Migratory Bird Hunting; Proposed Frameworks for Early-Season Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations; Notice of Meetings, 43265-43290 [2015-17718]
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Vol. 80
Tuesday,
No. 139
July 21, 2015
Part IV
Department of the Interior
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Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 20
Migratory Bird Hunting; Proposed Frameworks for Early-Season Migratory
Bird Hunting Regulations; Notice of Meetings; Proposed Rule
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 139 / Tuesday, July 21, 2015 / Proposed Rules
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 20
[Docket No. FWS–HQ–MB–2014–0064;
FF09M21200–156–FXMB1231099BPP0]
RIN 1018–BA67
Migratory Bird Hunting; Proposed
Frameworks for Early-Season
Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations;
Notice of Meetings
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; supplemental.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (hereinafter Service or we) is
proposing to establish the 2015–16
early-season hunting regulations for
certain migratory game birds. We
annually prescribe frameworks, or outer
limits, for dates and times when hunting
may occur and the maximum number of
birds that may be taken and possessed
in early seasons. Early seasons may
open as early as September 1, and
include seasons in Alaska, Hawaii,
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
These frameworks are necessary to
allow State selections of specific final
seasons and limits and to allow
recreational harvest at levels compatible
with population status and habitat
conditions. This proposed rule also
provides the regulatory alternatives for
the 2015–16 duck hunting seasons.
DATES: Comments: You must submit
comments on the proposed early-season
frameworks by July 31, 2015.
Meetings: The Service Migratory Bird
Regulations Committee (SRC) will meet
to consider and develop proposed
regulations for late-season migratory
bird hunting and the 2016 spring/
summer migratory bird subsistence
seasons in Alaska on July 29–30, 2015.
All meetings will commence at
approximately 8:30 a.m.
ADDRESSES: Comments: You may submit
comments on the proposals by one of
the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments
on Docket No. FWS–HQ–MB–2014–
0064.
• U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–HQ–
MB–2014–0064; Division of Policy,
Performance, and Management
Programs; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike,
Falls Church, VA 22041.
We will not accept emailed or faxed
comments. We will post all comments
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SUMMARY:
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on https://www.regulations.gov. This
generally means that your entire
submission—including any personal
identifying information—will be posted
on the Web site. See the Public
Comments section, below, for more
information.
Meetings: The Service Migratory Bird
Regulations Committee will meet at the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron
W. Kokel, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Department of the Interior, MS:
MB, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church,
VA 22041–3803; (703) 358–1967.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Regulations Schedule for 2015
On April 13, 2015, we published in
the Federal Register (80 FR 19852) a
proposal to amend 50 CFR part 20. The
proposal provided a background and
overview of the migratory bird hunting
regulations process, and addressed the
establishment of seasons, limits, and
other regulations for hunting migratory
game birds under §§ 20.101 through
20.107, 20.109, and 20.110 of subpart K.
Major steps in the 2015–16 regulatory
cycle relating to open public meetings
and Federal Register notifications were
also identified in the April 13 proposed
rule.
Further, we explained that all sections
of subsequent documents outlining
hunting frameworks and guidelines
were organized under numbered
headings. Those headings are:
1. Ducks
A. General Harvest Strategy
B. Regulatory Alternatives
C. Zones and Split Seasons
D. Special Seasons/Species Management
i. September Teal Seasons
ii. September Teal/Wood Duck Seasons
iii. Black ducks
iv. Canvasbacks
v. Pintails
vi. Scaup
vii. Mottled ducks
viii. Wood ducks
ix. Youth Hunt
x. Mallard Management Units
xi. Other
2. Sea Ducks
3. Mergansers
4. Canada Geese
A. Special Seasons
B. Regular Seasons
C. Special Late Seasons
5. White-fronted Geese
6. Brant
7. Snow and Ross’s (Light) Geese
8. Swans
9. Sandhill Cranes
10. Coots
11. Moorhens and Gallinules
12. Rails
13. Snipe
14. Woodcock
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15. Band-tailed Pigeons
16. Doves
17. Alaska
18. Hawaii
19. Puerto Rico
20. Virgin Islands
21. Falconry
22. Other
Subsequent documents will refer only
to numbered items requiring attention.
Therefore, it is important to note that we
will omit those items requiring no
attention, and remaining numbered
items will be discontinuous and appear
incomplete.
On June 11, 2015, we published in the
Federal Register (80 FR 33223) a second
document providing supplemental
proposals for early- and late-season
migratory bird hunting regulations. The
June 11 supplement also provided
detailed information on the 2015–16
regulatory schedule and announced the
SRC and Flyway Council meetings.
This document, the third in a series
of proposed, supplemental, and final
rulemaking documents for migratory
bird hunting regulations, deals
specifically with proposed frameworks
for early-season regulations and the
regulatory alternatives for the 2015–16
duck hunting seasons. It will lead to
final frameworks from which States may
select season dates, shooting hours, and
daily bag and possession limits for the
2015–16 season.
We have considered all pertinent
comments received through June 26,
2015, on the April 13 and June 11, 2015,
rulemaking documents in developing
this proposed rule. In addition, new
proposals for certain early-season
regulations are provided for public
comment. Comment periods are
specified above under DATES. We will
publish final regulatory frameworks for
early seasons in the Federal Register on
or about August 16, 2015.
Service Migratory Bird Regulations
Committee Meetings
Participants at the June 24–25, 2015,
meetings reviewed information on the
current status of migratory shore and
upland game birds and developed 2015–
16 migratory game bird regulations
recommendations for these species plus
regulations for migratory game birds in
Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin
Islands; special September waterfowl
seasons in designated States; special sea
duck seasons in the Atlantic Flyway;
and extended falconry seasons. In
addition, we reviewed and discussed
preliminary information on the status of
waterfowl.
Participants at the previously
announced July 29–30, 2015, meetings
will review information on the current
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status of waterfowl and develop
recommendations for the 2015–16
regulations pertaining to regular
waterfowl seasons and other species and
seasons not previously discussed at the
early-season meetings. In accordance
with Department of the Interior policy,
these meetings are open to public
observation and you may submit
comments on the matters discussed.
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Population Status and Harvest
The following paragraphs provide
preliminary information on the status of
waterfowl and information on the status
and harvest of migratory shore and
upland game birds excerpted from
various reports. For more detailed
information on methodologies and
results, you may obtain complete copies
of the various reports at the address
indicated under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT or from our Web
site at https://www.fws.gov/
migratorybirds/
NewsPublicationsReports.html.
Waterfowl Breeding and Habitat Survey
Federal, provincial, and State
agencies conduct surveys each spring to
estimate the size of waterfowl breeding
populations and to evaluate the
conditions of the habitats. These
surveys are conducted using fixed-wing
aircraft, helicopters, and ground crews
and encompass principal breeding areas
of North America, covering an area over
2.0 million square miles. The traditional
survey area comprises Alaska, Canada,
and the northcentral United States, and
includes approximately 1.3 million
square miles. The eastern survey area
includes parts of Ontario, Quebec,
Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia,
Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick,
New York, and Maine, an area of
approximately 0.7 million square miles.
Despite an early spring over most of
the survey area, habitat conditions were
similar to or poorer than last year. In
many areas, the decline in habitat
conditions was due to average to belowaverage annual precipitation, with the
exception of portions of southern
Saskatchewan and central latitudes of
eastern Canada. The total pond estimate
(Prairie Canada and United States
combined) was 6.3 ± 0.2 million, which
was 12 percent below the 2014 estimate
of 7.2 ± 0.2 million and 21 percent
above the long-term average of 5.2 ±
0.03 million.
Traditional Survey Area (U.S. and
Canadian Prairies and Parklands)
Spring came early across the
traditional survey area, particularly in
relation to 2013 and 2014. Much of the
Canadian prairies had average to below-
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average winter precipitation and aboveaverage temperatures. Best moisture
conditions were centered in southern
Saskatchewan, but nearly all of prairie
Canada experienced below-normal
spring precipitation. The 2015 estimate
of ponds in Prairie Canada was 4.2 ± 0.1
million. This estimate was 10 percent
below the 2014 estimate of 4.6 ± 0.2
million and 19 percent above the longterm average (3.5 ± 0.02 million).
Annual winter precipitation was lower
in the northern part of the survey area;
the Parklands, however, continue to
benefit from hold-over water. The boreal
region and Alaska exhibited drier
conditions, but an early spring and no
flooding should aid waterfowl
production. Most of the Canadian
portion of the traditional survey area
was rated as fair or good this year with
areas of excellent conditions that
received greater annual precipitation.
Following a relatively mild winter,
the U.S. prairies also recorded an early
spring, although precipitation since last
summer was average to mostly below
average. Habitat conditions declined
from 2014 in Montana and the Dakotas
despite significant rainfall in May,
which came too late to benefit most
nesting waterfowl. The 2015 pond
estimate for the northcentral United
States was 2.2 ± 0.09 million which was
16 percent below the 2014 estimate of
2.6 ± 0.1 million and 28 percent above
the long-term average (1.7 ± 0.02
million).
Eastern Survey Area
Winter and spring temperatures in the
eastern survey area were again well
below normal. February was the coldest
on record in Maine and the State had
near-record snowfall. Average to aboveaverage winter and spring precipitation
was confined to central latitudes of
Ontario and Quebec and the Maritimes
whereas far western and southeastern
Ontario and northern and extreme
southern Quebec received well belowaverage precipitation. Even with an
early spring in the survey area, a
protracted thaw produced little flooding
in areas that had received above-average
precipitation, therefore assisting
waterfowl production.
Status of Teal
The estimate of blue-winged teal from
the traditional survey area is 8.5
million. This count was similar to 2014,
and is 73 percent above the 1955–2014
average.
Sandhill Cranes
The annual indices to abundance of
the Mid-Continent Population (MCP) of
sandhill cranes have been relatively
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stable since 1982, but over the past few
years the trend is slightly increasing.
The preliminary spring 2015 index for
sandhill cranes in the Central Platte
River Valley (CPRV), Nebraska,
uncorrected for visibility bias, was
325,956 birds. This estimate is 4 percent
lower than the long-term average for the
ocular estimate. The 3-year average for
photo-corrected counts (which are more
accurate than ocular estimates because
they account for birds present but not
seen by aerial crews) for 2012–14 was
620,841, which is above the established
population-objective range of 349,000–
472,000 cranes. All Central Flyway
States, except Nebraska, allowed crane
hunting in portions of their States
during 2014–15. An estimated 7,825
Central Flyway hunters participated in
these seasons, which was 24 percent
lower than the number that participated
in the previous season. Hunters
harvested 15,776 MCP cranes in the U.S.
portion of the Central Flyway during the
2014–15 seasons, which was 27 percent
lower than the harvest for the previous
year but 6 percent higher than the longterm average. The retrieved harvest of
MCP cranes in hunt areas outside of the
Central Flyway (Arizona, Pacific Flyway
portion of New Mexico, Minnesota,
Alaska, Canada, and Mexico combined)
was 13,221 during 2014–15. The
preliminary estimate for the North
American MCP sport harvest, including
crippling losses, was 32,666 birds,
which was a 19 percent decrease from
the previous year’s estimate. The longterm (1982–2012) trends for the MCP
indicate that harvest has been increasing
at a higher rate than population growth.
