2012-2013 Waterfowl Hunting Seasons Announced

Annapolis, Md. (August 30, 2012) ─  The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has reviewed public input and finalized the State’s 2012-2013 late waterfowl hunting seasons.

“As always, public input helps guide our decisions,” said Paul Peditto, director of DNR’s Wildlife and Heritage Service. “The individuals who took the time to attend our public meeting or provide comments through our online forum should be commended.”

DNR established waterfowl hunting seasons within federal framework after reviewing public input and consulting with members of the Wildlife Advisory Commission and Maryland Migratory Game Bird Advisory Committee.

Featured 2012-2013 hunting opportunities:

Duck Season will be 60 days in three segments: October 13-20, November 10-23, and December 11-January 26. The daily bag limit is six per day.

“Open-water diving duck hunting has the potential to be very good this year,” said Larry Hindman, DNR’s waterfowl project leader. “Breeding populations of diving ducks such as scaup, canvasbacks, and redheads are high and the increase in the scaup daily bag limit to four per day will create more hunting opportunity.”

The continental scaup breeding population estimate increased for the seventh straight year reaching 5.2 million this spring, a 21 percent increase above last year’s estimate.

Atlantic Population (AP) Canada geese Season has increased from 45 to 50 days and is split in two segments: November 17-23 and December 11-January 30. The daily bag limit is two per day.

The 2012 spring breeding pair survey of AP Canada geese totaled 190,300 pairs, similar to the 2011 index of 216,000 pairs.

"Despite average habitat and weather conditions on key AP goose breeding areas, banding crews recently reported that gosling production was above average along the Hudson Bay coast,” said Hindman. “This represents a meaningful improvement over the poor conditions of 2011.”

National Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days will be held on November 3, 2012 and February 9, 2013.

Participating youth hunters must be 15 years old or younger and must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old who possesses a current Maryland hunting license or is exempt from the hunting license requirement. The adult accompanying the youth hunter(s) may not possess a hunting weapon and may not participate in other seasons that are open on the youth waterfowl hunting days.
All migratory game bird hunters, including landowners who are license-exempt, are required to purchase the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp/HIP Permit. All waterfowl hunters ages 16 and over must possess the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (federal duck stamp). Hunting licenses and stamps may be purchased online at dnr.maryland.gov/service/license.asp or by phone at 1-800-918-2870. These services complement the hundreds of retail vendors currently selling licenses, permits and stamps.

The 2012-2013 late waterfowl season dates and bag limits will be published in the annual migratory game bird season synopsis and distributed to DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service offices and sport license agents in mid-September. More information on the 2012-2013 waterfowl hunting seasons is available at dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide/lwfchart.asp.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages nearly one-half million acres of public lands and 17,000 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. 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