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Friday, May 26, 2006
DEC Announces Tentative 2006-07 Waterfowl Hunting Season
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today announced the tentative schedule
for most of New York's 2006-2007 waterfowl hunting seasons, allowing
sportsmen and sportswomen to plan outdoor activities well in advance.
"By announcing this schedule, we are giving hunters who enjoy
this exciting sport a better opportunity to plan vacations and
activities around the hunting seasons," Commissioner Sheehan said.
"Although the dates won't be finalized until late summer when
federal regulations are official, preliminary indications of waterfowl
populations and habitat conditions suggest that the tentative season
dates will conform with expected federal requirements for the coming
year."
The September Canada goose season opens September 1 in most
areas of the state. Tentative dates for this season are as follows:
Lake Champlain Zone: September 5-September 25
Long Island Zone: September 5-September 30
All other zones: September 1-September 25
The daily bag limit for Canada geese taken during September will
be 8 geese per day, except in the Lake Champlain Zone where it will be 5
geese per day. The September season is designed to increase the harvest
of local-nesting or "resident" Canada geese. Approximately 40,000
birds are taken annually by September goose hunters in New York. Dates
for the regular fall goose hunting seasons, when migratory Canada geese
are present, will be announced in late summer after breeding population
data from northern Canada is evaluated.
The annual Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend will be held in each
zone this fall, providing additional days for junior hunters (ages
12-15) to hunt ducks, geese and brant. This special opportunity is
intended to encourage experienced waterfowl hunters to help teach young
hunters the techniques and ethics of this sport. The junior hunter must
be fully licensed and accompanied by an adult hunter in accordance with
all New York State regulations, and only the junior hunter may take
birds on these days. Tentative dates for Youth Waterfowl hunting
weekends are as follows:
Northeastern and Southeastern Zones: September 23-24
(Saturday-Sunday)
Western Zone: October 8-9
(Sunday-Columbus Day)
Long Island Zone: November 11-12
(Saturday-Sunday)
Regular duck hunting seasons will begin during October in most
zones and continue well into December or January in all areas.
Tentative dates for duck seasons are as follows:
Northeastern Zone: October 7 - October 15 and October 25 -
December 14
Southeastern Zone: October 14 - October 22 and November 11
- December 31
Western Zone: October 21 - December 6 and December 26 -
January 7
Long Island Zone: November 22 - November 26 and December 5
- January 28
The tentative duck hunting season dates were developed by a team
of DEC biologists representing all regions of New York. The season
selections were based on anticipated federal regulations for the coming
year and hunter input. DEC's season-setting team assumed that duck
seasons would again be 60 days in length and that bag limits for most
species would be the same as last year.
In the Western, Northeastern, and Southeastern zones, DEC
adopted dates recommended by three waterfowl hunter task forces. This
approach has helped DEC set seasons in areas where hunter preferences
are diverse. For the Long Island zone, DEC staff relied on hunter input
from correspondence and public meetings held in recent years. No dates
are available at this time for the Lake Champlain Zone because they are
to be determined by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board following a
mid-August public hearing to be held in Burlington, Vermont. The dates
will be based on recommendations received from the Vermont Fish and
Wildlife Department, DEC, and public comments from the hearing.
As soon as the final federal waterfowl hunting regulations are
known, the official State regulations for the 2006-2007 waterfowl
seasons will be posted on DEC's website and announced by a statewide
news release. The regulations will include seasons for Canada geese,
snow geese and brant, which are too uncertain to predict at this time.
Final duck season dates are expected to stay as listed here unless
federal regulations require changes. Hunters should confirm the final
season dates before going afield.
DEC plans to mail a copy of the 2006-2007 regulations brochure
to everyone who registered in New York's Harvest Information Program
(HIP) last year. Copies will also be available in late September
wherever hunting licenses are sold. Hunters must register with HIP for
each state they intend to hunt in and for each hunting season. Hunters
may register for HIP on-line at www.wetland.net or by calling
1-866-GAME-RPT (1-866-426-3778). The HIP website and phone number will
be activated in mid August. HIP provides hunter names and addresses
that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses for harvest surveys and DEC
uses to mail hunters the annual regulations brochure.
For more information about waterfowl in New York, visit the DEC
website: www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/waterfowl/index.html