The fall 2014 pre-migration survey for
the Rocky Mountain Population (RMP)
resulted in a count of 19,668 cranes. The
3-year average was 18,482 sandhill
cranes, which is within the established
population objective of 17,000–21,000
for the RMP. Hunting seasons during
2014–15 in portions of Arizona, Idaho,
Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and
Wyoming resulted in a harvest of 624
RMP cranes, an 8 percent decrease from
the previous year’s harvest.
The Lower Colorado River Valley
Population (LCRVP) survey results
indicate a 24 percent decrease from
3,353 birds in 2014 to 2,536 birds in
2015. The 3-year average is 2,989
LCRVP cranes, which is above the
population objective of 2,500.
The Eastern Population (EP) sandhill
crane fall survey index (83,479)
increased by 30 percent in 2014, and a
combined total of 401 cranes were
harvested in Kentucky’s fourth hunting
season and Tennessee’s second season.
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Woodcock
The American woodcock (Scolopax
minor) is managed as two management
regions, the Eastern and the Central.
Singing Ground and Wing-collection
Surveys are conducted to assess
population status. The Singing Ground
Survey is intended to measure long-term
changes in woodcock population levels.
Singing Ground Survey data for 2015
indicate that the number of singing male
woodcock per route in the Eastern and
Central Management Regions was
unchanged from 2014. There was a
statistically significant, declining 10year trend in woodcock heard for the
Eastern Management Region during
2005–15, while the 10-year trend in the
Central Management Region was not
significant. This marks the second year
in a row that the 10-year trend in the
Eastern Management Region has shown
a decline. Both management regions
have a long-term (1968–2015) declining
trend (¥1.1 percent per year in the
Eastern Management Region and ¥0.7
percent per year in the Central
Management Region).
The Wing-collection Survey provides
an index to recruitment. Wingcollection Survey data indicate that the
2014 recruitment index for the U.S.
portion of the Eastern Region (1.49
immatures per adult female) was 6.9
percent less than the 2013 index, and
8.9 percent less than the long-term
(1963–2013) average. The recruitment
index for the U.S. portion of the Central
Region (1.39 immatures per adult
female) was 9.7 percent less than the
2013 index and 10.6 percent less than
the long-term (1963–2013) average.
During last year’s seasons, hunters in
the Eastern Region harvested 58,600
birds, which was 6.2 percent below the
number for the previous season and 31.4
percent below the long-term (1999–
2013) average. In the Central Region,
141,500 woodcock were harvested, 21.4
percent less than in 2013 and 36.5
percent less than the long-term average.
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Band-Tailed Pigeons
Two subspecies of band-tailed pigeon
occur north of Mexico, and are managed
as two separate populations: Interior
and Pacific Coast. Information on the
abundance and harvest of band-tailed
pigeons is collected annually in the
United States and British Columbia.
Abundance information comes from the
Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the
Mineral Site Survey (MSS, specific to
the Pacific Coast Population). Harvest
and hunter participation are estimated
from the Migratory Bird Harvest
Information Program (HIP). The BBS
provided evidence that the abundance
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of Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeons
decreased (¥1.8 percent per year) over
the long term (1968–2014). No trends in
abundance were evident during the
recent 10- and 5-year periods for both
the BBS and MSS. Harvest estimates
indicate that 2,900 active hunters took
12,000 pigeons and spent 8,800 days
afield in 2014. Composition of harvest
was 25 percent hatching-year pigeons.
For Interior band-tailed pigeons, the
BBS provided evidence that abundance
decreased (¥5.5 percent per year) over
the long term (1968–2014). Similar to
Pacific Coast birds, no trends in
abundance were evident during the
recent 10- and 5-year periods. An
estimated 1,500 hunters harvested 1,500
pigeons and spent 3,300 days afield in
2014.
Mourning Doves
Doves in the United States are
managed in three management units,
Eastern (EMU), Central (CMU), and
Western (WMU). We annually
summarize information collected in the
United States on survival, recruitment,
abundance, and harvest of mourning
doves. We report on trends in the
number of doves heard and seen per
route from the all-bird BBS, and provide
absolute abundance estimates based on
band recovery and harvest data. Harvest
and hunter participation are estimated
from the HIP.
BBS data suggested that the
abundance of mourning doves over the
last 49 years increased in the Eastern
Management Unit (EMU) and decreased
in the Central (CMU) and Western
(WMU) Management Units. Estimates of
absolute abundance are available only
since 2003 and indicate that there are
about 274 million doves in the United
States. In 2014, abundance varied
among the management units with 68.2
million in the EMU, 161.6 million in the
CMU, and 43.6 million in the WMU.
Current (2014) HIP estimates for
mourning dove total harvest, active
hunters, and total days afield in the
United States were 13,809,500 birds,
839,600 hunters, and 2,386,700 days
afield. Harvest and hunter participation
at the unit level were: EMU, 4,889,800
birds, 310,200 hunters, and 791,300
days afield; CMU, 7,654,700 birds,
427,100 hunters, and 1,333,600 days
afield; and WMU, 1,265,000 birds,
102,300 hunters, and 261,800 days
afield.
Review of Public Comments
The preliminary proposed rulemaking
(April 13, 2015; 80 FR 19852) opened
the public comment period for
migratory game bird hunting regulations
and announced the proposed regulatory
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alternatives for the 2015–16 duck
hunting season. Comments concerning
early-season issues and the proposed
alternatives are summarized below and
numbered in the order used in the April
13, 2015, Federal Register document.
Only the numbered items pertaining to
early-season issues and the proposed
regulatory alternatives for which we
received written comments are
included. Consequently, the issues do
not follow in consecutive numerical or
alphabetical order.
We received recommendations from
all four Flyway Councils. Some
recommendations supported
continuation of last year’s frameworks.
Due to the comprehensive nature of the
annual review of the frameworks
performed by the Councils, support for
continuation of last year’s frameworks is
assumed for items for which no
recommendations were received.
Council recommendations for changes
in the frameworks are summarized
below.
We seek additional information and
comments on the recommendations in
this supplemental proposed rule. New
proposals and modifications to
previously described proposals are
discussed below. Wherever possible,
they are discussed under headings
corresponding to the numbered items in
the April 13. 2015, Federal Register
document.
General
Written Comments: A commenter
protested the entire migratory bird
hunting regulations process, the killing
of all migratory birds, and status and
habitat data on which the migratory bird
hunting regulations are based.
Service Response: Our long-term
objectives continue to include providing
opportunities to harvest portions of
certain migratory game bird populations
and to limit harvests to levels
compatible with each population’s
ability to maintain healthy, viable
numbers. Having taken into account the
zones of temperature and the
distribution, abundance, economic
value, breeding habits, and times and
lines of flight of migratory birds, we
believe that the hunting seasons
provided for herein are compatible with
the current status of migratory bird
populations and long-term population
goals. Additionally, we are obligated to,
and do, give serious consideration to all
information received as public
comment. We believe that the FlywayCouncil system of migratory bird
management has been a longstanding,
successful example of State-Federal
cooperative management since its
establishment in 1952. However, as
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always, we continue to seek new ways
to streamline and improve the process.
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1. Ducks
Categories used to discuss issues
related to duck harvest management are:
(A) General Harvest Strategy; (B)
Regulatory Alternatives, including
specification of framework dates, season
lengths, and bag limits; (C) Zones and
Split Seasons; and (D) Special Seasons/
Species Management. The categories
correspond to previously published
issues/discussions, and only those
containing substantial recommendations
are discussed below.
A. General Harvest Strategy
Council Recommendations: The
Mississippi Flyway Council
recommended that regulations changes
be restricted to one step per year, both
when restricting as well as liberalizing
hunting regulations.
The Pacific Flyway Council
recommended removing the objective
constraint for the western mallard
Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM)
protocol.
Service Response: As we stated in the
April 13, 2015, proposed rule, we
intend to continue use of AHM to help
determine appropriate duck-hunting
regulations for the 2015–16 season.
AHM is a tool that permits sound
resource decisions in the face of
uncertain regulatory impacts, as well as
providing a mechanism for reducing
that uncertainty over time. The current
AHM protocol is used to evaluate four
alternative regulatory levels based on
the population status of mallards and
their breeding habitat (i.e., abundance of
ponds). Special hunting restrictions are
enacted for certain species, such as
canvasbacks, black ducks, scaup, and
pintails.
Regarding the Mississippi Flyway
Council recommendation to limit
regulatory changes to one step per year,
we recognize the long-standing interest
by the Council to impose a one-step
constraint on regulatory changes. In the
past, we have not endorsed this
recommendation due to the pending
completion of the Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)
on migratory bird hunting. With the
recently completed SEIS, we are now
transitioning to a new regulatory
process. At the same time, the Central
and Mississippi Flyways have begun a
new effort to re-visit the AHM protocol
for managing harvest of mid-continent
mallards (i.e., ‘‘double-looping’’). This
effort will include a discussion of
appropriate management objectives,
regulatory packages, and management of
non-mallard stocks. We believe that
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these discussions would be the
appropriate venue to discuss what role,
if any, a one-step constraint might play
in management of waterfowl in the
Central and Mississippi Flyways. Such
discussions should include the potential
impact of a one-step constraint on the
frequency of when the liberal, moderate,
and restrictive packages would be
recommended. On a final note, while
we recognize the Council’s concern
about potentially communicating a large
regulatory change to hunters, we have
concerns about the appropriateness of a
one-step constraint in situations when
the status of the waterfowl resource may
warrant such a measure. We look
forward to working with the Flyway
Councils on this issue.
In 2008, we described and adopted a
protocol for regulatory decision-making
for the newly defined stock of western
mallards (73 FR 43290; July 24, 2008).
We continue to believe that the
prescribed regulatory choice for the
Pacific Flyway should be based on the
status of this western mallard breeding
stock. However, as we previously
discussed in the April 13, 2015,
proposed rule, the current early and
late-season regulatory actions will be
combined into a new single process
beginning with the 2016–17 seasons.
Migratory bird hunting regulations will
be based on predictions from models
derived from long-term biological
information and established harvest
strategies. Adjustment to western
mallard AHM for the new regulatory
process was straightforward, except for
the implementation of the objective
function constraint that has been in use
since 2008. Efforts to implement this
constraint with new optimization
methods were unsuccessful, and
assessment results suggest that the
objective function constraint used in
western mallard AHM may not be
necessary or performing as previously
envisioned. The Pacific Flyway Council
has expressed interest in continued
cooperation in working with the Service
to clarify western mallard AHM
objectives. During 2016, the technical
representatives from the Pacific Flyway
Council in conjunction with the Harvest
Management Working Group will
review harvest management objectives,
incorporate additional mallard breeding
stocks (i.e., those in Washington and
British Columbia), and consider
constraints to minimize large annual
changes in regulation packages with
relatively small changes in population
size (e.g., moving from liberal to closed
seasons in successive years with no
moderate or restrictive intermediate
steps).
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We will propose a specific regulatory
alternative for each of the Flyways
during the 2015–16 season after survey
information becomes available later this
summer. More information on AHM is
located at https://www.fws.gov/birds/
management/adaptive-harvestmanagement.php.
