The North Dakota Game and Fish Department's annual spring breeding duck survey showed an index of more than 4.1 million birds, down slightly (-9 percent) from last year but 85 percent above the long-term average (1948-2010). The 2011 index is the ninth highest on record. Wigeon (+15 percent), blue-winged teal (+12 percent) and pintails (+4 percent and the highest since…
Agricultural and hunting leases up for competitive public bid summer 2011 Hunting and agricultural leases on the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area will be open for competitive public bid in mid-summer 2011, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). Nearly 35,000 acres of the 71,000-acre property will be available as existing leases expire. "While we are very…
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota hunters will be heading out on a different opening date for the 2011 if a proposal from the Game, Fish and Parks Commission passes. The Commission proposal would change the hunting season start date from "the Saturday closest to September 7" to "the first Saturday of September." In 2011 those season dates would be Sept….
More than 500 Canada geese may soon be sporting new hardware as part of an urban goose study conducted this month by Fish and Game in partnership with Boise Parks and Recreation. The banding project is scheduled to begin Friday, June 10, in Ann Morrison or Julia Davis Parks; banding efforts will continue the following Monday and Tuesday, June 13…
LITTLE ROCK – Hunters can voice their opinions about the upcoming Arkansas waterfowl hunting regulations and seasons at one of six public meetings to be held around the state on Tuesday, June 7. These meetings are part of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's hunting regulation setting process. They will be held to give hunters and other interested parties the…
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hosting a public meeting on June 7 to discuss proposed changes to the waterfowl and spring turkey hunting seasons. The proposed amendments to the waterfowl rules are annual adjustments to the season dates to comply with federal regulations and to ensure the season is open on weekends. There is also a proposed change…
DNR has planned a handful of public meetings to discuss duck and goose seasons with the state's hunters and provide information on proposed duck zones and season date options for the next five-year period, as well as aerial waterfowl surveys, weather and freeze-up data, and hunter survey data. According to a statement by DNR, those attending the open houses will…
Springfield – Random drawings for waterfowl blind sites at several public hunting areas in Illinois will be held this summer. The schedule for 2011 blind drawings is: SUNDAY, JUNE 5 n Horseshoe Lake State Park, Madison County: registration 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. n Mississippi River Area (Pools 25 and 26): Glades/12 mile, Fuller Lake, Helmbold Slough, and Piasa Island:…
Bemidji, Minn. – The final tally of the state's nesting goose population isn't available yet, but Dave Rave says things look good. Perhaps not as good as last year, but good nonetheless. "Last year was just phenomenal," said Rave, the DNR's goose specialist in Bemidji. "This year is going to be good – I don't see any reason why it…
The winning design for California's 2011 Duck Stamp will be selected at a judging event on May 27 on the West Steps of the Capitol. Sixteen talented artists from around the country submitted their original art for consideration for the stamp. In past years, California waterfowl hunters were required to purchase the stamp and affix it to their licenses. This…
After reviewing extensive feedback from thousands of waterfowl hunters collected through mail-in surveys, annual spring hearings and a waterfowl hunters' conference, wildlife officials are retooling proposed changes in waterfowl hunting zones and dates for 2011 and beyond. The Natural Resources Board will be asked to make a final decision on season structures at its August 9-10 meeting in Sauk City….
