2022-2023 western zone waterfowl season

[thejigger]

We had our task force meeting last night and here are the proposed season dates:

Duck-Oct 15 thru Nov 6,Nov 26 thru Jan 1

Youth-Oct 1 & 2

Veteran-Nov 11 & 12

2 scaup season-Dec 13 thru Jan 1

brant - Oct 1 thru Nov 19

Western goose-Oct 22 thru Nov 6

Dec 19 thru Jan 1

South goose-Oct 22 thru Nov 18

Nov 26 thru Jan 16

Western limit is still 1 bird, south is 5

AP goose population are trending the right way for a possible increased bag limit next year, staying at 30 days. Banding and counts should take place this year in Canada. GPS telemetry will follow 450 AP geese which could possibly result in a season targeting resident geese in January. A GPS study of up to 1,100 hen mallards monitoring reproduction, breeding, survival, migration and productivity of hatches is taking place.

They are updating contamination levels in waterfowl seeing the levels that have been used were established in the early 90's.

This will be year #4 of 5 years of duck season dates and the expectation is to review new data and establish a possible new set of dates to run another 5 years after next year. Bag limits are the same except for sea ducks, 4 total, and hooded mergansers, 6 total.

 

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[Roys Boys]

Can you propose a season that runs till mid January for ducks in the western zone? Seems like everyone Has been wondering why they won’t 

[thejigger]

Yes. There was a season proposed like that, along with 9 others, during the new season setting process that was implemented 3 years ago. There will be another  one proposed during the next process in 2 years.

[longspurs]

I thought a couple years ago ( 4) when this was all going down at the meeting they said our reproductive numbers in the States are not good?

Now all this Canada stuff is what we're going to base it off of GPS birds in canada ? I could see more birds in new York and pa being GPS trackers on to see where these birds are going and reproduction and breeding because those are the ones we are losing the breeding pairs too correct??? Those are the ones we're concerned about?
SMH

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[thejigger]

The 1,100 GPS units are being placed on hen mallards across the Atlantic flyway. 

[dawsonscreek]

Any chance the March goose season may return to the Southern Zone in the future? I miss that season more than anything!

[thejigger]

Unfortunately the federal guidelines were changed, ending the season that ran into March. I would be surprised if that was change again, allowing us to hunt into March, but you never know.

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[troutman10]

I second the mid January end date as Roys requested.  

[schreckstoff]

Thejigger I appreciate you posting the info.

 

I forget the rationale for the western zone changes that happened a few years ago but I can say I definitely prefer the longer into Jan season 

[Roybee]

The seasons need to change.

It would be nice to go a little later in the north and get a chance to hunt some ice on the St Lawrence river. I always wondered why the split in the north is 5 days. With a work week the brids really get no break. Why not close it 2 or 3 weeks and get us into Christmas? My dad hunts on wolf Island and can hunt into January if he wants to.

The late season west is a joke. There are parts of the season last year where I didn't even need to keep my jacket on. Yes there were some cold days where there were a few birds. But anyone who has been to the finger lakes when the boat ramps are froze knows what it should be like .

I live for the late last season and I find it tiresome to keep going out there and doing what I love because it's not worth it. It was warm in Central New York until literally the day the duck season ended. After that there were ducks everywhere.

My hunting friends and I were talking. We are willing to drive two and a half hours to be somewhere by 4:30 in the morning but we won't go to a meeting. I feel like a lot of duck hunters are in the same position. We need to be at these meetings and need to make our voices heard.

Anyone who loves duck hunting and has a passion would agree the seasons are messed up. Just think of all those mornings sitting in the blind and not seeing anything close to what we should be. It comes up all the time when it's 50° in December.

I feel it's the high rent marshes/feilds in the western zone that are throwing their power/money (we call them LL bean hunters) around so they can hunt their flooded fields/marsh and not get frozen out.

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[troutman10]

47 minutes ago, Roybee said:

The seasons need to change.

It would be nice to go a little later in the north and get a chance to hunt some ice on the St Lawrence river. I always wondered why the split in the north is 5 days. With a work week the brids really get no break. Why not close it 2 or 3 weeks and get us into Christmas? My dad hunts on wolf Island and can hunt into January if he wants to.

The late season west is a joke. There are parts of the season last year where I didn't even need to keep my jacket on. Yes there were some cold days where there were a few birds. But anyone who has been to the finger lakes when the boat ramps are froze knows what it should be like .

I live for the late last season and I find it tiresome to keep going out there and doing what I love because it's not worth it. It was warm in Central New York until literally the day the duck season ended. After that there were ducks everywhere.

My hunting friends and I were talking. We are willing to drive two and a half hours to be somewhere by 4:30 in the morning but we won't go to a meeting. I feel like a lot of duck hunters are in the same position. We need to be at these meetings and need to make our voices heard.

Anyone who loves duck hunting and has a passion would agree the seasons are messed up. Just think of all those mornings sitting in the blind and not seeing anything close to what we should be. It comes up all the time when it's 50° in December.

I feel it's the high rent marshes/feilds in the western zone that are throwing their power/money (we call them LL bean hunters) around so they can hunt their flooded fields/marsh and not get frozen out.

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Nail on the head

[Frogger]

X3

[zarogers1]

They need to make goose season run longer right after it ends there always is a ton of birds near me