As we stated above, for the 2016–17
season, the current early and late-season
regulatory actions will be combined into
a new single process. Migratory bird
hunting regulations will be based on
predictions from models derived from
long-term biological information and
established harvest strategies. Since
1995, the Service and Flyway Councils
have applied the principles of adaptive
management to inform harvest
management decisions in the face of
uncertainty while trying to learn about
system (bird populations) responses to
harvest regulations and environmental
changes. Prior to the timing and process
changes necessary for implementation
of SEIS 2013, the annual AHM process
began with the observation of the
system state each spring followed by an
updating of model weights and the
derivation of an optimal harvest policy
that was then used to make a statedependent decision (i.e., breeding
population estimates were used with a
policy matrix to inform harvest
regulatory decisions). The system state
then evolves over time in response to
the decision and natural variation in
population dynamics. The following
spring, the monitoring programs observe
the state of the system and the iterative
decision-making process continues
forward in time. However, with the
changes in decision timing specified by
the SEIS, the post-survey AHM process
will not be possible because monitoring
information describing the system state
will not be available at the time the
decision must be made. As a result, the
optimization framework used to derive
the current harvest policy can no longer
calculate current and future harvest
values as a function of the current
system and model states. To address
this issue, we adjusted the optimization
procedures to calculate harvest values
conditional on the last observed system
state and regulatory decision.
Results and analysis of our work is
contained in a technical report that
provides a summary of revised methods
and assessment results based on
updated AHM protocols developed in
response to the preferred alternative
specified in the SEIS. The report
describes necessary changes to
optimization procedures and decision
processes for the implementation of
AHM for midcontinent, eastern and
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western mallards, northern pintails, and
scaup decision frameworks.
Results indicate that the necessary
adjustments to the optimization
procedures and AHM protocols to
account for changes in decision timing
are not expected to result in major
changes to expected management
performance for mallard, pintail, and
scaup AHM. In general, pre-survey (or
pre-SEIS necessary changes) harvest
policies were similar to harvest policies
based on new post-survey (or post-SEIS
necessary changes) AHM protocols. We
found some subtle differences in the
degree to which strategies exhibited
knife-edged regulatory changes in the
pre-survey policies with a reduction in
the number of cells indicating moderate
regulations. In addition, pre-survey
policies became more liberal when
conditioning on previous regulatory
decisions that were more conservative.
These patterns were consistent for each
AHM decision-making framework.
Overall, a comparison of simulation
results of the pre- and post-survey
protocols did not suggest substantive
changes in the frequency of regulations
or in the expected average population
size. These results suggest that the
additional form of uncertainty that the
change in decision timing introduces is
not expected to limit our expected
harvest management performance with
the adoption of the pre-survey AHM
protocols.
A complete copy of the AHM report
can be found on www.regulations.gov or
at https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/
pdf/management/AHM/
SEIS&AHMReportFinal.pdf.
B. Regulatory Alternatives
Council Recommendations: The
Mississippi and Central Flyway
Councils recommended that regulatory
alternatives for duck hunting seasons
remain the same as those used in 2014–
15.
Service Response: The regulatory
alternatives proposed in the April 13,
2015, Federal Register will be used for
the 2015–16 hunting season (see
accompanying table at the end of this
proposed rule for specifics). In 2005, the
AHM regulatory alternatives were
modified to consist only of the
maximum season lengths, framework
dates, and bag limits for total ducks and
mallards. Restrictions for certain species
within these frameworks that are not
covered by existing harvest strategies
will be addressed during the late-season
regulations process. For those species
with specific harvest strategies
(canvasbacks, pintails, black ducks, and
scaup), those strategies will again be
used for the 2015–16 hunting season.
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C. Zones and Split Seasons
Council Recommendations: The
Mississippi and Central Flyway
Councils recommended no changes to
the existing zone and split season
guidelines. However, they further
recommended that States be provided
the option of changing duck zones and
split arrangements in either the 2016–17
or 2017–18 seasons, with the next open
season in 2021 for the 2021–25 period.
Service Response: Zones and split
seasons are ‘‘special regulations’’
designed to distribute hunting
opportunities and harvests according to
temporal, geographic, and demographic
variability in waterfowl and other
migratory game bird populations. For
ducks, States have been allowed the
option of dividing their allotted hunting
days into two (or in some cases three)
segments to take advantage of speciesspecific peaks of abundance or to satisfy
hunters in different areas who want to
hunt during the peak of waterfowl
abundance in their area. However, the
split-season option does not fully satisfy
many States that wish to provide a more
equitable distribution of harvest
opportunities. Therefore, we also have
allowed the establishment of
independent seasons in up to four zones
within States for the purpose of
providing more equitable distribution of
harvest opportunity for hunters
throughout the State.
In 1978, we prepared an
environmental assessment (EA) on the
use of zones to set duck hunting
regulations. A primary tenet of the 1978
EA was that zoning would be for the
primary purpose of providing equitable
distribution of duck hunting
opportunities within a State or region
and not for the purpose of increasing
total annual waterfowl harvest in the
zoned areas. In fact, target harvest levels
were to be adjusted downward if they
exceeded traditional levels as a result of
zoning. Subsequent to the 1978 EA, we
conducted a review of the use of zones
and split seasons in 1990. In 2011, we
prepared a new EA analyzing some
specific proposed changes to the zone
and split season guidelines. The current
guidelines were then finalized in 2011
(76 FR 53536; August 26, 2011).
Currently, every 5 years, States are
afforded the opportunity to change the
zoning and split season configuration
within which they set their annual duck
hunting regulations. The next regularly
scheduled open season for changes to
zone and split season configurations is
in 2016, for use during the 2016–20
period. However, as we discussed in the
September 23, 2014, Federal Register
(79 FR 56864), and the April 13, 2015,
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Federal Register (80 FR 19852), we are
implementing significant changes to the
annual regulatory process as outlined in
the 2013 SEIS. As such, the previously
identified May 1, 2016, due date for
zone and split season configuration
changes that was developed under the
current regulatory process, is too late for
those States wishing to change zone and
split season configurations for
implementation in the 2016–17 season.
Under the new regulatory schedule, we
anticipate publishing the proposed rule
for all 2016–17 migratory bird seasons
sometime this fall—approximately 30
days after the SRC meeting (which is
scheduled for October 28–29, 2015). A
final rule tentatively would be
published 75 days after the proposed
rule (no later than April 1). This
schedule would preclude inclusion of
new zone descriptions in the proposed
rule as had been done in past open
seasons and would not be appropriate
because it would preclude the ability for
the public to comment on these new
individual State zone descriptions.
Therefore, we need to include any new
proposed 2016–20 zone descriptions in
the 2016–17 hunting seasons proposed
rule document that will be published
later this year.
Considering all of the above, we agree
with the Mississippi and Central Flyway
Councils and have decided that a twophase approach is appropriate. For
those States wishing to change zone and
split season configurations in time for
the 2016–17 season, we will need to
receive new configuration and zone
descriptions by December 1, 2015.
States that do not send in new zone and
split season configuration changes until
the previously identified May 1, 2016,
deadline will have those changes
implemented in the 2017–18 hunting
season. The next scheduled open season
would remain in 2021 for the 2021–25
seasons.
For the current open season, the
guidelines for duck zone and split
season configurations will be as follows:
Guidelines for Duck Zones and Split
Seasons
The following zone and split-season
guidelines apply only for the regular
duck season:
(1) A zone is a geographic area or
portion of a State, with a contiguous
boundary, for which independent dates
may be selected for the regular duck
season.
(2) Consideration of changes for
management-unit boundaries is not
subject to the guidelines and provisions
governing the use of zones and split
seasons for ducks.
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(3) Only minor (less than a county in
size) boundary changes will be allowed
for any grandfathered arrangement, and
changes are limited to the open season.
(4) Once a zone and split option is
selected during an open season, it must
remain in place for the following 5
years.
Any State may continue the
configuration used in the previous 5year period. If changes are made, the
zone and split-season configuration
must conform to one of the following
options:
(1) No more than four zones with no
splits,
(2) Split seasons (no more than 3
segments) with no zones, or
(3) No more than three zones with the
option for 2-way (2-segment) split
seasons in one, two, or all zones.
Grandfathered Zone and Split
Arrangements
When we first implemented the zone
and split guidelines in 1991, several
States had completed experiments with
zone and split arrangements different
from our original options. We offered
those States a one-time opportunity to
continue (‘‘grandfather’’) those
arrangements, with the stipulation that
only minor changes could be made to
zone boundaries. If any of those States
now wish to change their zone and split
arrangement:
(1) The new arrangement must
conform to one of the 3 options
identified above; and
(2) The State cannot go back to the
grandfathered arrangement that it
previously had in place.
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Management Units
We will continue to utilize the
specific limitations previously
established regarding the use of zones
and split seasons in special management
units, including the High Plains Mallard
Management Unit. We note that the
original justification and objectives
established for the High Plains Mallard
Management Unit provided for
additional days of hunting opportunity
at the end of the regular duck season. In
order to maintain the integrity of the
management unit, current guidelines
prohibit simultaneous zoning and/or 3way split seasons within a management
unit and the remainder of the State.
Removal of this limitation would allow
additional proliferation of zone and
split configurations and compromise the
original objectives of the management
unit.
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D. Special Seasons/Species
Management
i. September Teal Seasons
Utilizing the criteria developed for the
teal season harvest strategy, this year’s
estimate of 8.3 million blue-winged teal
from the traditional survey area
indicates that a 16-day September teal
season in the Atlantic, Central, and
Mississippi Flyways is appropriate for
2015.
4. Canada Geese
A. Special Seasons
Council Recommendations: The
Pacific Flyway Council recommended
increasing season length from 7 to 15
days and the daily bag limit from 2 to
5 for Canada geese in Idaho.
Service Response: We agree with the
Pacific Flyway Council’s request to
increase the Canada goose season length
and daily bag limit in Idaho. The special
early Canada goose hunting season is
generally designed to reduce or control
overabundant resident Canada goose
populations. Increasing the season
length from 7 to 15 days and the daily
bag limit from 2 to 5 geese in Idaho may
help reduce or control the abundance of
resident Canada geese.
B. Regular Seasons
Council Recommendations: The
Mississippi Flyway Council
recommended that the framework
opening date for all species of geese for
the regular goose seasons in the Lower
Peninsula of Michigan and Wisconsin
be September 16, 2015, and in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan be
September 11, 2015.
Service Response: We concur with
recommended framework opening
dates. Michigan, beginning in 1998, and
Wisconsin, beginning in 1989, have
opened their regular Canada goose
seasons prior to the Flyway-wide
framework opening date to address
resident goose management concerns in
these States. As we have previously
stated (73 FR 50678, August 27, 2008),
we agree with the objective to increase
harvest pressure on resident Canada
geese in the Mississippi Flyway and
will continue to consider the opening
dates in both States as exceptions to the
general Flyway opening date, to be
reconsidered annually. The framework
closing date for the early goose season
in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is
September 10. By changing the
framework opening date for the regular
season to September 11 in the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan there will be no
need to close goose hunting in that area
for 5 days and thus lose the ability to
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maintain harvest pressure on resident
Canada geese. We note that the most
recent resident Canada goose estimate
for the Mississippi Flyway was
1,461,000 geese during the spring of
2014, above the Flyway’s population
goal of 1.18 to 1.40 million birds.
