The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Monday announced the dates for the 2010-2011 migratory bird hunting seasons, which include seasons for hunting ducks, geese, woodcock, snipe, and rails. Specific details on season dates, bag limits, regulations, and other reminders are published in the 2010-2011 Migratory Bird Hunting Guide, which will be available from DEP and town clerk offices by early September. The guide also may be found on the DEP’s Web site at www.ct.gov/dep/hunting.
September Canada Goose Season:
The September Canada goose season will be held in the North Zone (portion of the state north of Interstate 95) from September 1-3 and September 7-30, 2010. The season in the South Zone (portion of the state south of Interstate 95) will run from September 15-30, 2010. The daily bag limit remains at 15 geese. The September goose season provides the opportunity to harvest resident Canada geese that breed and spend the majority of their lives in Connecticut. The season is scheduled at a time when most migrant geese have not yet entered the state. Connecticut’s growing resident goose population continues to cause substantial nuisance problems. The September season affords the opportunity to harvest these birds.
Ducks, Mergansers, and Coots:
Bag limits for some species have been changed for the 2010-2011 season. The daily bag limit has been increased to two for pintail and raised to 25 for snow geese.
The North Zone early duck season opens October 15 and runs through October 26, 2010. The South Zone early season opens October 15 and runs through October 20, 2010. The late North Zone season will be November 11, 2010, through January 7, 2011. The late South Zone season will be November 20, 2009, through January 22, 2011.
The sea duck season in the coastal areas and streams seaward of the first upstream bridge has been set for September 21, 2010, to January 22, 2011. Due to continued concern over the status of sea duck populations and increasing hunting pressure, the total sea duck bag limit remains at five.
The Atlantic brant season will be from November 11, 2010 through January 7, 2011in the North Zone and November 26, 2010 through January 22, 2011 in the South Zone with a two-bird daily bag limit. The midwinter count for brant was 137,000, a decline from the previous year, and a conservative season was called for in the Atlantic Brant Management Plan.
Legal shooting hours for all waterfowl hunting (except for the September Canada goose season) are from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. The September Canada goose season legal shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.
The DEP Wildlife Division’s Migratory Gamebird Program is collecting scaup, mergansers, and Atlantic brant for avian influenza testing. Hunters who are willing to donate fresh birds (within 24 hours of harvest) should contact the Migratory Gamebird Program at 860-642-7239 (Monday through Friday, from 8:30 AM-4:30 PM). Arrangements will be made to get carcasses from hunters.
Regular and Late Canada Goose Seasons:
The North Atlantic Population (NAP) Canada goose hunt zone was split into two zones, the NAP L-Unit and the NAP H-Unit, in 2002. These zones were created to exert more harvest pressure on resident geese in areas where nuisance problems persist. These zones were changed for the 2008-2009 hunting season to account for changes in distribution of migrant and resident Canada geese. The NAP L-Unit was removed, and a new zone, the Atlantic Flyway Resident Population (AFRP) zone, was created. The same units are in place for the 2010-2011 season. The descriptions of the AFRP, NAP H-Unit, and AP (Atlantic Population) Unit are as follows:
AP Unit: Litchfield County and the portion of Hartford County, west of a line beginning at the Massachusetts border in Suffield and extending south along Route 159 to its intersection with Interstate 91 in Hartford, and then extending south along Interstate 91 to its intersection with the Hartford/Middlesex County line.
AFRP Unit: Starting at the intersection of Interstate 95 and the Quinnipiac River excluding the east shore, north on the Quinnipiac River to its intersection with Interstate 91, north on Interstate 91 to Interstate 691, west on Interstate 691 to the Hartford County line, and encompassing the rest of New Haven County and Fairfield County in its entirety.
NAP H-Unit: All of the rest of the state not included in the AP or AFRP descriptions above.
The AFRP unit will have an 80-day season with a five-bird daily bag limit. The NAP H-Unit will have a 60-day season with a two-bird bag limit. The NAP breeding population was still below the 2001-2005 average, which precluded a liberalization of the season in 2010-2011.
The regular goose season in the AFRP Unit will be divided into three periods. The first period will run from October 15-26, 2010. The second period will run from November 22-27, 2010. The final period will run from December 1, 2010 to February 11, 2011. In the NAP H-Unit, the regular goose season, in both the North and South Zones, will be divided in two. The first period will run from October 1-16, 2010, while the second will run from November 24, 2010, to January 15, 2011.
The 45 day season in the AP Unit will be divided into two periods. The first period will run from November 1-6, 2010, while the second will run from November 25, 2010, to January 8, 2011. The daily bag limit will be three geese. There is some concern about the Atlantic Population. The number of breeding pairs has been declining for four years, as has the total population estimate. A more restrictive approach to harvest management may be warranted in the near future.
Sportsmen also will have the opportunity to harvest resident Canada geese during the special late season (in the South Zone only) from January 17 through February 11, 2011. The bag limit during the late season is five geese, and no special permit is required for this season. Hunters are urged to read the goose zone descriptions. The AFRP zone contains part of the old South Zone (west of the Quinnipiac River), and the AFRP zone is open to goose hunting in January and February.
The dates for the snow goose season in the North Zone are October 1, 2010, to January 15, 2011, and from February 22-March 10, 2011. In the South Zone, the snow goose season will run from October 1 to November 30, 2010, and then from January 6 to March 10, 2011.
Youth Waterfowl Hunting Training Days:
Connecticut will hold two Youth Waterfowl Hunting Training Days on Saturday, October 9, and Monday, October 11, 2010. Participants must be 15 years of age or younger, possess a valid junior small game hunting license and a HIP permit, and be accompanied by an adult at least 18 years of age. Adults must possess a valid hunting license; however, they are not allowed to hunt waterfowl. Ducks, geese, mergansers, and coots may be hunted. Bag limits and shooting hours are the same as for the regular duck and goose hunting seasons.
Woodcock, Snipe, and Rail Seasons:
Opening day for woodcock and snipe hunting will be November 1 and the season will run until November 30, 2010. The rail season will be divided into two periods. The first period is from September 1-3, 2010, and the second is from September 7 to November 11, 2010. Bag limits for the 2010 season are the same as last year: daily limit - three, and possession limit - six.
A Few Reminders:
All waterfowl hunters are reminded that, in addition to obtaining a hunting license, they are required to obtain an annual Harvest Information Program (HIP) permit. Waterfowl hunters 16 years of age or older also are required to purchase a federal Duck Stamp and a Connecticut Duck Stamp. Federal Duck Stamps are available from many local post offices for $15.00. State Duck Stamps ($13.00) and HIP permits ($4.00) can be purchased at all Connecticut town clerks’ offices and online at www.ct.gov/dep/sportsmenlicensing. A HIP permit also is required to hunt woodcock, snipe, coot, and rails. To accommodate changes made by the State Legislature to the Connecticut Duck Stamp, the DEP will issue a 2010-2011 Duck Stamp with hunting privileges that begin on July 1, 2010, and end on December 31, 2011. Beginning in January 2012, the annual Duck Stamp will be valid for the calendar year (January 1-December 31). Along with the purchase of a duck stamp, an additional $2.00 donation can be made to the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.
Hunters are reminded to please report waterfowl bands. Band return information provides vital information for the continued sound management of the waterfowl resource. Reports of waterfowl bands can be made to: Min Huang, Franklin Wildlife, 860-642-7239 or min.huang@ct.gov
