Remember when duck season dates were only give a few weeks ahead of the season opener? Well thanks to changes with the US Fish &Wildlife service a couple of years ago, hunters now have time to plan out their vacation days to get in on some great duck and goose hunting.
Another change that should make it easier for hunters to determine season dates and regulations is the combining of Zones 1 & 2, resulting in only two zones for Oklahoma now: the Panhandle zone, also called the High Plains Mallard Management Unit, made up of the three panhandle counties and then the rest of the state.
Season dates for the two zones are: Panhandle Zone – Oct. 10-Jan. 6, with youth/veteran/active military days on Oct. 3 and Feb. 6; Zones 1&2 – Nov. 14-29 & Dec. 5-Jan. 31, with youth/veteran/active military days on Nov. 7 and Feb. 6.
Duck daily bag limits and possession limits have really not changed the in last couple of years, with waterfowl populations remaining stable and nesting conditions good in the upper plains. The daily limit for ducks is six, and may include not more than five mallards (only two may be hens), three wood ducks, two redheads, two canvasbacks, one scaup and one pintail. The daily limit of Mergansers is five, with only two being hooded mergansers. The coot limit is 15.
Goose hunters will be allowed to take two white-fronted geese, eight Canada geese, and 50 light geese per day this year. Season dates statewide for Dark (Canada) geese will be Nov. 7 — 29 and Dec. 5 — Feb. 14. Season dates for white-fronted geese are Nov. 7 — 29 and Dec. 5 — Feb. 7. Light geese (snow, blue and Ross’) will run the same dates as Canada season.
Each year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service establishes frameworks that states use to structure their waterfowl seasons. The states select specific dates (and if desired, more restrictive bag limits) within those frameworks for hunters to enjoy.
Youth waterfowl hunting days will be offered for some time, but this year’s addition of Veterans and Active Military (including members of the National Guard and Reserves) is a great way to get new hunters to the field.
Josh Richardson, migratory bird biologist with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, said youth and military waterfowl days are set to provide youth hunters the first opportunity to hunt waterfowl in Oklahoma, similar to youth deer gun and youth turkey seasons. While the waterfowl numbers are not at their peak for youth days, a variety of duck species are normally present and available for harvest, including resident birds such as wood ducks, early-season migrants such as blue-winged teal, northern shovelers, gadwalls and redheads, as well as a few late-season migrants such as mallards, all of which are open to harvest.
As ducks migrate south, they arrive in different parts of Oklahoma at different times. In the northwest (Panhandle and Zone 1), ducks generally begin arriving earlier, and freeze-up occurs earlier than in the rest of the state. Therefore, Zone 1 season dates are set slightly earlier to provide as much hunting opportunity as possible.
For hunters to get a jump on the waterfowl seasons, the ODWC offers early Teal and Resident goose seasons.
The teal season runs Sept. 12 — 27, statewide and hunters can harvest six teal (blue wing, green wind and cinnamon) daily, with 12 in possession after the first day and 18 in possession after the second day.
Resident Canada geese can be harvested from Sept. 12 — 21, statewide, and the limits are eight daily, with 16 in possession after the first day, and 24 in possession after the second day. Hunters are required to have the proper Federal and State licenses and stamps for both of these early seasons.
Sandhill crane, which are not waterfowl, but do migrate on a similar path as ducks and geese as a season in Oklahoma. Crane season runs Oct. 24 – Jan. 24 and is only open west of I-35. The bag limit of sandhills is 3 daily.
More information and regulations about hunting licenses, waterfowl stamps and permit requirements can be found on pages 63-69 in the current “Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Guide,” available online at wildlifedepartment.com or at locations where hunting and fishing licenses are sold.
Waterfowl Breeding Habitat looks good
Although COVID 19 put a halt to much of the research being conducted across the county, an altered survey by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department describes the wetland conditions in the Dakota’s as being very good this year. The result is a very good breeding season shaping up for waterfowl in most of the Upper Prairie regions.
Why do we care about North and South Dakota?
Most of the ducks that will begin their migration through the Central Flyway, which includes Oklahoma, breed in this region. Add in a couple of Canadian Provinces, and with few exceptions, every duck that hunters will have vest, beginning in a few weeks, had its beginning in a wetland in this area of North America.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 73rd annual spring breeding duck survey, conducted in May, shows an index of 4 million birds, which is up 18 percent over the 2019 survey. It is the 13th highest count on record, and puts the state’s overall population 64 percent above the long-term average.
“Breeding duck numbers generally trend with wetland conditions,” said Mike Szymanski, migratory game bird supervisor. “The large number of ducks in North Dakota this spring can again be attributed to the large number of ducks that we have been producing for many years.”
Crews were turned into single person crews to make sure there was only one person in a vehicle and we changed some of the route assignments to accommodate the Covid restrictions said Szymanski.
“It was definitely quite a bit more work, and we are grateful that our crew members were up for the challenge.”
Survey results indicate numbers for all primary species were up from their 2019 estimates, with the exception of redheads, which was down 12 percent, but still above the long term average. Other ducks showed increases, included mallards (1 percent), gadwalls (6 percent), green-winged teal (66 percent), blue-winged teal (58 percent), bluebills (scaup) (58 percent), and canvasbacks (22 percent). All key species, besides pintails were well above the 72-year averages.
The number of temporary and seasonal wetlands was substantially higher than 2019, as figures show the spring water index is up 65 percent. This index is based on basins with water, and does not necessarily represent the amount of water contained in wetlands or the type of wetlands represented.
“Water conditions range from poor to excellent across the state,” Szymanski said. “When you start getting around the 4-million range, you are talking about very, very good duck numbers.”
The US Fish & Wildlife will soon release their fall survey, and if everything goes as predicted, the report will be very positive. So it’s time to get those decoys out, dust off the duck call and prepare for a great waterfowl season.