6. Brant
As we discussed in the June 11, 2015,
Federal Register (80 FR 33223), for the
2015–16 Atlantic brant season, we will
continue to use the existing Flyway
Cooperative Management Plan for this
species to determine the appropriate
hunting regulations. However, as we
discuss below, the process for
determining regulations for the 2016–17
season will need to be modified. In the
April 30, 2014 (79 FR 24512), and the
April 13, 2015 (80 FR 19852), Federal
Registers, we discussed how, under the
new regulatory process, the current
early- and late-season regulatory actions
will be combined into a new single
process beginning with the 2016–17
seasons. Regulatory proposals will be
developed using biological data from
the preceding year(s), model
predictions, and/or most recently
accumulated data that are available at
the time the proposals are being
formulated. Individual harvest strategies
will be modified using data from the
previous year(s) because the current
year’s data would not be available for
many of the strategies.
Further, we stated that during this
transition period, harvest strategies and
prescriptions would be modified to fit
into the new regulatory schedule.
Atlantic brant is one such species that
will require some modifications to the
regulatory process that we have largely
used since 1992 to establish the annual
frameworks.
In developing the annual proposed
frameworks for Atlantic brant in the
past, the Atlantic Flyway Council and
the Service used the number of brant
counted during the Mid-winter
Waterfowl Survey (MWS) in the
Atlantic Flyway, and took into
consideration the brant population’s
expected productivity that summer. The
MWS is conducted each January, and
expected brant productivity is based on
early-summer observations of breeding
habitat conditions and nesting effort in
important brant nesting areas. Thus, the
data under consideration were available
before the annual Flyway and SRC
decision-making meetings took place in
late July. Although the existing
regulatory alternatives for Atlantic brant
were developed by factoring together
long-term productivity rates (observed
during November and December
productivity surveys) with estimated
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observed harvest under different
framework regulations, the primary
decision-making criterion for selecting
the annual frameworks was the MWS
count.
In the April 13, 2015, Federal
Register (80 FR 19852), we presented
the major steps in the 2016–17
regulatory cycle relating to biological
information availability, open public
meetings, and Federal Register
notifications. Under the new regulatory
schedule due to be implemented this
fall and winter for the 2016–17
migratory bird hunting regulations,
neither the expected 2016 brant
production information (available
summer 2016) nor the 2016 MWS count
(conducted in January 2016) will be
available this October, when the
decisions on proposed Atlantic brant
frameworks for the 2016–17 seasons
must be made. However, the 2016 MWS
will be completed and winter brant data
will be available by the expected
publication of the final frameworks (late
February 2016). Therefore, we are
proposing frameworks for Atlantic brant
in 2016–17 using the process laid out
below, with the final decision to be
determined by the 2016 MWS count:
If the MWS count is <100,000 Atlantic
brant, the season will be closed.
If the MWS count is between 100,000
and 125,000 brant, States may select a
30-day season between the Saturday
nearest September 24 and January 31,
with a 2-bird daily bag limit. States may
split their seasons into 2 segments.
If the MWS count is between 125,000
and 150,000 brant, States may select a
50-day season between the Saturday
nearest September 24 and January 31,
with a 2-bird daily bag limit. States may
split their seasons into 2 segments.
If the MWS count is between 150,000
and 200,000 brant, States may select a
60-day season between the Saturday
nearest September 24 and January 31,
with a 2-bird daily bag limit. States may
split their seasons into 2 segments.
If the MWS count is >200,000 brant,
States may select a 60-day season
between the Saturday nearest September
24 and January 31, with a 3-bird daily
bag limit. States may split their seasons
into 2 segments.
We note that the proposed
prescriptive regulatory frameworks
listed above are identical to those
contained in the Atlantic Flyway
Council’s current Atlantic brant hunt
plan (2011), with the exception of
considering expected brant production.
However, at this time our new
regulatory schedule will likely preclude
any formal consideration of the brant
population’s expected productivity in
the summer. While our proposed
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process would be a slight change to the
existing mechanics of the Atlantic brant
hunt plan, we believe it would have no
significant effects on the long-term
conservation of the Atlantic brant
resource.
For a more detailed discussion of the
various technical aspects of the new
regulatory process, we refer the reader
to the 2013 SEIS on our Web site at
https://www.fws.gov/birds/index.php.
8. Swans
Council Recommendations: In March
the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Central
Flyway Councils recommended
increasing tundra swan permit numbers
by 25 percent (2,400 permits) for the
2015–16 season, if the final 3-year
running average mid-winter count
exceeds 110,000 Eastern Population
tundra swans, in accordance with the
Eastern Population tundra swan
management plan.
Service Response: At the June 24–25
SRC meeting, the Atlantic, Mississippi,
and Central Flyway Councils withdrew
their recommendations to increase
tundra swan permit numbers because
the final 3-year running average midwinter count did not exceed 110,000
Eastern Population tundra swans.
9. Sandhill Cranes
Council Recommendations: The
Atlantic and Mississippi Flyway
Councils recommended that Kentucky
be granted an operational sandhill crane
hunting season beginning in 2015
following the guidelines established in
the Eastern Population of Sandhill
Cranes Management Plan (EP
Management Plan). Kentucky’s
operational season would consist of a
maximum season length of 60 days
(with no splits) to be held between
September 1 and January 31, with a
daily bag limit of 2 birds, and a season
limit of 3 birds. Hunting would occur
between sunrise and sunset. Per the
guidelines set forth in the EP
Management Plan, and based on the
State’s 5-year peak average of 12,072
birds, Kentucky would be allowed to
issue a maximum of 1,207 tags during
the 2015–16 season. These permits
would be divided among 400 permitted
hunters. Hunters would be required to
take mandatory whooping crane
identification training, utilize Serviceapproved nontoxic shot shells, tag birds,
report harvest daily via Kentucky’s
reporting system, and complete a postseason survey.
The Central and Pacific Flyway
Councils recommended using the Rocky
Mountain Population (RMP) sandhill
crane harvest allocation of 938 birds as
proposed in the allocation formula
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using the 3-year running population
average for 2012–14. The Councils also
recommended that, under the new
annual regulatory process beginning
with the 2016–17 season, the harvest
strategy described in the Pacific and
Central Flyway Management Plan for
RMP sandhill cranes be published in the
proposed season frameworks and be
used to determine allowable harvest.
They recommended that the final
allowable harvest each year be included
in the final season frameworks
published in February.
The Pacific Flyway Council
recommended some minor changes to
the hunt area boundaries in Idaho to
simplify and clarify hunt area
descriptions. More specifically, Area 5
would now include all of Franklin
County, and Area 1 would include all of
Caribou County except that portion
lying within the Grays Lake Basin. The
Pacific Flyway Council also
recommended eliminating the Lower
Colorado River Valley Population
(LCRVP) experimental season.
Service Response: We agree with the
recommendation to grant operational
status to Kentucky’s sandhill crane
hunting season. Kentucky held an
experimental sandhill crane season
during 2011–13 and was granted an
additional year in order to finalize
analysis of the first 3 years of data
collected during the experiment. The
structure of the experimental seasons
conformed to the frameworks outlined
in the Eastern Population of Sandhill
Cranes Management Plan. Harvest of
sandhill cranes in Kentucky during
2011–13 ranged from 59 to 96 birds per
year. This level of annual harvest was
well below the allowable annual harvest
of 1,174 birds determined by the permit
allocation system outlined in the
management plan. Therefore, we believe
that Kentucky’s crane season should
continue on an operational basis, and
that seasons should conform to the
frameworks and permit guidelines
outlined in the Eastern Population of
Sandhill Cranes Management Plan.
We also agree with the Central and
Pacific Flyway Councils’
recommendations on the RMP sandhill
crane harvest allocation of 938 cranes
for the 2015–16 season, as outlined in
the RMP sandhill crane management
plan’s hunting area requirements and
harvest allocation formula. The
objective for RMP sandhill cranes is to
manage for a stable population index of
17,000–21,000 cranes determined by an
average of the three most recent, reliable
September (fall pre-migration) surveys.
Additionally, the RMP management
plan allows for the regulated harvest of
cranes when the 3-year average of the
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population indices exceeds 15,000
cranes. The most recent 3-year average
for the RMP sandhill crane fall index is
18,482 birds, a slight increase from the
previous 3-year average of 17,757
cranes.
Regarding the RMP crane harvest and
the new regulatory process, this issue is
very similar to the Atlantic brant issue
discussed above under 6. Brant.
Currently, results of the fall survey of
RMP sandhill cranes, upon which the
annual allowable harvest is based, will
continue to be released between
December 15 and January 31 each year,
which is after the date for which
proposed frameworks will be
formulated in the new regulatory
process. If the usual procedures for
determining allowable harvest were
used, data 2–4 years old would be used
to determine the annual allocation for
RMP sandhill cranes. Due to the
variability in fall survey counts and
recruitment for this population, and
their impact on the annual harvest
allocations, we agree that relying on
data that is 2–4 years old is not ideal.
Thus, we agree that the formula to
determine the annual allowable harvest
for RMP sandhill cranes should be used
under the new regulatory schedule and
propose to utilize it as such. That
formula uses information on abundance
and recruitment collected annually
through operational monitoring
programs, as well as constant values
based on past research or monitoring for
survival of fledglings to breeding age
and harvest retrieval rate. The formula
is:
H=C×P×R×L×f
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where:
H = total annual allowable harvest;
C = the average of the three most recent,
reliable fall population indices;
P = the average proportion of fledged chicks
in the fall population in the San Luis
Valley during the most recent 3 years for
which data are available;
R = estimated recruitment of fledged chicks
to breeding age (current estimate is 0.5);
L = retrieval rate of 0.80 (allowance for an
estimated 20 percent crippling loss based
on hunter interviews); and
f = (C/16,000) (a variable factor used to adjust
the total harvest to achieve a desired
effect on the entire population)
A final estimate for the allowable
harvest would be available to publish in
the final rule, allowing us to use data
that is 1–3 years old as is currently
practiced. We look forward to
continuing discussions and work on the
RMP crane issue with the Central and
Pacific Flyway Councils this summer in
preparation for the 2016–17 season.
We also agree with the Pacific Flyway
Council’s recommendation for minor
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changes to the existing RMP sandhill
crane hunting area boundaries in Idaho.
The boundary adjustments are intended
to simplify and clarify existing hunting
area boundary descriptions, and are
consistent with the Pacific and Central
Flyway Council’s RMP sandhill crane
management plan hunting area
requirements.
