Just returned from the task force meeting and the season will look very much like 2017. 10/6 opener 10/28-11/3 split, 12/9 close. There are many changes to how the season will be determined starting in 2019 some good some not so much. The change to the Mallard bag limit (Atlantic flyway) looks like it is going to happen ,from 4 to 2
NE Zone Duck dates 2018 & changes
- Thread starter Kevin B
- Start date
MIKE-SID
Active member
Please correct me if I'm wrong, also looks like in CT the North Zone early season is 10/6 to 10/13 and the South zone is 10/13 to 10/17.
I have the regs on hand since 2003, and as far back as I can rember the north and south zones have always opened on the same day, with the south zone
always being shorter like the current proposal.
Do you have any knowledge or info about this?
Mike
Steve Sanford
Well-known member
Good morning, Kevin~
Let's hope Southeastern Zone does the right thing and opens one week later!
re Mallards: Did DEC present info about populations/harvest et cetera to explain limit going to 2?
All the best,
SJS
Let's hope Southeastern Zone does the right thing and opens one week later!
re Mallards: Did DEC present info about populations/harvest et cetera to explain limit going to 2?
All the best,
SJS
Glenn Sweet
Member
Kevin, I wish I knew how they really come up with the dates, they seem to be geared up for revenue rather than hunters in my opinion. why wouldnt they add the week to the end of the season rather than the split, makes no sense to me. we are only talking a week later than normal. all the fair weather hunter get all the warm weather they need to hunt the 3 or 4 days they actually hunt. The hard core guys seem to get screwed every year but as long as they get their stamp and license revenue they don't seem to care. They can send out all the surveys they want , at the end of the day hey are going to do what they want.
Mike
You are reading correctly. This is the first time I have seen this done in CT.
Also if they reduce the bag limit on mallards next season they are going to have to address
the issue on the hybrid black duck situation. I am pretty good at identifying my birds, but when
a black duck is coming straight at you it is hard for me to determine whether it is a "true" black duck
or a hybrid . As you know in CT a hybrid is counted towards your mallard limit.
I use to attend the regs meetings,but always got the sense that any suggestion from the hunters
fell on deaf ears.
You are reading correctly. This is the first time I have seen this done in CT.
Also if they reduce the bag limit on mallards next season they are going to have to address
the issue on the hybrid black duck situation. I am pretty good at identifying my birds, but when
a black duck is coming straight at you it is hard for me to determine whether it is a "true" black duck
or a hybrid . As you know in CT a hybrid is counted towards your mallard limit.
I use to attend the regs meetings,but always got the sense that any suggestion from the hunters
fell on deaf ears.
This issue came up almost 10 years ago ,duck populations have been up for most species except Mallards. There has been a steady decline for Mallards and this move will most likely will be implemented. I was told a one bird decrease to 3 would do nothing to help, same with a hen restriction . This is not cast in stone yet but I expect it.
As far as the SE zone setting their opener to not coincide with the NE is up to them.
I don't know If you were picked for the survey Steve but 6000 went out and 2800 responded, a very good sampling of what hunters wanted. It looks like the matrix will be used for the 2019 season and beyond. The task force process was deemed to be flawed but our input is still being used in the model.
Glenn, the season staying early or the same as last years was not a surprise to me. The survey data from hunters who hunt the zone point to earlier date preferences so it was the choice for most task force members though it was not my initial date. The primary consideration is accessible hunter days throughout the zone. Deer season over lap dates, other Zone dates are not considered for the NE ,we usually meet before the SE or Western zones.
I hunt in 4 zones now and have always had to travel being located in the northern Adirondacks. It looks like I will be signing up for the Ontario non -resident license and getting up at 1 am instead of 2 am.
I have enjoyed my 12 years on the task force and have great respect for the insight from all of the task force members. The future is change, and change is now. Hopefully whatever comes down the pike helps.
Kevin
As far as the SE zone setting their opener to not coincide with the NE is up to them.
I don't know If you were picked for the survey Steve but 6000 went out and 2800 responded, a very good sampling of what hunters wanted. It looks like the matrix will be used for the 2019 season and beyond. The task force process was deemed to be flawed but our input is still being used in the model.
