Outdoors Weekly News Archive

August 10, 2007 - TOP STORIES
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2006 Waterfowl Season Harvest Report available

Returning soldiers eligible for free hunting, fishing licenses

Frankie’s Live Bait & Marine honored by Ranger Boats

Water Resources Development Act includes language that will restrict the movement of Asian carp

Two bird canvasback limit proposed
Record numbers allow two bird canvasback bag limit in three flyways

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Reports
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week proposed continuation of liberal hunting regulations for the upcoming 2007-2008 late waterfowl seasons due to improved habitat conditions and waterfowl population estimates. Duck hunting season lengths will be 60 days in both the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways, 74 days in the Central Flyway, and 107 days in the Pacific Flyway.
“Based on Spring duck numbers, improved breeding habitat conditions and an improved outlook for production in many breeding areas, we propose to give hunters a wide range of hunting opportunities,” said Service Director H. Dale Hall. “We have five species that are at record or near record highs, including canvasbacks, and there are good breeding conditions on the prairies. However, we remain concerned that pintails and scaup have not yet responded to the improved habitat conditions and remain well below long-term averages.”
“The scaup population has experienced a significant long-term decline and this year’s estimate is the third lowest on record,” said Hall. “The Service is proposing to continue the reduction on the daily bag limit that has been in place the last two years in all flyways. We may need to consider additional restrictions in the future if the trend continues.”
States select their season from within the frameworks or the outer limits of season length, bag limits and season beginning and ending date.
Under earlier published regulations, the special September teal season is available to certain states between September 1 and September 30, and may not exceed nine consecutive days in the Atlantic Flyway and 16 days in the Mississippi and Central Flyways. The daily bag limit is four teal. The seasons for September Canada goose, youth hunting days, sea ducks, snipe, woodcock, rails, common moorhens and purple gallinules, sandhill cranes, band-tailed pigeons, mourning doves, white-winged and white-tipped doves and falconry will continue with little change from last year.
The proposed late season waterfowl frameworks will appear in a mid-August edition of the Federal Register for public comment and on http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/fedreg/MGBHR.HTML.

Brief highlights of the proposed frameworks include:

• Record populations allow for an extra canvasback in the bag in the Atlantic, Mississippi and Pacific Flyways. Due to the ongoing “Hunters’ Choice” experiment in the Central Flyway, that flyway will continue with a one bird daily bag limit.

• The Central Flyway will continue into a second year of its three year evaluation of the Hunter’s Choice duck bag limit on hen mallards, canvasbacks, pintails and mottled ducks.

• A full season on pintails with a one bird daily bag limit will be similar to last year.

• The Atlantic Flyway will be afforded an increase in the Atlantic brant season from 30 to 50 days.

Highlights of the proposed late-season framework for the Mississippi Flyway include:

Ducks: A hunting season is proposed of not more than 60 days between September 22, 2007, and January 27, 2008. The proposed daily bag limit is six and may include no more than four mallards (two hens), three mottled ducks, two scaup, two wood ducks, two redheads, one black duck, one pintail, and two canvasbacks. The proposed daily bag limit of mergansers is five, only two of which may be hooded mergansers.
Geese: Generally, seasons for Canada geese would be held between September 22, 2007, and January 31, 2008, and vary in length among States and areas, with daily bag limits varying from one to three. States would be able to select seasons for light geese not to exceed 107 days with 20 geese daily between September 22, 2007, and March 10, 2008; for white-fronted geese this proposed season would not to exceed 72 days with a two-bird daily bag limit or 86 days with a one-bird daily bag limit between September 22, 2007, and February 17, 2008; and for brant it would not exceed 70 days with a two-bird daily bag limit or 107 days with a one- bird daily bag limit between September 22, 2007, and January 31, 2007. There would be no possession limit for light geese.

2006 Waterfowl Season Harvest Report available

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently issued a new report summarizing hunter activity and harvest for the 2006 waterfowl season. The reports shows more than 13.8 million ducks were harvested, up more than a million ducks from the previous season. Hunters also harvested nearly 3.6 million geese, down slightly the previous season.
The Service generates the estimates contained in the report based on hunting diary surveys of selected waterfowl hunters, through the cooperative State-Federal Harvest Information Program and the Waterfowl Parts Collection Survey. These surveys provide critically important information used by state wildlife agencies and the Service to establish the next hunting season and maintain healthy waterfowl populations.
Nationally, duck hunters spent about 6.8 million days in the field, compared with 6.5 million days of duck hunting the previous season. Hunters spent more than 4 million days hunting geese which is similar to the previous season. Mallards were the most prevalent duck in the bag for hunters in the United States, with nearly 4.7 million birds harvested last season. Other species popular among waterfowlers were green winged teal with nearly 1.7 million birds harvested; gadwall with more than 1.5 million harvested; wood duck, at more than 1 million harvested; and blue winged teal, with more than 940,000 harvested.
Canada geese were the most prevalent goose in the bag by hunters in the United States, with more than 2.6 million birds harvested last season.