Springfield – Will 2011 finally be the year of the "fourth zone?" Duck hunters in Illinois have been clamoring for a fourth duck hunting zone for a generation – and things are looking up. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reviews the zones every five years. For the past three or four cycles, the state of Illinois has submitted a…
Madison – The 2011 annual DNR and Conservation Congress spring hearings yielded a number of surprises, not the least of which was the rejection of a three-zone waterfowl proposal. Some spring hearing watchers also were surprised that attendance was up about 28 percent statewide from last year – 5,575 in 2011, compared with 4,360 in 2010. The increase might relate…
A pair of ringneck ducks was selected to appear on the 2011-2012 Federal Junior Duck Stamp, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The design for the new stamp, painted by 17-year-old Abraham Hunter of Vienna, Ill., was chosen by a panel of judges at the national Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest, held at the John Heinz National Wildlife…
DENVER — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is accepting public comment through May 15 on proposed changes to the guidelines that the Colorado Wildlife Commission must use to set duck hunting season zones and split seasons from 2011 to 2015. Colorado and other states have requested a revision in federal zoning and split season guidelines, which have remained unchanged…
An acrylic painting of a resting pair of wood ducks by Rebekah LaCourse of Hollis Center will appear on the 2011 Maine Waterfowl Stamp. Ms. LaCourse's original painting recently was judged the winner of the annual Maine Waterfowl Stamp Contest, an event conducted by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife that is open to all Maine artists. This…
DENVER – Artist Richard Clifton won his first Colorado waterfowl stamp art contest in 2010. And now he's won his second in 2011. Clifton's rendering of three green-winged teal was recently selected to grace the 2011 Colorado Waterfowl Stamp by a team of judges from around the state. "This piece captures the brilliance of the birds," said former state senator…
DOVER (April 1, 2011) – On March 21, entries created by students in grades K through 12 from all over the state were judged in the 2011 Junior Duck Stamp Contest. Winners will be displayed on Saturday, April 2 during the annual Delaware Ducks Unlimited Greenwings Event at Owens Station in Greenwood. Maria Ji, a 16-year-old from Wilmington and first…
WATERBURY, VT – A public hearing on a proposal before the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board to establish a boundary between two Vermont waterfowl hunting zones in the northwest corner of the state has been re-scheduled to Tuesday, May 3, at 7:00 p.m., in the Swanton Village Complex (Auditorium) at 120 First Street, Swanton, VT. Vermont has three Waterfowl Hunting…
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have released the results of the 2011 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey. Each winter, pilots and biologists from the two agencies count ducks, geese and swans along Maryland's Chesapeake Bay shoreline and Atlantic coast. In January 2011, survey teams observed 640,700 waterfowl which is lower than the number…
Conservation Order Light Goose Season is open February 14 to March 30. For additional information and regulations visit wildlifedepartment.com. NORTHEAST Ft. Gibson: Lake level is 0.61 feet above normal. Habitat condition is good, with smartweed, barnyard grass and some agricultural crops in the area. Goose numbers are low. Hunting activity is light, with low success. No significant reports of bird…
Conservation Order Light Goose Season is open February 14 to March 30. For additional information and regulations visit wildlifedepartment.com. NORTHEAST Ft. Gibson: Lake level is 0.61 feet above normal. Habitat condition is good, with smartweed, barnyard grass and some agricultural crops in the area. Goose numbers are low. Hunting activity is light, with low success. No significant reports of…
WATERBURY, VT — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board has given its initial approval of a proposal by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department to establish the boundary between two Vermont waterfowl hunting zones in the northwest corner of the state. The proposed boundary is a change from previous years. Vermont has three Waterfowl Hunting Zones: the Lake Champlain Zone,…
Rapid City – "Duck!" No, that wasn't the warning cry about an incoming snowball. It was an excited shout by kids from Dakota Middle School in Rapid City while putting the finishing touches on a project for The Outdoor Campus-West. Students in Ray Glover's Applied Technology Class made a field trip to The Outdoor Campus-West on January 7 to help…
CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is asking more than 15,000 small game, upland game bird and waterfowl hunters to take a few minutes to participate in the on-line harvest survey now underway. The yellow postcards mailed last week simply instruct the license holder how to access the on-line survey. Anyone that has not responded online by March…
Waterfowl hunters who purchased their 2010-11Nevada waterfowl stamp "privilege" online or at one of the new electronic point of sale sites, and would like to have the physical stamp to go along with it, can have one. And it won't cost them a cent. Eligible hunters who would like a traditional stamp may request a free Nevada Duck Stamp when…
