Rationale for Waterfowl Hunting Seasons
Northeastern Zone
Duck Hunting Season
2007/08
Dates:
Oct 6 (Sat) - Oct 14 (Sun) & Oct 25 (Wed) - Dec 13 (Thurs)
Youth Days:
Sept 22 (Sat) & Sept 23 (Sun)
The Northeastern Zone Waterfowl Hunter Task Force met on April 28, 2007, to develop recommendations for duck season and youth waterfowl hunting dates. They provided the following rationale for the above dates, after considering results of a recent survey of New York duck hunters:
• A split season structure starting in early October and ending in mid December was developed to provide ample hunting opportunity for the diverse gunning interests in the zone, ranging from very early season hunting on Adirondack beaver ponds to late season hunting on the large waters of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Very few Northeastern Zone hunters desire seasons closing after mid December.
• There is great interest throughout the entire Northeastern Zone to open the season on the first Saturday in October. Nearly 70% of duck hunters in this zone favor a weekend opener. Many hunters also desire to hunt during the long holiday (Columbus Day) weekend.
• The nine-day first split provides hunt opportunity for local ducks and early migrating birds that have moved into the zone. The later, longer second split allows hunting for birds that begin heavy migration movements into the zone in late October. Hearty ducks, such as mallards and divers, continue to stay in the larger open water areas until mid December.
• Closing the season for more than a week after the first split closes takes hunt pressure off the remaining local and early migrant ducks and allows new arriving birds in later October to "settle in" before hunting resumes.
• The regular big game (deer) season will open during the period when the duck season is closed. First day of gun season for deer (October 20) will not interfere with duck hunting.
• The opening of the second split coincides with the typical peak of duck migration period beginning in late October and continuing into November. Hunting on the larger waters becomes more important in later November. Hunting in early to mid December is favored by Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River hunting, but hunting opportunities after that become very limited in most years.
• There will be a 12-day break in hunting between the Youth Hunting Days on September 22-23 and beginning of the regular duck season starting on October 6.
Southeastern Zone
Duck Hunting Season
2007/08
Dates:
Oct 13 (Sat) - Oct 21 (Sun) & Nov 10 (Sat) - Dec 30 (Sun)
Youth Days:
Sept 22 (Sat) & Sept 23 (Sun)
The Southeastern Zone Waterfowl Hunter Task Force met on April 7, 2007, to develop recommendations for duck season and youth waterfowl hunting dates. They provided the following rationale for the above dates, after considering results of a recent survey of New York duck hunters:
• The split season structure of 9 days in early October and 51 days starting in early - mid November has been used for a number of years and seems to be satisfactory to most hunters in this zone. Southeastern Zone duck hunters generally prefer the season to be open from early to mid October and extending to late December.
• The first split includes two full weekends providing ample early season hunting opportunity for locally produced ducks and waterfowl that migrate early and stop in the zone. Closing the season for more than two weeks after the first split closes takes hunt pressure off the remaining local and early migrant ducks and allows new arriving birds to "settle in" before hunting resumes.
• The second split also maximizes weekend hunting opportunity (8 full weekends) and holiday time (Thanksgiving and Christmas), and opens when many additional ducks are migrating into the zone.
• Mid to late December hunt time is set to coincide with a later wave of duck migration and concentration of wintering birds that occurs at that time.
• The Youth Hunting Days on the weekend of September 22-23 provides for a three-week break before the regular season starts.
Western Zone
Duck Hunting Season
2007/08
Dates:
Oct 23 (Tues) - Dec 6 (Thurs) & Dec 29 (Sat) - Jan 12 (Sat)
Youth Days:
Oct 13 (Sat) & Oct 14 (Sun)
The Western Zone Waterfowl Hunter Task Force met on April 21, 2007, to develop recommendations for duck and youth days hunting season dates. They provided the following rationale for the above dates, after considering results of a recent survey of New York duck hunters:
• A weekday opening day will reduce crowding on public hunting areas, which are especially important in the Western Zone with its 3 large urban centers (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse). Tuesdays are hunt days at Iroquois and Montezuma National Wildlife Refuges, which are major waterfowl concentration areas during migration. Western Zone hunters prefer a weekend over a weekday opener, but by a relatively small margin (55% to 45%). Opening on a Tuesday allowed the season to be open during other high preference time periods, as explained below.
• The first split provides 45 hunting days with 6 full weekends and the entire Thanksgiving holiday period.
• The opening date of Tuesday, October 23 covers the peak of duck migration in this zone (late October through November) while providing opportunity to hunt locally produced waterfowl before they leave the area. Many wood ducks are still available to hunters in mid to late October, and locally produced mallards often remain throughout the season.
• The first split ending date of December 6 was chosen because late November and early December are important for hunters on Chautauqua Lake and many of the other smaller lakes that usually freeze over by mid December.
• The 15-day second split, beginning in late December, was developed to provide opportunity to hunt waterfowl wintering on the larger waters and rivers that do not freeze over early. The January days provide late season hunting valued by many Finger Lakes hunters. Western Zone duck hunters indicated that late December to mid January was nearly as important as mid October to mid November.
• The second split includes two and a half weekends and a weekday holiday when many young hunters are on vacation and many adults are off from work. The December 29 (Saturday) opening allows those without weekdays off to participate, and avoided Christmas Day when many hunters would be involved in other activities.
• Youth Days return to a Saturday-Sunday format and will provide a break of 8 days before the regular season starts. Many hunters were not happy with the Sunday-Monday (Columbus Day) format that was selected in 2006.
Long Island Zone
Duck Hunting Season
2007/08
Dates:
Nov 29 (Thurs) - Jan 27 (Sun)
Youth Days: Nov 10 (Sat) & Nov 11 (Sun)
The Long Island Zone Waterfowl Hunter Task Force met on April 14, 2007, to develop recommendations for duck and youth days hunting season dates. They provided the following rationale for the above dates, after considering results of a recent survey of New York duck hunters:
• Duck hunting starting in late November and ending in late January provides ample hunting opportunity for the diverse waterfowl and hunting interests in the zone.
• Long Island hunters clearly favored a season that began in mid-late November and continued well into January (as late as allowed by federal regulations), and showed no strong desire for a split season.
• The latest possible hunting season dates typically provide the best and most consistent hunting success for Long Island hunters. Federal regulations require that duck hunting must stop on the last Sunday in January (the 27th). By counting back 60 days, the first day of the season becomes November 29.
• A late November start still provides hunting opportunity for local birds and early migrating ducks that have stopped on the Island.
• Hunting opportunity through December and extending into late January coincides with peak numbers of migrating waterfowl, especially divers. Many inland freshwater ponds will be iced over forcing birds to coastal areas where they are more accessible to hunters.
• Youth Hunting Days on the weekend of November 10-11 provides a 17-day break before the start of the regular season. Young hunters have the chance to harvest local and early migrating waterfowl, and milder weather should encourage greater participation by new hunters. Regular Season Canada Goose Hunt Areas
