Wisconsin’s 60-day duck season will open Sept. 29 in north, south zones; long-standing Horicon Marsh goose zone eliminated

Wisconsin waterfowl hunters will see some major changes in the 2018 seasons.

The Natural Resources Board approved the seasons that include:

• A uniform statewide opening of the duck hunting season on Saturday, Sept. 29.
• Elimination of the Horicon goose zone.
• A Canada goose season in the south zone that includes three split sub-seasons.  The season in the south will be open from Sept. 16 through Oct. 7, Oct. 13 through Dec. 2, and Dec. 16 through Jan. 3. This is an attempt to give students and other hunters an opportunity to hunt geese during the holidays.
• The Canada goose season in the north is open Sept. 16 through Dec. 16.
• A daily bag limit of three Canada geese.
• The early Canada goose season is Sept. 1-15.
• An early teal season that will be open from sunrise to sunset from Sept. 1-7.

The 60-day duck season will be open from Sept. 29 through Nov. 27 in the north zone.

In the south zone, the season is open from Sept. 29 to Oct. 7, then closed for five days, and reopening Oct. 13 through Dec. 2.

In the Mississippi River zone, the season is open from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5, followed by a seven-day closure, reopening Oct. 13 through Dec. 4.

The daily bag limit is six ducks, including no more than:  four mallards (of which only one may be a hen), three wood ducks, three scaup, two pintail, two redheads, two canvasback, and one black duck.

The youth hunt is Sept. 15-16.

Mourning dove season is Sept. 1 through Nov. 29 (15 doves per day) and woodcock season is Sept. 22 through Nov. 5 (three per day).

The seasons, proposed by the Department of Natural Resources, received support from the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association (WWA), Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, and Conservation Congress.

Also, Don Kirby, of WWA, asked the board and DNR to speed up filling the vacant DNR waterfowl research position.