Michigan duck
hunters can look forward to a 60-day season this
year. That's the likely outcome once the 2008
waterfowl regulations get the final nod next week
from the state's Natural Resources Commission.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the
60-day season and six duck bag limit late last week.
That framed recommendations developed last weekend
by the state's Citizens Waterfowl Advisory
Committee, which were endorsed by the DNR.
The recommendations call for some expected and some
surprising changes.
"One of the big surprise for the department was the
Oct. 4 opener for the Upper Peninsula," said Barb
Avers, the DNR's waterfowl specialist. "We had not
anticipated they would want a later UP opener.
"Last year it was Sept. 29. The UP representative to
the advisory committee said the birds were migrating
through a little later."
Duck season openers were pushed back in all three
hunting zones to better match the timing of the
southern migratory flights. The Middle Zone
(northern Lower Peninsula) will open Oct. 4 while
the South Zone (southern Michigan) will open Oct.
11.
A decision by the FWS to close the canvasback season
was expected. Canvasback numbers dropped 44 percent
from 2007, and remain 27 percent below the long-term
population average.
Wood duck bag increases
Wood ducks, on the other hand, are increasing in the
Atlantic, Mississippi and Central flyways. The daily
bag for woodies was raised accordingly, from two
birds a day to three.
Scaup are another story. Expect a more complex bag
scenario. Scaup populations were up 8 percent over
their 2007 numbers, but were 27 percent below their
long-term average.
The Feds chose to implement a two-tier bag limit. On
20 consecutive days during the 60-day season,
hunters can kill two scaup per day. During the
remaining 40, they will be able to kill only one.
"Although the population estimate was similar to
last year, the Feds felt it was time to implement a
more restrictive package," Avers said.
Although mallard and pintail populations are also
down, no changes were proposed. Hunters will still
be able to take one pintail per day along with four
mallards, one of which can be a hen. The FWS allows
hunters to take two hens a day, but Michigan hunters
can only take one. The state has imposed a more
restrictive limit for years in order to protect
breeding mallards here, which are in decline.
Goose hunters will also see some changes. You may
recall that the daily bag for the early goose season
was raised from three to five geese earlier this
year.
But Michigan wildlife officials have also wanted to
simplify Michigan's goose hunting regulations. They
hoped to do away with the special zones and seasons
for select migrants and manage Michigan's goose
population more holistically.
That is just what the FWS approved. Michigan will no
longer have a special season for the Mississippi
Valley population on the west side of the state and
a different Southern James Bay population season on
the east side of the state. Seasons, by the way,
that were variable in length.
Michigan's regular goose season will be 45 days long
in all zones and the hunting zones will be the same
as duck hunting zones. There will be a North, Middle
and South Zone.
There will also be more overlap with the duck
hunting season dates, something hunters have
requested.
"Being able to align the goose and duck zones in the
middle and south means having the same days as the
duck season and maximizing the overlap of duck and
goose hunting," Avers said.
Which, for hunters, is good news.
Final regulations will be posted online at the DNR
website once the NRC gives its final approval. Print
copies should be at hunting license dealers by Sept.
1, according to Avers. |
