DNR Approves 2012 Water-foul Hunting Seasons

By Mike Conroy

CREATED Aug. 8, 2012

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GERMANTOWN, Wis.--Wisconsin will have a 60 day duck season and an extended exterior zone Canada Goose season of 92 days. The State Department of Natural Resources approved the moves at it's meeting today in Germantown.

“Despite this year’s unusual weather patterns Wisconsin waterfowl hunters can expect a good season,” said Kent Van Horn, DNR waterfowl ecologist.

 

The season structure includes:
    • Early September Canada goose season – Sept. 1-15.
    • Daily bag of five geese
    • Youth Waterfowl Hunt – Sept. 15-16.
    • Daily bag is the same as the normal season bag. Youth participants who may hunt geese should note that Sept. 15 is part of the early goose season (early season permit required, 5 bird daily bag), while the Sept. 16 falls during the regular goose season (exterior or Horicon permit required, two bird daily bag).
    • Ducks (Note: opening day shooting hours begin at 9 a.m.)
    • Northern Zone season Sept. 22-Nov. 4 and Nov. 10-25.
    • Southern Zone season is Sept. 29-Oct. 7 and Oct. 13-Dec. 2.
    • Mississippi River Subzone season is Sept. 22-30 and Oct. 13-Dec. 2.
Duck bag for all seasons:
    • Daily bag of six ducks total which may include no more than:
    • four mallards of which only 1 may be a hen
    • three wood ducks
    • one black duck
    • two redheads
    • four scaup
    • two pintail
    • one canvasback
    • For species of duck not listed such as teal and ring-necks, the combined bag total with all other species may not exceed six ducks.
    • Coot:
    • Daily bag of 15
    “Overall, the status of duck and goose populations is good to excellent in 2012,” said Van Horn. Water conditions were far drier across the prairies than in 2011 but they are still near average for 2012. This good news resulted in the same liberal duck regulations we enjoyed in 2011 being offered again in 2012 with an increase in the daily bag limit for scaup from 2 to 4 ducks per day. Spring duck counts in Wisconsin were about average with variable breeding habitat (south dry, north wetter). Obviously, this dry summer has not aided our local duck production and the fall duck hunting success will depend, in part, on significant rainfall between now and then.”
Canada geese
    • Exterior Zone:
    • North Sept. 16-Nov. 4 and Nov. 10-Dec. 21.
    • South Sept. 16-Oct. 7 and Oct. 13-Dec. 21.
    • Mississippi River Subzone Sept. 22-30 and Oct. 13-Jan. 3.
    • Canada goose bag for exterior zone seasons:
    • Daily bag of two.
    • Horicon Zone:
    • H1 Sept. 16-Oct. 28.
    • H2 Oct. 29-Dec. 16.
    • Canada goose bag for Horicon zone:
    • Daily bag of two with six tags per hunter.
    “The major Canada goose regulatory change for this season is that we were able to increase the length of the Exterior Canada goose season from 85 days to 92 days as a result of a flyway evaluation of the impacts of the stable hunting seasons over the last 5 years,” said Van Horn.“These days will be added in December which will offer late season Canada goose hunters additional opportunity. Based on our previous harvest patterns this will result in a relatively small additional harvest as most harvest occurs in September and October. This will bring Wisconsin to a total of 107 days of Canada goose hunting statewide which is the maximum allowed by international treaty.”
Light geese, brant and white-fronted geese
    • Light geese (snow, blue and Ross) and brant:
    • Seasons are the same as for the Canada goose zones and subzones.
    • Daily Bag Limit: one brant and 20 light geese.
    • White-fronted geese:
    • Exterior Zones (north and south) and Horicon:
    • North Sept. 20-Nov. 4 and Nov. 10-Dec. 21.
    • South Sept. 20-Oct. 7 and Oct. 13-Dec. 21.
    • Horicon:
    • H1 Sept. 20-Oct. 28.
    • H2 Sept. 20-Dec. 16.
    • Mississippi River subzone:
    • Sept. 26-30 and Oct. 13-Jan. 3.
    • Daily Bag Limit: one white-fronted goose.