Finally, we also agree with the Pacific
Flyway Council’s recommendation to
eliminate the LCRVP sandhill crane
experimental hunting season. As
requested by the Pacific Flyway Council
in 2006 (71 FR 51407, August 29, 2006),
we authorized in 2007 a carefully
controlled, very limited experimental
season for LCRVP sandhill cranes in
Arizona based on our final
environmental assessment (72 FR
49624, August 28, 2007). In 2009, the
Pacific Flyway Council recommended
extending the experimental season for
LCRVP sandhill cranes in Arizona for an
additional 3 years (74 FR 43009, August
25, 2009). The extension was necessary
due to implementation difficulties that
prohibited initiating the new hunt. We
continued to support the establishment
of the 3-year experimental framework
for this hunt, conditional on successful
monitoring being conducted as called
for in the Flyway hunting plan for this
population. Subsequently, the only
hunting season successfully
implemented in Arizona for this
population was in 2010 where 5 youth
participated and no cranes were
harvested. The Pacific Flyway Council
has indicated in their recent
recommendation that there are no plans
to hunt this population in the near
future.
population may be expanding and
competing with native species. As such,
in 2010, we established a Control Order
in 50 CFR 21.53 in order to control
possible expansion of the species (75 FR
9314, March 1, 2010). However, there
has never been a sport hunting season
established in the United States for
purple swamphens. Consequently, we
believe a new hunting season for purple
swamphens would require appropriate
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) coverage. Since a NEPA analysis
of this proposal has not yet been
conducted, we do not support the
Council’s recommendation at this time.
We will reconsider it after appropriate
NEPA analysis has been completed.
11. Moorhens and Gallinules
Council Recommendations: The
Atlantic Flyway Council recommended
allowing the hunting of purple
swamphens (Porphyrio porphyria) in
Florida beginning in 2015. They
recommended that hunting be allowed
during any open waterfowl season and
that all regulations in 50 CFR 20
subparts C and D would apply. Further,
they recommended a daily bag limit of
25 birds, with a possession limit of 75.
They also recommended that we
exclude this species from monitoring
programs.
Service Response: Purple swamphens
are a species native to the U.S.
Territories of American Samoa, Baker
and Howland Islands, and Guam, and
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands and as such are protected under
50 CFR 10.13. In Florida, purple
swamphens are an introduced species
that likely resulted from escapees.
Available data indicate that the
15. Band-Tailed Pigeons
Council Recommendations: The
Central and Pacific Flyway Councils
recommended decreasing the season
length from 30 days to 14 days, and
decreasing the daily bag limit from 5 to
2 for the Interior Population of bandtailed pigeons.
Service Response: We agree with the
Central and Pacific Flyway Councils’
recommendations to decrease season
length from 30 to 14 days and daily bag
limit from 5 to 2 birds for Interior bandtailed pigeons. Last year (79 FR 51405,
August 28, 2014), we recommended that
the Councils work together and with the
Service’s Division of Migratory Bird
Management to review available
information and conduct an assessment
of the harvest potential of this
population. We also requested they
advise us of the results of this
assessment and develop a regulatory
recommendation using this information
at our June 2015 regulatory meeting.
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14. Woodcock
In 2011, we implemented an interim
harvest strategy for woodcock for a
period of 5 years (2011–15) (76 FR
19876, April 8, 2011). The interim
harvest strategy provides a transparent
framework for making regulatory
decisions for woodcock season length
and bag limit while we work to improve
monitoring and assessment protocols for
this species. Utilizing the criteria
developed for the interim strategy, the
3-year average for the Singing Ground
Survey indices and associated
confidence intervals fall within the
‘‘moderate package’’ for both the Eastern
and Central Management Regions. As
such, a ‘‘moderate season’’ for both
management regions for the 2015–16
woodcock hunting season is
appropriate. Specifics of the interim
harvest strategy can be found at https://
www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/
NewsPublicationsReports.html.
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Technical representatives from the
Central and Pacific Flyway Councils
and the Service’s Division of Migratory
Bird Management met in Denver on
October 23–24, 2014, to discuss an
approach to assessing harvest potential
and review available demographic data
for interior band-tailed pigeons. At the
meeting in Denver, participants agreed
on using the Potential Take Level
framework (PTL) for the harvest
potential assessment. The objective of
this PTL assessment was to derive an
estimate of allowable harvest to
compare with the best estimate of
observed harvest after accounting for
uncertainty of demographic parameters
(i.e., survival, reproduction, and
population size). The assessment used
all available demographic information
for this species, albeit limited, but the
information is dated and may not
adequately represent extant conditions.
Also, current abundance is largely
unknown, and estimated hunter harvest
is highly imprecise and may be biased
high relative to the true value.
Considering all the data, their precision,
and potential biases, the assessment
suggested that a conservative approach
to harvest management for this
population is warranted. Results were
consistent with those of earlier
investigators (1992) that reported low
harvest potential for the Pacific Coast
band-tailed pigeon. Results of the
assessment provide a transparent
approach to help inform the regulatory
decision-making process for this
population until additional information
becomes available or a formal harvest
strategy is developed. The PTL
assessment could be updated if
improved information on estimated
hunter harvest and population size
becomes available.
16. Mourning Doves
Council Recommendations: The
Atlantic and Mississippi Flyway
Councils recommended use of the
‘‘standard’’ season framework
comprising a 90-day season and 15-bird
daily bag limit for States within the
Eastern Management Unit. The daily bag
limit could be composed of mourning
doves and white-winged doves, singly
or in combination.
The Mississippi and Central Flyway
Councils recommended the use of the
‘‘standard’’ season package of a 15-bird
daily bag limit and a 70-day season for
the 2015–16 mourning dove season in
the States within the Central
Management Unit.
The Pacific Flyway Council
recommended use of the ‘‘standard’’
season framework for States in the
Western Management Unit (WMU)
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population of mourning doves. In Idaho,
Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington,
the season length would be no more
than 60 consecutive days with a daily
bag limit of 15 mourning and whitewinged doves in the aggregate. In
Arizona and California, the season
length would be no more than 60
consecutive days, which could be split
between two periods, September 1–15
and November 1–January 15. In
Arizona, during the first segment of the
season, the daily bag limit would be 15
mourning and white-winged doves in
the aggregate, of which no more than 10
could be white-winged doves. During
the remainder of the season, the daily
bag limit would be 15 mourning doves.
In California, the daily bag limit would
be 15 mourning and white-winged
doves in the aggregate, of which no
more than 10 could be white-winged
doves.
The Central Flyway Council also
recommended that the Service,
beginning with the 2016–17 hunting
season, adopt a new ‘‘standard’’ season
package framework comprised of a 90day season and 15-bird daily bag limit
for States within the Central
Management Unit.
Service Response: Based on the
harvest strategies and current
population status, we agree with the
recommended selection of the
‘‘standard’’ season frameworks for doves
in the Eastern, Central, and Western
Management Units for the 2015–16
seasons.
We do not support the
recommendation by the Central Flyway
to increase the length of the dove season
to 90 days for the 2016–17 season at this
time. We understand that the Central
Flyway will continue to work with the
Mississippi Flyway in the coming
months to develop a joint
recommendation to increase the season
length, and we would consider such a
recommendation at that time.
Lastly, as we discussed in the April
13, 2015, Federal Register (80 FR
19852), 2016 is the next open season for
changes to dove zone and split
configurations for the 2016–20 period.
The current guidelines were approved
in 2006 (see July 28, 2006, Federal
Register, 71 FR 43008), for the use of
zones and split seasons for doves with
implementation beginning in the 2007–
08 season. While the initial period was
for 4 years (2007–10), we further stated
that, beginning in 2011, zoning would
conform to a 5-year period.
As discussed above under C. Zones
and Split Seasons for ducks, because of
unintentional and unanticipated issues
with changing the regulatory schedule
for the 2016–17 season, we have
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decided that a two-phase approach is
appropriate. For those States wishing to
change zone and split season
configurations in time for the 2016–17
season, we will need to receive that new
configuration and zone descriptions by
December 1, 2015. For those States that
do not send in zone and split season
configuration changes until the
previously identified May 1, 2016,
deadline, we will implement those
changes in the 2017–18 hunting season.
The next normally scheduled open
season will be in 2021 for the 2021–25
seasons.
For the current open season, the
guidelines for dove zone and split
season configurations will be as follows:
Guidelines for Dove Zones and Split
Seasons in the Eastern and Central
Mourning Dove Management Units
(1) A zone is a geographic area or
portion of a State, with a contiguous
boundary, for which independent
seasons may be selected for dove
hunting.
(2) States may select a zone and split
option during an open season. The
option must remain in place for the
following 5 years except that States may
make a one-time change and revert to
their previous zone and split
configuration in any year of the 5-year
period. Formal approval will not be
required, but States must notify the
Service before making the change.
(3) Zoning periods for dove hunting
will conform to those years used for
ducks, e.g., 2016–20.
(4) The zone and split configuration
consists of two zones with the option for
3-way (3-segment) split seasons in one
or both zones. As a grandfathered
arrangement, Texas will have three
zones with the option for 2-way
(2-segment) split seasons in one, two, or
all three zones.
(5) States that do not wish to zone for
dove hunting may split their seasons
into no more than 3 segments.
For the 2016–20 period, any State
may continue the configuration used in
2011–15. If changes are made, the zone
and split-season configuration must
conform to one of the options listed
above. If Texas uses a new configuration
for the entirety of the 5-year period, it
cannot go back to the grandfathered
arrangement that it previously had in
place.
18. Alaska
Council Recommendations: The
Pacific Flyway Council recommended
two changes in the Alaska early-season
frameworks. Specifically, they
recommended:
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1. For white-fronted geese in Unit 18
(Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta), increasing
the daily bag limit from 8 to 10.
2. For Canada geese in Units 6–B, 6–
C, and on Hinchinbrook and Hawkins
Islands in Unit 6–D, increasing the
possession limit from two times to three
times the daily bag limit.
Service Response: We agree with the
Pacific Flyway Council’s
recommendation to increase the daily
bag limit from 8 to 10 white-fronted
geese in Unit 18. The recent 3-year
(2012–14) average fall population of
Pacific white-fronted geese was 627,108
geese, and is well above the population
objective of 300,000 geese as identified
in the Pacific Flyway Council’s
management plan for this population.
The Yukon-Kuskowim Delta (Unit 18)
supports more than 95 percent of the
breeding population of Pacific whitefronted geese.
We also agree with the Pacific Flyway
Council’s recommendation to increase
the possession limit for Canada geese
from two times to three times the daily
bag limit in Units 6–B, 6–C, and on
Hinchinbrook and Hawkins Islands in
Unit 6–D. The recent 3-year (2011–14,
no estimate was available in 2013)
average breeding population of dusky
Canada geese was 13,678 geese, and is
the highest 3-year average since 1995.
The dusky Canada goose annual
population index has increased steadily
since 2009, and 2014 (15,574) is the
highest value since 2005. The status of
dusky Canada geese continues to be of
concern, and harvest restrictions have
been and remain in place to protect
these geese throughout their range since
the 1970s. We continue to support the
harvest strategy described in the Pacific
Flyway Council’s management plan for
this population.
Public Comments
The Department of the Interior’s
policy is, whenever possible, to afford
the public an opportunity to participate
in the rulemaking process. Accordingly,
we invite interested persons to submit
written comments, suggestions, or
recommendations regarding the
proposed regulations. Before
promulgating final migratory game bird
hunting regulations, we will consider all
comments we receive. These comments,
and any additional information we
receive, may lead to final regulations
that differ from these proposals.
