may be taken by falconry from Sept. 1 to Dec. 16.
Bag limits and hours:

Three daily combined and six in possession combined.

Falconry hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset, except after Oct.
4, when they are the same as the waterfowl shooting hours.
DUCKS, COOTS, MERGANSERS, MOORHENS (GALLINULES) Oct. 4 - Dec. 2

Shooting Hours:

Shooting hours for ducks and geese are one-half hour before sunrise (except
9 a.m. on Oct. 4) to 4 p.m. through Saturday Oct. 11, and until sunset
thereafter. See youth hunt and early goose season for additional hours.

Colorado Duck Hunting

About 50% of Colorado’s annual statewide duck harvest occurs in 5 counties (Logan, Morgan, Sedgwick, Washington and Weld) along the lower South Platte River corridor in northeastern Colorado. Over 60% of Colorado duck hunters hunt in this area, and a majority of these hunters hunt exclusively or regularly on public lands.

Duck hunting is a major activity which requires management emphasis on 26 State Wildlife Areas (SWAs) and several State Trust Lands (STLs) located in the South Platte corridor from Greeley to the state line. The Colorado Division of Wildlife historically has managed to provide a range of duck hunting opportunities on SWAs along the South Platte corridor.

Some properties have few or no restrictions on hunting beyond the statewide regulations, and the management emphasis is on maximizing hunting opportunity, including Nakagawa SWA, Greasewood Lake STL, Weldon Valley STL, Cottonwood SWA, Messex SWA, Dune Ridge SWA, Knudson SWA, Ford Bridge STL, Duck Creek SWA, Red Lion STL, Sedgwick Bar SWA, Julesburg SWA and Pony Express SWA.

Helpful Information

Below is a collection of helpful information for the Colorado duck hunter:

License Year Change: Beginning April 1, 2009, all annual fishing licenses, senior fishing licenses, small game licenses, furbearer licenses, combination fishing and small game licenses, Colorado waterfowl stamps, habitat stamps and walk-in access permits will be valid from April 1, 2009, through March 31 of the following year. If you bought one of these licenses in 2008, it is valid through March 31, 2009. If you buy one of these licenses after Jan. 1, 2009, it will be valid from the date of purchase through March 31, 2010.

Pacific Flyway Ducks: The canvasback season is closed in this flyway.

The Scaup bag limit has changed. The daily bag limit for ducks and mergansers is 7 in the aggregate. Of these, no more than 2 can be female mallards, 1 pintail, 2 redheads and 2 scaup. No scaup can be taken after Janurary 6.

Light Geese: The daily bag limit is now 10 in the Pacific Flyway.

Ducks
Regular Seasons
Central Flyway – Eastern Plains Zone		Pacific Flyway
1st split	2nd split	1st split	2nd split
10/4/08 – 11/30/08	11/8/08 – 1/25/09	9/27/08 – 10/12/08	10/29/08 – 1/25/09
Central Flyway – Mountain/Foothills Zone
1st Split	2nd Split
10/4/08 – 11/30/08	12/19/08 – 1/25/09
Youth Days
Central Flyway – Eastern Plans	Central Flyway – Mountain/Foothills	Pacific Flyway
9/27/08 & 9/28/08	9/27/08 & 9/28/08	10/18/08 & 10/19/08

2008 Fees

---

	Resident	Non-Resident
Small Game	21.00	56.00
Small Game (One Day)	11.00	11.00
Combination Small Game and Fishing	41.00	-
Military with 60% or more disability	Free	-
Youth Small Game (Under 16)	1.00	1.00
Colorado Waterfowl Stamp	5.00	5.00
Federal Waterfowl Stamp	15.00	15.00
Costs include 25-cent search and rescue fee, and a 75-cent surcharge for the Wildlife Management Public Education Fund.

In the map below, the Pacific Flyway is west of the Continental Divide, and the Central Flyway is east of it.

Iowa Duck Hunting Season Dates and Regulations For 2008-09

Iowa duck hunting season dates and regulations are listed here. Also provided are special seasons and notes to the regulations.

Iowa Waterfowl Season Dates:

Duck Hunting season dates:

Ducks, Mergansers and Coots
Sept. 20 - 24 and Oct. 18 - Dec. 11

Goose Hunting Dates

Canada Geese and Brant

Sept. 27 - Oct. 5, Oct. 18 - Dec. 21, and Dec. 27 - Jan. 11, 2009

White-fronted Geese

Sept. 27 - Dec. 7

Light Geese
Sept. 27 - Jan. 11, 2009 (white and blue phase snow geese and Ross’ geese)

Light Goose Conservation Order
Jan. 12 - April 15, 2009 (white and blue phase snow geese and (additional regulations apply) Ross’ geese)

Woodcock
Oct. 4 - Nov. 17

Snipe
Sept. 6 - Nov. 30

Rails (Sora and Virginia)
Sept. 6 - Nov. 14

Note About Duck and Goose Zones

In contrast to recent years, this year the duck and goose season
dates are not listed by zones. This is because the season dates are
the same in each zone. This happened because of how the 2008
calendar dates aligned with weekends and holidays. The DNR has
not abandoned the duck and goose zones. If it is advantageous to
set the season dates by zones next year, the zones will once again
be used.

Iowa waterfowl regulations:

Shooting Hours: 1/2-hour before sunrise to sunset for all migratory
game bird species except woodcock, which is sunrise to sunset.

Bag Limits

Ducks: Daily limit is 6, including no more than 4 mallards (of
which no more than 2 may be female), 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads,
1 black duck, 1 pintail and 1 scaup, except during November 1-20,
when the daily bag limit for scaup is 2. The canvasbacks season is
closed this year.

Mergansers: Daily limit is 5, including no more than 2 hooded
mergansers.

Coots: Daily limit is 15.

Geese: Daily limit is 2 Canada, 2 white-fronted geese, 1 brant and
20 snow geese, except during the Special September Canada
goose season in the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, and
Cedar Falls/Waterloo Zones when the daily bag limit is 5 Canada
geese.

Woodcock: Daily limit is 3.
Snipe: Daily limit is 8.
Rails (Sora and Virginia): Daily limit is 12.

Possession Limits
Twice the daily bag limit for all the above species except for light
geese for which there is no possession limit.

For further informations, Click Here!

A Diversity of Ducks

Duck hunting is as popular as ever, and as a result the duck is one of North America’s most commonly hunted species. In the US, the most common duck breeds are the mallard, teal, gadwall, and widgeon. Other ducks often hunted across the continent include the northern shoveler, the wood duck, the bufflehead, the ringneck and the bluebill.

The mallard is, according to scientists, the daddy of them all. His striking coloring and distinctive style makes him a favorite for trophy seekers as well. Mallards are omnivorous, eating everything from grains and insects to aquatic plants depending on what’s available. They make their homes near ponds, lakes and marshes as well as in ditches and urban water features.

The bluebill is also frequently the subject of duck hunting envy. Personally, it's my favorite bird. Given how exotic the bird's blue beak is, it's another potentially special duck hunting trophy. The bluebills themselves are quite rare, being most commonly found near Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

Whatever the duck hunter's target, though, the birds' behaviors are bound to be similar. So, the best advice is to practice your calling techniques, dust off your decoys and find the best blind location you can. Be patient, think safe and take care of your bird dog while you’re waiting - the rewards are there for the taking.

For those duck hunters who might not be as experienced with the less common species of duck, the bluebill, ringneck, and bufflehead are pictured below (in that order).