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Maryland Late Waterfowl Hunting Seasons Announced
Atlantic Population Goose Season to Include 2-Bird Daily Bag Limit
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul A. Peditto today announced the final 2005-2006 late waterfowl hunting seasons for Maryland. Featured in this year’s waterfowl hunting seasons is a 45-day season for migratory Atlantic Population (AP) Canada geese. The AP goose season will be split into two parts, running from Nov. 17 to Nov. 25 and then from Dec. 17 to Jan. 28. The daily bag limit will be two geese per day.“As always, public input helped guide our decisions. The individuals who took the time to attend our public meeting and provide feedback should be commended,” said Peditto. ”Our selections this year will provide waterfowl hunters a variety of great opportunities afield.”
Maryland selected a 60-day duck season that will be held from Oct. 8 to Oct. 15, Nov. 12 - Nov. 25, and Dec. 13 to Jan. 28. The daily bag limit will be five ducks. In addition to the basic five-duck daily bag limit, hunters may take one additional teal (blue-winged or green-winged) during any of the three split seasons. The Maryland Wildlife Advisory Commission recommended against the original 6-duck bag limit proposal and the Department accepted the Commission’s recommendation.
“While the biological implications of this issue were negligible, the Commission urged the Department to remain conservative and keep the 5-duck limit in place,” Peditto said. ”With mixed hunter opinion on this question we concluded that it was appropriate to adopt the Commission’s recommendation and applaud them for their conservation-minded approach.”
The scaup daily bag limit was reduced from three to two because the continental population, now at 3.3 million, is 27 percent below the long-term average. Also new this year, mergansers will be included as part of the regular five-duck daily bag limit, a step taken to simplify duck hunting regulations for hunters and law enforcement officers. Thus, mergansers may no longer be taken in addition to the regular duck daily bag limit.
As in past years, black ducks may not be taken during the first split of the duck season (Oct. 8 to Oct. 15) to provide protection to the local breeding population. Black ducks may be taken only during the last two splits of the regular duck hunting season when northern-breeding black ducks have arrived in the Chesapeake Region and have mixed with local birds.
This year’s duck hunting season will also include an opportunity for waterfowl hunters to harvest canvasbacks. The 30-day canvasback season will open Dec. 26 and run through Jan. 28. Hunters may take one canvasback as part of their five-duck regular daily bag limit. Each year Maryland hunters take about 5 percent of the total canvasback harvest nationwide.
This year Maryland will observe National Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day on Nov. 5. Hunters age 15 and younger accompanied by an unarmed adult age 21 or older may take ducks, coots, mergansers, snow geese, brant, and two Canada geese on this day.
The 2005-2006 late waterfowl season dates and bag limits will be published in the annual migratory game bird season synopsis that will be distributed to DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service offices and sport license agents in mid-September. The information is also available by accessing the Maryland DNR Web site at http://www.dnr.state.md.us.
All migratory game bird hunters, including landowners who are license exempt, are required to obtain the HIP (Harvest Information Program) permit and the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp.
Migratory bird hunters are no longer required to sign and attach the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp to their hunting license. However, hunters must now possess the printed receipt showing proof of purchase of the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp while hunting migratory game birds.
All waterfowl hunters age 16 and over must also possess the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (federal duck stamp). Hunters are still required to sign and affix the federal duck stamp to their hunting license. Hunters may obtain federal duck stamps at U.S. Post Offices, National Wildlife Refuges, and some DNR sport license agents.
Waterfowl hunters are reminded that nontoxic shot is required for hunting waterfowl and coots. Hunters may not possess or use nontoxic shotshells containing shot larger than size No. T or use or possess any lead shotshells while waterfowl hunting. Approved types of nontoxic shot and other information on migratory game bird hunting are listed in the 2005-2006 Guide to Hunting and Trapping in Maryland or on DNR’s website at. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/index.asp
Hunters are encouraged to report banded migratory game birds by calling toll-free 1-800-327-BAND (2263). Banded birds can also be reported online at: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl.
The accompanying table lists the 2005-2006 Maryland Late Waterfowl Seasons and Bag Limits submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A full chart of the proposed seasons can be found at the DNR Web site: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/lwfchart.asp
2005-2006 WATERFOWL SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS
DUCKS, COOTS, and MERGANSERS
Season Dates:
Oct. 8 - Oct. 15
Nov. 12 - Nov. 25
Dec. 13 - Jan. 28
Black Duck
Nov. 12 - Nov. 25
Dec. 13 - Jan. 28
Canvasback
Dec. 26 - Jan. 28
Duck Daily Bag and Possession Limits: 5 ducks (including mergansers) per day which may include no more than: 4 mallards (max. 2 hen mallards), 4 scoters, 2 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 scaup, 1 pintail, 1 hooded merganser, 1 fulvous tree duck, 1 mottled duck, 1 black duck (during black duck season), and 1 canvasback (during canvasback season). No open season on harlequin ducks. During all three duck season splits, hunters may take 1 additional teal (blue-winged or green-winged teal). The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit. In addition to the duck bag limit hunters may take 15 coots per day.
SEA DUCKS (Scoters, Long-tailed Duck, and Eiders)
Season Dates and
Daily Bag Limit in
Sea Duck ZoneOct. 1 - Jan. 28
5 (no more than 4 scoters)
ATLANTIC POPULATION (AP) CANADA GOOSE
Season Dates and
Daily Bag LimitNov. 17 - Nov. 25
Dec. 17 - Jan. 282 per day
AP Hunt Zone: Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Annes, Somerset, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties; that portion of Baltimore County north of Route 138, Route 137, and Mount Carmel Road; that portion of Carroll County north of Route 88, east of Route 30 from the intersection of Route 30 and Route 88 to the intersection of Route 30 and Route 482, north of Route 482, north of Route 27 from the intersection of Route 27 and Route 482 to the intersection of Route 27 and Route 97, and east of Route 97 from the intersection of Route 27 and Route 97 to the Pennsylvania line; that portion of Anne Arundel County east of Interstate 895, Interstate 97, and Route 3; that portion of Prince Georges County east of Routes 3 and 301, and that portion of Charles County east of Route 301 to the VA state line.
RESIDENT POPULATION (RP) CANADA GOOSE
Season Dates and
Daily Bag LimitNov. 15 - Nov. 25
Dec. 8 - Feb. 155 per day
RP Hunt Zone: Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick, Howard, and Montgomery; that portion of Baltimore County south of Route 138, Route 137, and Mount Carmel Road; that portion of Anne Arundel County west of Interstate 895, Interstate 97 and Route 3; that portion of Prince George’s County west of Route 3 and Route 301, that portion of Charles County west of Route 301 to the Virginia State line; and that portion of Carroll County south of Route 88, west of Route 30 from the intersection of Route 30 and Route 88 to the intersection of Route 30 and Route 482, south of Route 482, south of Route 27 from the intersection of Route 27 and Route 482 to the intersection of Route 27 and Route 97, and west of Route 97 from the intersection of Route 27 and Route 97 to the Pennsylvania line.
ATLANTIC BRANT
Season Dates and
Daily Bag LimitDec. 26 - Jan. 28
2 per day
SNOW GEESE
Season Dates and
Daily Bag LimitOct. 15 - Nov. 25
Nov. 28 - Jan. 31
Feb. 1 – Feb. 25*15 per day, no possession limit
Note*: Season only open on Mon., Wed., Fri., and Sat. after Jan. 31.
August 26, 2005The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 446,000 acres of public lands and 18,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov