DENTRY: Waterfowl planning under way

By Ed Dentry, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 8, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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It might seem hard to believe, with a lingering winter only recently gone belly up, but daylight hours are waning. Accordingly, agencies have been planning for the 2008-09 waterfowl hunting seasons.

U.S. and Canadian wildlife services on Monday released their preliminary reports on the midcontinent breeding duck population survey. The upshot is that hunters can expect duck numbers and season structures similar to last year.

The northern continental flyover found total ducks nesting in the prairie pothole region sitting at 11 percent above their long-term average - even though drought in west-central Canada, North Dakota and parts of South Dakota reduced nesting duck numbers 9 percent from last year's count.

As waterfowl seasons approach, the Colorado Wildlife Commission is also preparing to finalize season dates and bag limits.

Commissioners will vote Thursday on hunting dates for this fall and winter. They will also decide whether to implement hunting restrictions proposed for several state wildlife areas along the South Platte River, in an effort to retain more ducks during the winter.

The proposals would reduce hunting to three days a week at some of the public areas and require hunters to obtain reservations to hunt at some.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that 37.3 million ducks were breeding on the survey area in May and June. That's a 9 percent decline from last year's estimate.

The decrease resulted from poor water in prairie and parkland Canada and the north- central United States. The aerial surveyors counted 4.4 million ponds, 37 percent fewer than last year and 10 percent below the long-term average.

The number of nesting mallards fell 7 percent from 2007 but remains near its long-term average. Green-winged teal jumped 3 percent, to 57 percent, above the long term.

Six of 10 duck species normally surveyed registered no significant change, including blue-winged teal, which are 45 percent above average.

But four species - canvasbacks, pintails, gadwalls and northern shovelers - declined appreciably.

New this year, the FWS and Canadian Wildlife Service are showing Internet video clips and aerial photos of the northern plains breeding areas, along with survey information, at a shared Web site, Flyways.US.

The outlook could be considerably better for Colorado duck hunters than the northern prairie counts might suggest. Abundant moisture in the state suggests resident waterfowl will enjoy good breeding success.

Ducks Unlimited notes that, while drought may have nipped some duck-breeding efforts across the northern prairie survey area, ducks also breed in more stable wetlands - notably the boreal forest, which is rated fair to excellent for moisture and breeding potential this year.

Colorado's waterfowl bag limits will be unchanged for 2008, with one exception. The bag limit for light geese west of the Continental Divide will jump from four to six per day.

Season dates set by wildlife commissioners Thursday probably won't change, but they will be subject to final frameworks the FWS will pass down late this month or in early August.

2008-09 proposed waterfowl seasons

Ducks, Central Flyway

Eastern Plains Zone, Oct. 4-20, Nov. 8-Jan. 25; Mountain/Foothills Zone, Oct. 4-Nov. 30, Dec. 19-Jan. 25.

Ducks, Pacific Flyway

Sept. 27-Oct. 12, Oct. 29-Jan. 25.

Early teal season

Sept. 13-21 east of Interstate 25 and in Lake and Chaffee counties.

Geese, Central Flyway (Northern Front Range)

Nov. 15-Feb. 15, dark geese; Nov. 1-Feb. 15, light geese.

Geese, Central Flyway (North Park)

Oct. 4-15, Nov. 15-Feb. 15, dark geese; Nov. 1-Feb. 15, light geese.

Geese, Central Flyway (South Park and San Luis Valley)