You may submit your comments and
materials concerning this proposed rule
by one of the methods listed in
ADDRESSES. We will not accept
comments sent by email or fax. We will
not consider hand-delivered comments
that we do not receive, or mailed
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comments that are not postmarked, by
the date specified in DATES.
We will post all comments in their
entirety—including your personal
identifying information—on https://
www.regulations.gov. Before including
your address, phone number, email
address, or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Comments and materials we receive,
as well as supporting documentation we
used in preparing this proposed rule,
will be available for public inspection
on https://www.regulations.gov, or by
appointment, during normal business
hours, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Division of Migratory Bird
Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls
Church, VA 22041–3803.
For each series of proposed
rulemakings, we will establish specific
comment periods. We will consider, but
possibly may not respond in detail to,
each comment. As in the past, we will
summarize all comments we receive
during the comment period and respond
to them after the closing date in the
preambles of any final rules.
Required Determinations
Based on our most current data, we
are affirming our required
determinations made in the April 13,
2015, proposed rule (80 FR 19852); see
that document, for descriptions of our
actions to ensure compliance with the
following statutes and Executive Orders:
• National Environmental Policy Act;
• Endangered Species Act;
• Regulatory Planning and Review;
• Regulatory Flexibility Act;
• Small Business Regulatory
Enforcement Fairness Act;
• Paperwork Reduction Act;
• Unfunded Mandates Reform Act;
• Executive Orders 12630, 12988,
13175, 13132, and 13211.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 20
Exports, Hunting, Imports, Reporting
and recordkeeping requirements,
Transportation, Wildlife.
These rules that are proposed to be
promulgated for the 2015–16 hunting
season are authorized under 16 U.S.C.
703–712 and 16 U.S.C. 742 a–j.
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Dated: July 9, 2015.
Michael J. Bean,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish
and Wildlife and Parks.
Proposed Regulations Frameworks for
2015–16 Early Hunting Seasons on
Certain Migratory Game Birds
Pursuant to the Migratory Bird Treaty
Act and delegated authorities, the
Department of the Interior approved the
following proposed frameworks, which
prescribe season lengths, bag limits,
shooting hours, and outside dates
within which States may select hunting
seasons for certain migratory game birds
between September 1, 2015, and March
10, 2016. These frameworks are
summarized below.
General
Dates: All outside dates noted below
are inclusive.
Shooting and Hawking (taking by
falconry) Hours: Unless otherwise
specified, from one-half hour before
sunrise to sunset daily.
Possession Limits: Unless otherwise
specified, possession limits are three
times the daily bag limit.
Permits: For some species of
migratory birds, the Service authorizes
the use of permits to regulate harvest or
monitor their take by sport hunters, or
both. In many cases (e.g., tundra swans,
some sandhill crane populations), the
Service determines the amount of
harvest that may be taken during
hunting seasons during its formal
regulations-setting process, and the
States then issue permits to hunters at
levels predicted to result in the amount
of take authorized by the Service. Thus,
although issued by States, the permits
would not be valid unless the Service
approved such take in its regulations.
These Federally authorized, Stateissued permits are issued to individuals,
and only the individual whose name
and address appears on the permit at the
time of issuance is authorized to take
migratory birds at levels specified in the
permit, in accordance with provisions of
both Federal and State regulations
governing the hunting season. The
permit must be carried by the permittee
when exercising its provisions and must
be presented to any law enforcement
officer upon request. The permit is not
transferrable or assignable to another
individual, and may not be sold,
bartered, traded, or otherwise provided
to another person. If the permit is
altered or defaced in any way, the
permit becomes invalid.
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Flyways and Management Units
Waterfowl Flyways
Atlantic Flyway—includes
Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Carolina, Vermont,
Virginia, and West Virginia.
Mississippi Flyway—includes
Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan,
Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio,
Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
Central Flyway—includes Colorado
(east of the Continental Divide), Kansas,
Montana (Counties of Blaine, Carbon,
Fergus, Judith Basin, Stillwater,
Sweetgrass, Wheatland, and all Counties
east thereof), Nebraska, New Mexico
(east of the Continental Divide except
the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation),
North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota,
Texas, and Wyoming (east of the
Continental Divide).
Pacific Flyway—includes Alaska,
Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada,
Oregon, Utah, Washington, and those
portions of Colorado, Montana, New
Mexico, and Wyoming not included in
the Central Flyway.
Management Units
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Mourning Dove Management Units
Eastern Management Unit—All States
east of the Mississippi River, and
Louisiana.
Central Management Unit—Arkansas,
Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota,
Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New
Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South
Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.
Western Management Unit—Arizona,
California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah,
and Washington.
Woodcock Management Regions
Eastern Management Region—
Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Carolina, Vermont,
Virginia, and West Virginia.
Central Management Region—
Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi,
Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee,
Texas, and Wisconsin.
Other geographic descriptions are
contained in a later portion of this
document.
Definitions
Dark geese: Canada geese, whitefronted geese, brant (except in Alaska,
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California, Oregon, Washington, and the
Atlantic Flyway), and all other goose
species, except light geese.
Light geese: Snow (including blue)
geese and Ross’s geese.
Waterfowl Seasons in the Atlantic
Flyway
In the Atlantic Flyway States of
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey,
North Carolina, and Pennsylvania,
where Sunday hunting is prohibited
Statewide by State law, all Sundays are
closed to all take of migratory waterfowl
(including mergansers and coots).
Special September Teal Season
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and September 30, an open season on
all species of teal may be selected by the
following States in areas delineated by
State regulations:
Atlantic Flyway—Delaware, Florida,
Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina,
South Carolina, and Virginia.
Mississippi Flyway—Alabama,
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan,
Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee,
and Wisconsin. The seasons in Iowa,
Michigan, and Wisconsin are
experimental.
Central Flyway—Colorado (part),
Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico (part),
Oklahoma, and Texas. The season in the
northern portion of Nebraska is
experimental.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag
Limits: Not to exceed 16 consecutive
hunting days in the Atlantic,
Mississippi, and Central Flyways. The
daily bag limit is 6 teal.
Shooting Hours:
Atlantic Flyway—One-half hour
before sunrise to sunset, except in South
Carolina, where the hours are from
sunrise to sunset.
Mississippi and Central Flyways—
One-half hour before sunrise to sunset,
except in the States of Arkansas,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and
Wisconsin, where the hours are from
sunrise to sunset.
Special September Duck Seasons
Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee: In
lieu of a special September teal season,
a 5-consecutive-day season may be
selected in September. The daily bag
limit may not exceed 6 teal and wood
ducks in the aggregate, of which no
more than 2 may be wood ducks. In
addition, a 4-consecutive-day
experimental season may be selected in
September either immediately before or
immediately after the 5-consecutive day
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teal/wood duck season. The daily bag
limit is 6 teal.
Iowa: In lieu of an experimental
special September teal season, Iowa may
hold up to 5 days of its regular duck
hunting season in September. All ducks
that are legal during the regular duck
season may be taken during the
September segment of the season. The
September season segment may
commence no earlier than the Saturday
nearest September 20 (September 19).
The daily bag and possession limits will
be the same as those in effect last year
but are subject to change during the lateseason regulations process. The
remainder of the regular duck season
may not begin before October 10.
Special Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days
Outside Dates: States may select 2
days per duck-hunting zone, designated
as ‘‘Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days,’’ in
addition to their regular duck seasons.
The days must be held outside any
regular duck season on a weekend,
holidays, or other non-school days
when youth hunters would have the
maximum opportunity to participate.
The days may be held up to 14 days
before or after any regular duck-season
frameworks or within any split of a
regular duck season, or within any other
open season on migratory birds.
Daily Bag Limits: The daily bag limits
may include ducks, geese, mergansers,
coots, and gallinules and will be the
same as those allowed in the regular
season. Flyway species and area
restrictions will remain in effect.
Shooting Hours: One-half hour before
sunrise to sunset.
Participation Restrictions: Youth
hunters must be 15 years of age or
younger. In addition, an adult at least 18
years of age must accompany the youth
hunter into the field. This adult may not
duck hunt, but may participate in other
seasons that are open on the special
youth day.
Scoters, Eiders, and Long-Tailed Ducks
(Atlantic Flyway)
Outside Dates: Between September 15
and January 31.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag
Limits: Not to exceed 107 days, with a
daily bag limit of 7, singly or in the
aggregate, of the listed sea duck species,
of which no more than 4 may be scoters.
Daily Bag Limits During the Regular
Duck Season: Within the special sea
duck areas, during the regular duck
season in the Atlantic Flyway, States
may choose to allow the above sea duck
limits in addition to the limits applying
to other ducks during the regular duck
season. In all other areas, sea ducks may
be taken only during the regular open
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season for ducks and are part of the
regular duck season daily bag (not to
exceed 4 scoters) and possession limits.
Areas: In all coastal waters and all
waters of rivers and streams seaward
from the first upstream bridge in Maine,
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, and New York; in
any waters of the Atlantic Ocean and in
any tidal waters of any bay which are
separated by at least 1 mile of open
water from any shore, island, and
emergent vegetation in New Jersey,
South Carolina, and Georgia; and in any
waters of the Atlantic Ocean and in any
tidal waters of any bay which are
separated by at least 800 yards of open
water from any shore, island, and
emergent vegetation in Delaware,
Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia;
and provided that any such areas have
been described, delineated, and
designated as special sea duck hunting
areas under the hunting regulations
adopted by the respective States.
Special Early Canada Goose Seasons
Atlantic Flyway
General Seasons
A Canada goose season of up to 15
days during September 1–15 may be
selected for the Eastern Unit of
Maryland. Seasons not to exceed 30
days during September 1–30 may be
selected for Connecticut, Florida,
Georgia, New Jersey, New York (Long
Island Zone only), North Carolina,
Rhode Island, and South Carolina.
Seasons may not exceed 25 days during
September 1–25 in the remainder of the
Flyway. Areas open to the hunting of
Canada geese must be described,
delineated, and designated as such in
each State’s hunting regulations.
Daily Bag Limits: Not to exceed 15
Canada geese.
Shooting Hours: One-half hour before
sunrise to sunset, except that during any
general season, shooting hours may
extend to one-half hour after sunset if
all other waterfowl seasons are closed in
the specific applicable area.
Mississippi Flyway
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General Seasons
Canada goose seasons of up to 15 days
during September 1–15 may be selected,
except in the Upper Peninsula in
Michigan, where the season may not
extend beyond September 10, and in
Minnesota, where a season of up to 22
days during September 1–22 may be
selected. The daily bag limit may not
exceed 5 Canada geese, except in
designated areas of Minnesota where the
daily bag limit may not exceed 10
Canada geese. Areas open to the hunting
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of Canada geese must be described,
delineated, and designated as such in
each State’s hunting regulations.
A Canada goose season of up to 10
consecutive days during September 1–
10 may be selected by Michigan for
Huron, Saginaw, and Tuscola Counties,
except that the Shiawassee National
Wildlife Refuge, Shiawassee River State
Game Area Refuge, and the Fish Point
Wildlife Area Refuge will remain
closed. The daily bag limit may not
exceed 5 Canada geese.
