DNR Announces Canada Goose Hunting Dates At Wye Island N.R.M.A.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

DNR Announces Canada Goose Hunting Dates At Wye Island N.R.M.A.
QUEENSTOWN – Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the dates for waterfowl hunting for Migratory AP (Atlantic Population) Canada goose at Wye Island Natural Resources Management Area (N.R.M.A.). As in the past, all hunts will be by permit only.

This year’s dates for migratory AP Canada goose hunts are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from Dec.17, 2005, through Jan. 28, 2006. Saturday, Dec. 24, 2005, is excluded. All goose hunting permits will be issued through a lottery drawing. Goose hunting applications must be received at Wye Island by the close of business, 4:30 p.m., on Oct. 21. Permits will be selected by random drawing on Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. Results of the drawing will not be given out over the telephone.

To receive an application for a permit, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Wye Island N.R.M.A., 632 Wye Island Road, Queenstown, MD 21658. Applications can also be downloaded from the DNR website at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/wyenrmapermit.pdf.
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Only one application can be submitted per hunter.

Once an application is complete, it should be mailed along with a $10.00 check or money order (non-refundable service charge) and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the N.R.M.A. address above. The $10.00 service charge must accompany each goose hunt application.

Hunting hours will be one half-hour before sunrise until 1 p.m. with the check-in station opening at 5:30 a.m. Check-in is required by 6:30 a.m. After 6:30 a.m., the pit will be reassigned by lottery. The goose pit will be assigned at the check-in station and hunters must hunt only from their assigned pit. There will only be four blinds or pits assigned per day. If a hunter is selected through the lottery for a Canada goose hunt, then a $40 service charge is due at check-in for the pit on the day of the hunt. Hunters must check-out at the check-in station by 2 p.m.

Canada Geese harvested at Wye Island will be considered part of the daily and season bag limit. Consult the Guide to Hunting and Trapping in Maryland 2005-06 for details. Hunting parties are limited to four (4) hunters maximum.

The Maryland Park Service reminds hunters to drive and park in designated areas only. These areas will be posted. A permit must be displayed on the vehicle’s dashboard in open view and is valid for one day only. Weather and ground conditions may dictate that hunters will have to be prepared to walk and haul all gear to the blind/pit. Hand drawn carts, wheelbarrows and skid sleds are permissible.

Each hunter will be limited to 15 shotgun shells of the non-toxic shot type only. 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.

Wye Island NRMA has two handicapped accessible waterfowl blinds that were donated to DNR through a Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout projects. The new blinds meet specifications for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and will expand services offered to persons with mobility impairments. To utilize the blind for the 2005-06 Canada Goose Season, a waterfowl hunter with mobility impairment may call Wye Island NRMA at (410) 827-7577 and make a reservation. For more information about hunting opportunities for persons with mobility impairments see DNR’s website at www.dnr.state.md.us/accessforall.
August 29, 2005
The 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