Experimental Bluewing limit

TimJ

TimJ

Well-known member
Are any other duck producing states getting to try this limit?


From the SD GFP web site--
  • Daily Limit: 6 ducks per day.
  • The duck limit may be comprised of no more than 5 mallards (which may include no more than 2 hens), 3 wood ducks, 3 scaup, 2 redheads, 2 pintails and 1 canvasback.
  • In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently approved an experimental three year bonus blue-winged teal season; which would allow hunters two additional blue-winged teal for a daily bag limit of 8 ducks for the first 16 days of the season.


While I'd kind of like to see a teal season here I know a lot of other ducks would get shot. This might end up being the best compromise. Some years there have been days when 8 bluewings would have been easy... at least to shoot at.

Tim
 
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At the moment it's only offered to the production states of the Central Flyway. Production states in MF and AF that are interested have to indicate their interest next week.

Remember 2 of those 8 ducks must be blue-winged teal.
 
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Sounds like Deuce is going to get one heck of a work out this fall,Tim. Good luck. I like the sounds of this new bluewing experiment.
Al
 
I don't recall the details but we had something similar in CT during the early-mid 70's.."bonus bluewings"...unfortunately our season is too late for the BW migration so we got very few.
 
I wouldn't object to a bonus bluewing limit. I looooooove me some bluewings.
 
To specify Blue Wings and not just Teal is totally foolish, and damn near Dumb. I love Teal and teal hunting, other than the skitters and snakes, and enjoyed the early teal season in Ohio for many years.
Yes Wood ducks did get shot! Mostly shot the first day of the season by the "One Day" hunters, but there was always a Ohio Warden in the swamp or marsh, and all hunters did get checked. Thank you.

Once a fellow hunter and I, invited a lone hunter we met in the parking lot to join us and hunt over my hand carved teal decoys. He said thanks, and he would. After our hunt he pulled out his badge, and said he would like to check our licenses and plugs in our guns. Then he cut off the Wood Duck shooters on the way back to where they parked. So for us it was a good day.

Two day later, he tracked us way back into a marsh at Grand River. When he saw us he said "Hell it's you guys! What the hell did ya change vehicles on me for?" Yes that was the days before computers were Everywhere...
 
Heck early on I wouldn't mind all 8 being teal so the 2 extra being bluewings is no problem. I'd rather not shoot many mallards early on. Those flocks just stress me out when all the young ones are still in juvenile plumage.

It does seem like just making it teal would be less problematic. But to be honest at least 75% of our teal those first 2 weeks are bluewings. Around here green wings seem to be more common mid season.

Tim
 
Dead in hand or dead stomped, in the mud cuz of wrong duck is still DEAD. Most hunters can tell GW from BW in flight, many cannot or do not care. A general Teal season will hopefully waste less birds, and encourage new and young hunters.
 
Dead in hand or dead stomped, in the mud cuz of wrong duck is still DEAD. Most hunters can tell GW from BW in flight, many cannot or do not care. A general Teal season will hopefully waste less birds, and encourage new and young hunters.
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Waste doesn't figure in seasons and bag limits. I really wish young hunters would concentrate more on wing ID than post-mortem. Mistakes will happen but I don't want to see them dictate policy. I certainly understand the desire to recruit younger hunters but dumbing the regulations down to "shoot now look later" isn't the best thing for the long run of the sport in my opinion. If hunter behavior will result many mistake birds then just don't put the extra opportunity out there and tell hunters why they aren't getting a crack at the ducks that can withstand it.
 
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Some years we get the bluewings sometimes we don't. Im sure many grenwings would be shot from bad id. Id rather it be an extra any 2 teal or stay the same.

I wish encon was dedicated like the old wardens. I was stocking trout with a warden this year and asked if he caught any crazy turkey hunters. He said he had reports of one guy baiting them but because the bugs were out he didn't want to go in the woods. Ive only been checked once for ducks, he didnt ask for my liscense or birds just my life jackets. I actually had a state cop ask me for my liscense when i was wabbit hunting, even though i dont think they can enforce game laws.
 
Chris, perhaps they wouldn't be able to enforce the game laws, but they could call someone who could.

I was stopped one morning by two city cops on the way to go duck hunting on opening day. Two in the morning, they pull me over, see the shotgun laying in the back seat (well out of reach of me), me in camo and they immediately start in on me. Where are you going? What are you doing at this time of morning? Why do you have a shotgun in the truck? Is it yours? Etc etc etc

I explain to them I'm on the way to a buddy's house to go pick him up so that we can go duck hunting. They inform me quite emphatically that hunting season is over and ask for my hunting license, which i'm happy to provide. I hand them my license while informing them that in fact duck season was opening that morning and that we were headed out to the marsh early to hopefully get our spot. They told me that hunting season was over. Eventually it came down to them calling an FWC officer to check on the seasons and sure enough I was right. They apologized and sent me on my way....but just because they can't enforce the laws doesn't mean they couldn't call someone who could....I mean isn't that what a civilian would do if they saw someone doing something wrong?
 