Shooting Hours: One-half hour before
sunrise to sunset, except that during
September 1–15 shooting hours may
extend to one-half hour after sunset if
all other waterfowl and crane seasons
are closed in the specific applicable
area.
daily bag limit is 5, except in Pacific
County where the daily bag limit is 15.
Wyoming may select an 8-day season
during September 1–15. The daily bag
limit is 3.
Areas open to hunting of Canada
geese in each State must be described,
delineated, and designated as such in
each State’s hunting regulations.
Central Flyway
Sandhill Cranes
General Seasons
Regular Seasons in the Mississippi
Flyway:
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and February 28 in Minnesota and
between September 1 and January 31 in
Kentucky.
Hunting Seasons: A season not to
exceed 37 consecutive days may be
selected in the designated portion of
northwestern Minnesota (Northwest
Goose Zone) and a season not to exceed
60 consecutive days in Kentucky.
Daily Bag Limit: 2 sandhill cranes. In
Kentucky the seasonal bag limit is 3
sandhill cranes.
Permits: Each person participating in
the regular sandhill crane seasons must
have a valid Federal or State sandhill
crane hunting permit.
Other Provisions: The number of
permits (where applicable), open areas,
season dates, protection plans for other
species, and other provisions of seasons
must be consistent with the
management plans and approved by the
Mississippi Flyway Council.
Experimental Season in the
Mississippi Flyway:
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and January 31.
Hunting Seasons: A season not to
exceed 60 consecutive days may be
selected in Tennessee.
Bag Limit: Not to exceed 3 daily and
3 per season in Tennessee.
Permits: Each person participating in
the regular sandhill crane season must
have a valid Federal or State sandhill
crane hunting permit.
Other Provisions: Numbers of permits,
open areas, season dates, protection
plans for other species, and other
provisions of seasons must be consistent
with the management plan and
approved by the Mississippi Flyway
Council.
In Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma,
South Dakota, and Texas, Canada goose
seasons of up to 30 days during
September 1–30 may be selected. In
Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota,
Montana, and Wyoming, Canada goose
seasons of up to 15 days during
September 1–15 may be selected. The
daily bag limit may not exceed 5 Canada
geese, except in Kansas, Nebraska, and
Oklahoma, where the daily bag limit
may not exceed 8 Canada geese and in
North Dakota and South Dakota, where
the daily bag limit may not exceed 15
Canada geese. Areas open to the hunting
of Canada geese must be described,
delineated, and designated as such in
each State’s hunting regulations.
Shooting Hours: One-half hour before
sunrise to sunset, except that during
September 1–15 shooting hours may
extend to one-half hour after sunset if
all other waterfowl and crane seasons
are closed in the specific applicable
area.
Pacific Flyway
General Seasons
California may select a 9-day season
in Humboldt County during September
1–15. The daily bag limit is 2.
Colorado may select a 9-day season
during September 1–15. The daily bag
limit is 4.
Oregon may select a 15-day season
during September 1–15, except that in
the Northwest Zone the season may be
during September 1–20. The daily bag
limit is 5.
Idaho may select a 15-day season
during September 1–15. The daily bag
limit is 5.
Washington may select a 15-day
season during September 1–15. The
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Regular Goose Seasons
Mississippi Flyway
Regular goose seasons may open as
early as September 11 in the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan and September
16 in Wisconsin and the Lower
Peninsula of Michigan. Season lengths,
bag and possession limits, and other
provisions will be established during
the late-season regulations process.
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Regular Seasons in the Central
Flyway:
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and February 28.
Hunting Seasons: Seasons not to
exceed 37 consecutive days may be
selected in designated portions of Texas
(Area 2). Seasons not to exceed 58
consecutive days may be selected in
designated portions of the following
States: Colorado, Kansas, Montana,
North Dakota, South Dakota, and
Wyoming. Seasons not to exceed 93
consecutive days may be selected in
designated portions of the following
States: New Mexico, Oklahoma, and
Texas.
Daily Bag Limits: 3 sandhill cranes,
except 2 sandhill cranes in designated
portions of North Dakota (Area 2) and
Texas (Area 2).
Permits: Each person participating in
the regular sandhill crane season must
have a valid Federal or State sandhill
crane hunting permit.
Special Seasons in the Central and
Pacific Flyways:
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana,
New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming may
select seasons for hunting sandhill
cranes within the range of the Rocky
Mountain Population (RMP) subject to
the following conditions:
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and January 31.
Hunting Seasons: The season in any
State or zone may not exceed 30
consecutive days.
Bag limits: Not to exceed 3 daily and
9 per season.
Permits: Participants must have a
valid permit, issued by the appropriate
State, in their possession while hunting.
Other Provisions: Numbers of permits,
open areas, season dates, protection
plans for other species, and other
provisions of seasons must be consistent
with the management plan and
approved by the Central and Pacific
Flyway Councils, with the following
exceptions:
A. In Utah, 100 percent of the harvest
will be assigned to the RMP quota;
B. In Arizona, monitoring the racial
composition of the harvest must be
conducted at 3-year intervals;
C. In Idaho, 100 percent of the harvest
will be assigned to the RMP quota; and
D. In New Mexico, the season in the
Estancia Valley is experimental, with a
requirement to monitor the level and
racial composition of the harvest;
greater sandhill cranes in the harvest
will be assigned to the RMP quota.
Common Moorhens and Purple
Gallinules
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and the last Sunday in January (January
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31) in the Atlantic, Mississippi, and
Central Flyways. States in the Pacific
Flyway have been allowed to select
their hunting seasons between the
outside dates for the season on ducks;
therefore, they are late-season
frameworks, and no frameworks are
provided in this document.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag
Limits: Seasons may not exceed 70 days
in the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Central
Flyways. Seasons may be split into 2
segments. The daily bag limit is 15
common moorhens and purple
gallinules, singly or in the aggregate of
the two species.
Zoning: Seasons may be selected by
zones established for duck hunting.
Rails
Outside Dates: States included herein
may select seasons between September
1 and the last Sunday in January
(January 31) on clapper, king, sora, and
Virginia rails.
Hunting Seasons: Seasons may not
exceed 70 days, and may be split into
2 segments.
Daily Bag Limits:
Clapper and King Rails—In
Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New
Jersey, and Rhode Island, 10, singly or
in the aggregate of the two species. In
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, 15, singly
or in the aggregate of the two species.
Sora and Virginia Rails—In the
Atlantic, Mississippi, and Central
Flyways and the Pacific Flyway
portions of Colorado, Montana, New
Mexico, and Wyoming, 25 rails, singly
or in the aggregate of the two species.
The season is closed in the remainder of
the Pacific Flyway.
Snipe
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and February 28, except in Connecticut,
Delaware, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York, Rhode Island,
Vermont, and Virginia, where the
season must end no later than January
31.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag
Limits: Seasons may not exceed 107
days and may be split into two
segments. The daily bag limit is 8 snipe.
Zoning: Seasons may be selected by
zones established for duck hunting.
American Woodcock
Outside Dates: States in the Eastern
Management Region may select hunting
seasons between October 1 and January
31. States in the Central Management
Region may select hunting seasons
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between the Saturday nearest September
22 (September 19) and January 31.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag
Limits: Seasons may not exceed 45 days
in the Eastern Region and 45 days in the
Central Region. The daily bag limit is 3.
Seasons may be split into two segments.
Zoning: New Jersey may select
seasons in each of two zones. The
season in each zone may not exceed 36
days.
Band-Tailed Pigeons
Pacific Coast States (California, Oregon,
Washington, and Nevada)
Outside Dates: Between September 15
and January 1.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag
Limits: Not more than 9 consecutive
days, with a daily bag limit of 2.
Zoning: California may select hunting
seasons not to exceed 9 consecutive
days in each of two zones. The season
in the North Zone must close by October
3.
Four-Corners States (Arizona,
Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah)
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and November 30.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag
Limits: Not more than 14 consecutive
days, with a daily bag limit of 2.
Zoning: New Mexico may select
hunting seasons not to exceed 14
consecutive days in each of two zones.
The season in the South Zone may not
open until October 1.
Doves
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and January 15, except as otherwise
provided, States may select hunting
seasons and daily bag limits as follows:
Eastern Management Unit
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag
Limits: Not more than 90 days, with a
daily bag limit of 15 mourning and
white-winged doves in the aggregate.
Zoning and Split Seasons: States may
select hunting seasons in each of two
zones. The season within each zone may
be split into not more than three
periods. Regulations for bag and
possession limits, season length, and
shooting hours must be uniform within
specific hunting zones.
Central Management Unit
For all States except Texas:
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag
Limits: Not more than 70 days, with a
daily bag limit of 15 mourning and
white-winged doves in the aggregate.
Zoning and Split Seasons: States may
select hunting seasons in each of two
zones. The season within each zone may
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be split into not more than three
periods.
Texas:
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag
Limits: Not more than 70 days, with a
daily bag limit of 15 mourning, whitewinged, and white-tipped doves in the
aggregate, of which no more than 2 may
be white-tipped doves.
Zoning and Split Seasons: Texas may
select hunting seasons for each of three
zones subject to the following
conditions:
A. The hunting season may be split
into not more than two periods, except
in that portion of Texas in which the
special white-winged dove season is
allowed, where a limited take of
mourning and white-tipped doves may
also occur during that special season
(see Special White-winged Dove Area).
B. A season may be selected for the
North and Central Zones between
September 1 and January 25; and for the
South Zone between the Friday nearest
September 20 (September 18), but not
earlier than September 17, and January
25.
C. Except as noted above, regulations
for bag and possession limits, season
length, and shooting hours must be
uniform within each hunting zone.
Special White-winged Dove Area in
Texas:
In addition, Texas may select a
hunting season of not more than 4 days
for the Special White-winged Dove Area
of the South Zone between September 1
and September 19. The daily bag limit
may not exceed 15 white-winged,
mourning, and white-tipped doves in
the aggregate, of which no more than 2
may be mourning doves and no more
than 2 may be white-tipped doves.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Western Management Unit
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag
Limits:
Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and
Washington—Not more than 60
consecutive days, with a daily bag limit
of 15 mourning and white-winged doves
in the aggregate.
Arizona and California—Not more
than 60 days, which may be split
between two periods, September 1–15
and November 1–January 15. In
Arizona, during the first segment of the
season, the daily bag limit is 15
mourning and white-winged doves in
the aggregate, of which no more than 10
could be white-winged doves. During
the remainder of the season, the daily
bag limit is 15 mourning doves. In
California, the daily bag limit is 15
mourning and white-winged doves in
the aggregate, of which no more than 10
could be white-winged doves.
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Alaska
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and January 26.
Hunting Seasons: Alaska may select
107 consecutive days for waterfowl,
sandhill cranes, and common snipe in
each of 5 zones. The season may be split
without penalty in the Kodiak Zone.
The seasons in each zone must be
concurrent.
Closures: The hunting season is
closed on emperor geese, spectacled
eiders, and Steller’s eiders.
Daily Bag and Possession Limits:
Ducks—Except as noted, a basic daily
bag limit of 7 ducks. Daily bag limits in
the North Zone are 10, and in the Gulf
Coast Zone, they are 8. The basic limits
may include no more than 1 canvasback
daily and may not include sea ducks.