A flyway-by-flyway summary shows:
In the Mississippi Flyway, the nearly 6.3 million ducks harvested was an increase from the nearly 5.3 million harvested in the previous season. The more than 1.4 million geese harvested was up from nearly 1.3 million the previous season.
In the Atlantic Flyway, more than 1.6 million ducks were harvested last season, similar to the previous season. The 714,000 geese harvested was down from 841,000 from the prior season.
In the Central Flyway, hunters bagged nearly 2.5 million ducks last season. This is down from more than 2.7 million in the previous season. The harvest of 941,000 geese was down from more than a million the previous season.
In the Pacific Flyway, hunters harvested a total of more than 3.4 million ducks, up from 2.8 million in the previous season. The number of geese harvested, more than 471,000, was up from nearly 446,000 the season before.
In Alaska, more than 65,000 ducks were harvested, down from nearly 75,000 in the previous season. The goose harvest at 7,500 was up from 5,500 in the previous year.

The waterfowl hunter activity and harvest estimates are available at http://migratorybirds.fws.gov/reports/reports.html.

Returning soldiers eligible for free hunting, fishing licenses
Returning soldiers may fish and hunt small game without a license for two years from their discharge. They may also obtain one free deer license.

Minnesota soldiers returning from service outside the United States in the past two years are eligible for free hunting and fishing licenses from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Returning soldiers, including those who served in the National Guard, may fish and hunt small game without a license for two years from their discharge. They may also obtain one free deer license under regulations passed by the 2007 Legislature.
“Many Minnesota soldiers have put their hunting and fishing trips on hold while they serve abroad,” said Mark Holsten, DNR commissioner. “The free license is a small way we can recognize their sacrifice, welcome them home, and extend an opportunity to be with friends and family in Minnesota’s great outdoors.”
The DNR long has provided free hunting licenses to Minnesota military personnel on leave from stations outside of the state. The new legislation builds on that tradition. Holsten said a number of DNR employees are in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of the world or recently returned. “Their service to state and country is moving,” he said. “I extend to them, and all Minnesota soldiers, our agency’s respect and appreciation.”
The discharged residents must carry proof of residency and official military discharge papers while fishing or hunting small game. All required tags or state stamps must obtained. They are available for free at any of 1,800 businesses that sell hunting and fishing licenses across the state. Firearms hunters born after Dec. 31, 1979, are required to have a DNR firearms safety certificate, which is available online through a training course on the DNR’s Web site www.mndnr.gov. Military personnel who have completed basic training are exempt from the range and shooting exercise portion of the DNR’s firearms safety training.
A free deer license will be issued to residents who provide military discharge papers and proof of residency at any of the 1,800 businesses that sell deer licenses in the state.

Frankie’s Live Bait & Marine honored by Ranger Boats

Flippin, Arkansas - Frankie’s Live Bait & Marine in Chisago City, Minn., along with owners Frankie and Debbie Dusenka, was honored at the recent National Ranger Dealer Conference with the award for Top Volume Single-Market Ranger Dealer.
Presented by Ranger Boats founder Forrest L. Wood, Ranger President Randy Hopper and Ranger Vice President Keith Daffron during the annual dealer conference’s awards dinner, the award for the top single-market dealer goes to the dealership with the highest sales volume in a single market.
“In Minnesota, they take their boating and angling very seriously - it’s a way of life,” Daffron said. “That’s why Frankie’s has been so successful. They take care of their customers by knowing what they need and keeping it in stock and providing outstanding service to their customers. When people only have a few months a year to do all of their boating and angling, they want to make the most of their time. Frankie’s helps them do just that.”
A landmark in the Chisago Lakes area, Frankie’s was established over 40 years ago as a hardware store that also provided bait to local anglers. Over time, the business evolved into several separate businesses; a hardware store, bait store, and marine sales and service. Frankie’s is now one the largest marine dealers in the area.

Water Resources Development Act includes language that will restrict the movement of Asian carp
WRDA conference report authorizes Army Corps of Engineers to construct an Asian carp barrier at Lock and Dam 11, just north of Dubuque, Iowa

St. Paul - Minnesota Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar last week announced the final version of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) will authorize $4 million in federal funding to help prevent the spread of Asian Carp and other aquatic nuisances from entering the Upper Mississippi River.
Specifically, the WRDA conference report authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to study and construct an Asian carp barrier at Lock and Dam 11, which is located just north of Dubuque, Iowa.
Additionally, the WRDA bill also includes upgrades for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway Restoration (UMR-IWW), including for critical navigation improvements along the waterway along and $1.5 billion in ecosystem restoration.
Asian Carp are a serious problem causing irreparable damage to America’s waterways. Originally imported into the U.S. as a management tool for aquatic vegetation in ponds, these fish have spread quickly, particularly moving their way north via the Mississippi River. In fact, there are currently sections of the Illinois River where every 9 out of 10 fish are now Asian Carp. Due to Minnesota’s interconnected waterways and the size of these species of carp, officials believe that potential migration of the species into Minnesota’s lakes and rivers could dominate water systems and eliminate native species.
Senator Coleman has worked to address the spread of Asian Carp throughout his time in the Senate. In addition to authorization for a barrier, Coleman has introduced legislation to list the species of Asian Carp as injurious - thus barring them from interstate trade and transportation - along with a bill to construct an additional electric barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.