Glenn, the season staying early or the same as last years was not a surprise to me. The survey data from hunters who hunt the zone point to earlier date preferences so it was the choice for most task force members though it was not my initial date. The primary consideration is accessible hunter days throughout the zone. Deer season over lap dates, other Zone dates are not considered for the NE ,we usually meet before the SE or Western zones.
I hunt in 4 zones now and have always had to travel being located in the northern Adirondacks. It looks like I will be signing up for the Ontario non -resident license and getting up at 1 am instead of 2 am.
I have enjoyed my 12 years on the task force and have great respect for the insight from all of the task force members. The future is change, and change is now. Hopefully whatever comes down the pike helps.
Kevin
Steve Sanford
Well-known member
Thanks, Kevin~
The long-term decline in Mallards is something we have observed locally - here in eastern NY.
I did respond to the 2017 survey. I thought it was a big improvement over the previous one. (One item was the measure of experience. The previous survey counted experience up to (only!) 10 years. As 2018-19 will be my 54th season, I suppose I have a certain bias....)
This survey did ask how important any species group / season is to the responder. With a career in public service, I appreciate that it gets to an unanswerable question: Do you put more weight on sheer numbers, which lump the earnest with the casual hunters - or lean toward those dyed-in-the-wool resource users for whom the season dates mean the most ?
One preference the new survey still does not reflect is the "intangibles" associated with seasons. All of my gunning partners really value the weather during our "first half". Instead of the baking heat of recent years, we want/need the crisp air and peak autumn colors during our early seasons. The hunt is much more than birds in the bag.
Thank you for your 12 years of service on the Task Force!
All the best,
SJS
The long-term decline in Mallards is something we have observed locally - here in eastern NY.
I did respond to the 2017 survey. I thought it was a big improvement over the previous one. (One item was the measure of experience. The previous survey counted experience up to (only!) 10 years. As 2018-19 will be my 54th season, I suppose I have a certain bias....)
This survey did ask how important any species group / season is to the responder. With a career in public service, I appreciate that it gets to an unanswerable question: Do you put more weight on sheer numbers, which lump the earnest with the casual hunters - or lean toward those dyed-in-the-wool resource users for whom the season dates mean the most ?
One preference the new survey still does not reflect is the "intangibles" associated with seasons. All of my gunning partners really value the weather during our "first half". Instead of the baking heat of recent years, we want/need the crisp air and peak autumn colors during our early seasons. The hunt is much more than birds in the bag.
Thank you for your 12 years of service on the Task Force!
All the best,
SJS
The intangibles is definitely the monkey in the room. I am afraid the preference to a specific species will drive the season setting process. If the trend continues of larger wood duck numbers and declining Mallard numbers the season could be even earlier. Or later
I was glad to see the experience question was on the survey and I suspect the near 46% response to the survey will weighted heavier than the occasional hunter. The survey went out randomly to the 6000 hunters with hip numbers
We did actually discuss what we deemed as a successful hunt. I think seeing birds not numbers in the bag was the consensus .
What the near future will bring weather wise is the unknown . Will it continue to be warmer throughout October? November?. The Mallards have been coming down later and later. My best days for greenheads was as the season closed and then I moved to the Big lake which was great right to the 1st of the year.
Matt Tyson
Member
I'm hearing from biologists here in VA that the root cause for the drop in bag limit for mallards is because of habitat loss throughout the Atlantic flyway.
Matt Tyson
Member
...and I'm hearing it's a done deal in 2019.
Kevin B said:
We can only hope.....
Kevin B said:
I also hope it motivates hunters to push for wetland conservation so this trend does not continue.
Indeed Jeff. I try, been active in Adirondack DU chapter for 20 something years with a few off for sanity. My hunting property is in the Wetlands reserve program loaded with wood duck boxes and I manage an Estuary on the Saranac river.Plus when I miss I really miss and educate birds down the flyway[w00t]
Chris Williamson
New member
Thanks for all your years of being on the task force, Kevin. I think those of us in the NE zone were fortunate to have you there.