I could not agree more Eric. We have to be able to ID drake mallards and hen mallards in low light. WE have to ID blackducks vs hen mallards. A green wing and a blue wing are quite different birds and when making up two bonus birds in the bag for South Dakota and possibly other central flyway states that are production states for teal I just don't see an issue. In those first fifteen days of season if your willing to shoot teal the majority of the time you would be able to shoot any birds that decoy and at least two are going to be bluewings the majority of the time. Add to that some ID on the wing and the perceived problem is not longer a problem. I would imagine that the biologists would be able to recommend this expansion based on the long tern average of bluewing teal. The regulations would be simpler if all teal were included but it would then allow for targeting of GWT as well. If the expansion of hunting opportunities was based on BWT then the regulations need to be written to target BWT.

I suspect that this was done at least in part because the production states in the Mississippi flyway are pushing for and expected to be granted an early teal season. Its interesting the way the states have responded some in the leadership of Wisconsin have lobbied against having this expanded season with claims the mallards and woodducks will have to large of an accidental kill rate. In general the responses I have seen online from Wisconsin hunters tend to mirror those claims. In Michigan our biologists and DNR leadership have embraced the idea ( we also lobbied the feds for it ). In Michigan from what I have seen the idea is being welcomed by the hunters. I have hunted teal season in Ohio. Once you have done it, seen the young woodies and mallards in the air compared to teal and hopefully had a mentor available to teach you those differences it really becomes a none issue.

I am all for expansion of opportunities on any species that are capable of additional harvest and if it requires on the wing ID that is nothing new to waterfowl hunters I have been required to do it all of my hunting career. In force the regulations against those who violate them. Make educational opportunities available to those that need it in order to stay within the law. But don't remove opportunities from others based the the idea that some may violate or are not educated on the regulations. Waterfowl hunting is highly regulated and requires us to know our targets and the quotas of each species.
 
I hesitate to comment, but for the purposes of explaining the proposals, here goes:

1. The bonus bird proposal in the Central Flyway applies to the 4 "production" states. They were offered a September teal season where all teal are legal but they did not want that. They wanted 2 "bonus" teal during the first 16 days of the regular duck season. This means a hunter can shoot the normal 6 ducks and then take 2 extra blue-winged teal. The hunter can shoot those teal first or last or anywhere in between, it doesn't matter. I hear Vince's concern but a hunter has essentially 6 mistake ducks to find 2 BWT. The states that adopt this proposal are required to develop evaluation plans and study the impacts for 3 years. It is my understanding that Minnesota may be interested in this option instead of the September Teal Season.

2. In the Mississippi Flyway, the northern production states are proposed to be able to experiment with September Teal Seasons. Teal only are legal. Under current population levels this will be a 16 day season with a 6 teal/day bag limit. This too is subject to evaluation. In this case the questions are how many non-teal will hunters attempt to take and bag. The reason for teal only is that they are "Special seasons". During teal only season the hunting hours do not include 30 minutes before sunrise in order to assist in duck identification.

The USFWS and Flyways conducted a cooperative assessment of the harvest potential for teal. Blue-winged teal can withstand significantly higher harvest, green-wings less. This season proposal is predicated on the harvest of ducks other than teal. If harvest of wood ducks or other species is too high the seasons will be modified or eliminated. It will be interesting to see if the on-the-wing duck identification skills of hunters has improved.

If you don't like any of these season options you need to let your states know for they all lobbied hard for these options.
 
We had a bonus blue wing teal in our limit in the 70's here in NH, when it came to shooting ,if I didn't know if it was a blue wing I would shoot. Yes a few got by me but it was still fun to try to pick them out, So when in doubt do shoot! I think that would be a good idea to have more time to duck hunt and get better on duck ID on the wing. scott
 
If you don't like any of these season options you need to let your states know for they all lobbied hard for these options.


Brad, I'm shooting the messenger, and I know you don't deserve that. But you bring up a sore point. I'd like to let my state know what I think and influence what they lobby for, but I don't have any opportunity to do so.

 In my state, the process for adopting waterfowl regulations is essentially a black box. At the federal level, I am unaware of any opportunity I have to comment on the federal guidance, which for all intents and purposes dictates our state rules. From your comments, it sounds like there is a lot of input from state wildlife officials before that federal guidance is completed, but in my state at least, the representatives don't ask me what they ought to advocate for, and I don't think the FWS solicits comments from the public.

At the state level, we have a "hearing" each year a few weeks before the season opens, and immediately after the hearing ends the state's Waterfowl Advisory Council meets and ratifies what was proposed. The process does not allow for meaningful public input and changes based on that input. There really isn't any opportunity for the Council to digest comments they receive to amend the proposal.



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Brad, I didn't know those proposals went out for public comment. Short of reading the Federal Register every day, is it possible to be informed when the opportunity arises?

My state agency has an "interested parties" list that receives every rule making proposal when it goes out. Is there a federal equivalent?
 
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