New Waterfowl Regulations-Central Flyway

[Catdaddy]

It's called Hunter's Choice and will be used in 5 states this year as a pilot program.


May 30, 2006

Hunter’s Choice Bag Tops List of Migratory Bird Proposals
AUSTIN, Texas — Pending U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision in July, Texas duck hunters could get a “partial-mulligan” on their duck straps during the next three seasons.

A Central Flyway experimental bag configuration would create the “Hunter’s Choice” that would help eliminate the confusing season-within-a-season framework for less abundant bird species such as pintail and canvasbacks. If implemented by the Service the bag limit drops from 6 to 5 birds overall.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced the potential option as part of proposed changes to the migratory game bird hunting regulations for 2006-07.

The “Hunter’s Choice” proposal would allow hunters to shoot five ducks daily in one of two categories. In the "aggregate category" of less abundant ducks, one of those birds could be either a pintail, or a canvasback, or a “dusky duck” (mottled, black duck or Mexican-like duck) or a hen mallard.

Including hen mallards in the category would create a buffer to help reduce the harvest of the less-abundant pintails and canvasbacks.

“If this experiment works well, it could help us preserve season long hunting opportunities with other stocks of ducks that get down low, like scaup,” said Vernon Bevill, TPWD migratory game bird program director.

The proposal would make the regulations less complex and eliminate the risk of hunters accidentally shooting a pintail or canvasback during the closed portions of the duck season, since the season-within-a-season takes place only during the last 39-days of the regular duck season.

“They could shoot that first duck without fear of violating the regulations all season long,” Bevill noted.

Within the Central Flyway, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Texas and Kansas would offer the Hunter's Choice limits in the trial. Harvest results would be compared to the five states in the flyway not participating in the experiment.

[rollinriver]

I've been reading about this proposal since last season and personally I don't like it. And I also don't understand how anyone could call the sis system confusing. I'm all for dropping the total limit but I don't think this is the way. They say it's supposed to keep people from shooting misidentified ducks when they are out of season. Well, answer me this. If you can't ID a duck using the sis method then what makes them think that you will be able to ID a duck with the HC method. I think there will be a lot of early season hens mud stuffed in the northern part of the flyway. I don't know, I could be totally wrong on this. Time will tell if this does ecrease the number of mis ID'd ducks killed and lowers total harvests on species in peril, I just don't see it.