For Release: Wednesday, March 25, 2009
DEC Invites Hunter Input on Fall 2009 Waterfowl Seasons
Task Forces to Help Set Season Dates for Waterfowl Hunting in New York
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today invited waterfowl hunters to submit recommendations to regional Waterfowl Hunter Task Forces for the dates of the Fall 2009 duck hunting seasons.
New York State is divided into five waterfowl hunting zones: Western, Southeastern, Northeastern, Lake Champlain, and Long Island. DEC recently appointed task forces for each zone (except Lake Champlain, see below) to make recommendations for the Fall 2009 hunting seasons. Each task force includes representatives from the New York State Conservation Council, established waterfowl hunting organizations, and individual waterfowl hunters who were chosen to provide a broad range of input.
Task force members act as representatives of all duck hunters in each zone and collectively recommend season opening and closing dates (and split seasons if desired) and dates for a Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend that best satisfy the diverse interests in their zone. The recommended dates must be within federal guidelines established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). For Fall 2009, DEC biologists expect the USFWS to allow a 60-day duck season, split into no more than two segments per zone, opening no earlier than Sept. 26, 2009, and closing no later than Jan. 31, 2010.
Waterfowl hunters can participate in the season-setting process by providing duck season suggestions to any task force member on or before April 3. Names and contact information for all task force members are attached. Comments can be provided by mail, telephone, or e-mail. The comment due date is important because the task forces will meet in April, and DEC plans to announce tentative duck hunting season dates in June to allow hunters time to make vacation plans.
Input on hunting seasons for other migratory game birds, including Canada geese, snow geese, brant, and woodcock, should be submitted by April 30 to any member of DEC's season-setting team. Names and contact information for those staff are also attached.
Fall 2009 waterfowl seasons will be based largely on task force recommendations. However, seasons in the Lake Champlain Zone will continue to be set by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Management Board, with input from DEC and waterfowl hunters in New York and Vermont. Although there is no formal task force for this zone, hunters can send their input to any DEC season-setting team members on the attached list.
Descriptions of New York State's waterfowl hunting zones can be found on the DEC and are listed in DEC's Waterfowl Hunting Guide. The tentative waterfowl hunting season dates will be posted on the DEC website and announced by news release in June.
The 2009/10 Waterfowl Season Task Force members are listed in alphabetical order at on the DEC website.
