Migratory bird seasons set
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s 2022-23 migratory game bird seasons have been set.
Annual migratory game bird seasons are selected by states from frameworks established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Game Commission selections were made after reviewing last year’s hunter harvests, population survey data and public input.
There are two significant changes to Pennsylvania waterfowl seasons this year, said Wildlife Operations Division Chief Ian Gregg. The first change eliminates the Southern James Bay Population Canada goose zone and incorporates the area into the Resident Population zone. The Southern James Bay Population has been shifting its wintering areas west over the last four to five decades.
“With very few Southern James Bay Population geese wintering in northwestern Pennsylvania, it is no longer necessary to have a zone to specifically manage for them,” Gregg said. “We believe hunters in this area will appreciate the higher bag limits allowed in the Resident Population zone. Please note, however, that more restrictive regulations remain in place in portions of Crawford and Mercer counties surrounding Pymatuning Wildlife Management Area; consult the Hunting and Trapping Digest for details.”
The other change removes the separate lower hooded merganser bag limit. Hunters may now harvest any combination of common, red-breasted or hooded mergansers as part of the five-merganser daily bag limit. Hooded mergansers have been generally stable or increasing in recent decades.
“This change will simplify regulations and should allow for some additional opportunity for those hunters who want to target hooded mergansers,” said Waterfowl Program Specialist Nate Huck.
The other change not related to frameworks relates to mourning dove seasons. The second portion of the season will be shifted back a week and run from Dec. 21 through Jan. 7.
“This shift is to accommodate public desire to remain open through the first week of January,” said Dove and Quail Biologist Andrew Ward.
The early portions of the season will remain similar to last year.
Other migratory game bird seasons are similar to last year’s seasons.
Hunters encouraged to report banded birds:
Migratory game bird hunters are encouraged to report banded ducks, geese, doves and woodcock they harvest online at www.reportband.gov. Hunters will be requested to provide information on where, when and what species of migratory birds were taken, in addition to the band number. This information is crucial to the successful management of migratory birds.
Huck also stressed that reporting leg bands helps the Game Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service learn more about migratory bird movements, and survival and harvest rates, which are critical to population management and setting of hunting regulations. Last year, over 6,000 migratory game birds, including more than 5,000 waterfowl, were banded in Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvania continues to monitor migratory game bird populations in cooperation with other wildlife management agencies across North America,” Huck explained. “Information provided by hunters is essential to manage migratory game bird populations and support sustainable hunting opportunities through time. By reporting the recovery of a leg band, hunters not only assist in managing the resource, but also have an opportunity to learn interesting facts about the bird they harvested.”
Bird seasons and bag limits:
DUCKS: North Zone: Ducks, sea ducks, coots and mergansers, Oct. 8-22, and Nov. 15-Jan. 7.
South Zone: Ducks, sea ducks, coots and mergansers, Oct. 8-15, and Nov. 22-Jan. 21.
Northwest Zone: Ducks, sea ducks, coots and mergansers, Oct. 8-Dec. 3, and Dec. 27-Jan. 7.
Lake Erie Zone: Ducks, sea ducks, coots and mergansers, Oct. 31-Jan. 7.
Total Duck Bag Limits: 6 daily, 18 in possession of any species, except for the following restrictions: daily limit may not include more than 2 mallards including no more than 1 hen mallard, 2 black ducks, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks, 1 pintail, 1 mottled duck, 1 fulvous whistling duck, 4 sea ducks; including no more than 3 eiders and no more than 1 female eider, 3 long-tailed ducks, and 3 scoters. Daily limit for scaup varies; see below. Possession limits are three times the daily limits.