In addition to the basic duck limits,
Alaska may select sea duck limits of 10
daily, singly or in the aggregate,
including no more than 6 each of either
harlequin or long-tailed ducks. Sea
ducks include scoters, common and
king eiders, harlequin ducks, long-tailed
ducks, and common and red-breasted
mergansers.
Light Geese—The daily bag limit is 4.
Canada Geese—The daily bag limit is
4 with the following exceptions:
A. In Units 5 and 6, the taking of
Canada geese is permitted from
September 28 through December 16.
B. On Middleton Island in Unit 6, a
special, permit-only Canada goose
season may be offered. A mandatory
goose identification class is required.
Hunters must check in and check out.
The bag limit is 1 daily and 1 in
possession. The season will close if
incidental harvest includes 5 dusky
Canada geese. A dusky Canada goose is
any dark-breasted Canada goose
(Munsell 10 YR color value five or less)
with a bill length between 40 and 50
millimeters.
D. In Units 9, 10, 17, and 18, the daily
bag limit is 6 Canada geese.
White-fronted Geese—The daily bag
limit is 4 with the following exceptions:
A. In Units 9, 10, and 17, the daily bag
limit is 6 white-fronted geese.
B. In Unit 18, the daily bag limit is 10
white-fronted geese.
Brant—The daily bag limit is 2.
Snipe—The daily bag limit is 8.
Sandhill cranes—The daily bag limit
is 2 in the Southeast, Gulf Coast,
Kodiak, and Aleutian Zones, and Unit
17 in the North Zone. In the remainder
of the North Zone (outside Unit 17), the
daily bag limit is 3.
Tundra Swans—Open seasons for
tundra swans may be selected subject to
the following conditions:
A. All seasons are by registration
permit only.
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B. All season framework dates are
September 1–October 31.
C. In Unit 17, no more than 200
permits may be issued during this
operational season. No more than 3
tundra swans may be authorized per
permit, with no more than 1 permit
issued per hunter per season.
D. In Unit 18, no more than 500
permits may be issued during the
operational season. No more than 3
tundra swans may be authorized per
permit. No more than 1 permit may be
issued per hunter per season.
E. In Unit 22, no more than 300
permits may be issued during the
operational season. No more than 3
tundra swans may be authorized per
permit. No more than 1 permit may be
issued per hunter per season.
F. In Unit 23, no more than 300
permits may be issued during the
operational season. No more than 3
tundra swans may be authorized per
permit. No more than 1 permit may be
issued per hunter per season.
Hawaii
Outside Dates: Between October 1 and
January 31.
Hunting Seasons: Not more than 65
days (75 under the alternative) for
mourning doves.
Bag Limits: Not to exceed 15 (12
under the alternative) mourning doves.
Note: Mourning doves may be taken
in Hawaii in accordance with shooting
hours and other regulations set by the
State of Hawaii, and subject to the
applicable provisions of 50 CFR part 20.
Puerto Rico
Doves and Pigeons
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and January 15.
Hunting Seasons: Not more than 60
days.
Daily Bag and Possession Limits: Not
to exceed 20 Zenaida, mourning, and
white-winged doves in the aggregate, of
which not more than 10 may be Zenaida
doves and 3 may be mourning doves.
Not to exceed 5 scaly-naped pigeons.
Closed Seasons: The season is closed
on the white-crowned pigeon and the
plain pigeon, which are protected by the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Closed Areas: There is no open season
on doves or pigeons in the following
areas: Municipality of Culebra,
Desecheo Island, Mona Island, El Verde
Closure Area, and Cidra Municipality
and adjacent areas.
Ducks, Coots, Moorhens, Gallinules,
and Snipe
Outside Dates: Between October 1 and
January 31.
Hunting Seasons: Not more than 55
days may be selected for hunting ducks,
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common moorhens, and common snipe.
The season may be split into two
segments.
Daily Bag Limits:
Ducks—Not to exceed 6.
Common moorhens—Not to exceed 6.
Common snipe—Not to exceed 8.
Closed Seasons: The season is closed
on the ruddy duck, white-cheeked
pintail, West Indian whistling duck,
fulvous whistling duck, and masked
duck, which are protected by the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The
season also is closed on the purple
gallinule, American coot, and Caribbean
coot.
Closed Areas: There is no open season
on ducks, common moorhens, and
common snipe in the Municipality of
Culebra and on Desecheo Island.
Virgin Islands
Doves and Pigeons
Outside Dates: Between September 1
and January 15.
Hunting Seasons: Not more than 60
days for Zenaida doves.
Daily Bag and Possession Limits: Not
to exceed 10 Zenaida doves.
Closed Seasons: No open season is
prescribed for ground or quail doves or
pigeons.
Closed Areas: There is no open season
for migratory game birds on Ruth Cay
(just south of St. Croix).
Local Names for Certain Birds:
Zenaida dove, also known as mountain
dove; bridled quail-dove, also known as
Barbary dove or partridge; common
ground-dove, also known as stone dove,
tobacco dove, rola, or tortolita; scalynaped pigeon, also known as red-necked
or scaled pigeon.
Ducks
Outside Dates: Between December 1
and January 31.
Hunting Seasons: Not more than 55
consecutive days.
Daily Bag Limits: Not to exceed 6.
Closed Seasons: The season is closed
on the ruddy duck, white-cheeked
pintail, West Indian whistling duck,
fulvous whistling duck, and masked
duck.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Special Falconry Regulations
Falconry is a permitted means of
taking migratory game birds in any State
meeting Federal falconry standards in
50 CFR 21.29. These States may select
an extended season for taking migratory
game birds in accordance with the
following:
Extended Seasons: For all hunting
methods combined, the combined
length of the extended season, regular
season, and any special or experimental
seasons must not exceed 107 days for
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any species or group of species in a
geographical area. Each extended season
may be divided into a maximum of 3
segments.
Framework Dates: Seasons must fall
between September 1 and March 10.
Daily Bag Limits: Falconry daily bag
limits for all permitted migratory game
birds must not exceed 3 birds, singly or
in the aggregate, during extended
falconry seasons, any special or
experimental seasons, and regular
hunting seasons in all States, including
those that do not select an extended
falconry season.
Regular Seasons: General hunting
regulations, including seasons and
hunting hours, apply to falconry in each
State listed in 50 CFR 21.29. Regular
season bag limits do not apply to
falconry. The falconry bag limit is not in
addition to gun limits.
Area, Unit, and Zone Descriptions
Doves
Alabama
South Zone—Baldwin, Barbour,
Coffee, Covington, Dale, Escambia,
Geneva, Henry, Houston, and Mobile
Counties.
North Zone—Remainder of the State.
Florida
Northwest Zone—The Counties of
Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin,
Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson,
Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton,
Washington, Leon (except that portion
north of U.S. 27 and east of State Road
155), Jefferson (south of U.S. 27, west of
State Road 59 and north of U.S. 98), and
Wakulla (except that portion south of
U.S. 98 and east of the St. Marks River).
South Zone—Remainder of State.
Louisiana
North Zone—That portion of the State
north of a line extending east from the
Texas border along State Highway 12 to
U.S. Highway 190, east along U.S. 190
to Interstate Highway 12, east along
Interstate Highway 12 to Interstate
Highway 10, then east along Interstate
Highway 10 to the Mississippi border.
South Zone—The remainder of the
State.
Mississippi
North Zone—That portion of the State
north and west of a line extending west
from the Alabama State line along U.S.
Highway 84 to its junction with State
Highway 35, then south along State
Highway 35 to the Louisiana State line.
South Zone—The remainder of
Mississippi.
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Texas
North Zone—That portion of the State
north of a line beginning at the
International Bridge south of Fort
Hancock; north along FM 1088 to TX 20;
west along TX 20 to TX 148; north along
TX 148 to I–10 at Fort Hancock; east
along I–10 to I–20; northeast along I–20
to I–30 at Fort Worth; northeast along I–
30 to the Texas-Arkansas State line.
South Zone—That portion of the State
south and west of a line beginning at the
International Bridge south of Del Rio,
proceeding east on U.S. 90 to State Loop
1604 west of San Antonio; then south,
east, and north along Loop 1604 to
Interstate Highway 10 east of San
Antonio; then east on I–10 to Orange,
Texas.
Special White-winged Dove Area in
the South Zone—That portion of the
State south and west of a line beginning
at the International Toll Bridge in Del
Rio; then northeast along U.S. Highway
277 Spur to U.S. Highway 90 in Del Rio;
then east along U.S. Highway 90 to State
Loop 1604; then along Loop 1604 south
and east to Interstate Highway 37; then
south along Interstate Highway 37 to
U.S. Highway 181 in Corpus Christi;
then north and east along U.S. 181 to
the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, then
eastwards along the south shore of the
Corpus Christi Ship Channel to the Gulf
of Mexico.
Central Zone—That portion of the
State lying between the North and South
Zones.
Band-tailed Pigeons
California
North Zone—Alpine, Butte, Del Norte,
Glenn, Humboldt, Lassen, Mendocino,
Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra,
Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties.
South Zone—The remainder of the
State.
New Mexico
North Zone—North of a line following
U.S. 60 from the Arizona State line east
to I–25 at Socorro and then south along
I–25 from Socorro to the Texas State
line.
South Zone—The remainder of the
State.
Washington
Western Washington—The State of
Washington excluding those portions
lying east of the Pacific Crest Trail and
east of the Big White Salmon River in
Klickitat County.
Woodcock
New Jersey
North Zone—That portion of the State
north of NJ 70.
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South Zone—The remainder of the
State.
Special Early Canada Goose Seasons
Atlantic Flyway
Connecticut
North Zone—That portion of the State
north of I–95.
South Zone—The remainder of the
State.
Maryland
Eastern Unit—Calvert, Caroline, Cecil,
Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen
Anne’s, St. Mary’s, Somerset, Talbot,
Wicomico, and Worcester Counties; and
that part of Anne Arundel County east
of Interstate 895, Interstate 97 and Route
3; that part of Prince George’s County
east of Route 3 and Route 301; and that
part of Charles County east of Route 301
to the Virginia State line.
Western Unit—Allegany, Baltimore,
Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard,
Montgomery, and Washington Counties
and that part of Anne Arundel County
west of Interstate 895, Interstate 97 and
Route 3; that part of Prince George’s
County west of Route 3 and Route 301;
and that part of Charles County west of
Route 301 to the Virginia State line.
Massachusetts
Western Zone—That portion of the
State west of a line extending south
from the Vermont border on I–91 to MA
9, west on MA 9 to MA 10, south on MA
10 to U.S. 202, south on U.S. 202 to the
Connecticut border.
Central Zone—That portion of the
State east of the Berkshire Zone and
west of a line extending south from the
New Hampshire border on I–95 to U.S.
1, south on U.S. 1 to I–93, south on I–
93 to MA 3, south on MA 3 to U.S. 6,
west on U.S. 6 to MA 28, west on MA
28 to I–195, west to the Rhode Island
border; except the waters, and the lands
150 yards inland from the high-water
mark, of the Assonet River upstream to
the MA 24 bridge, and the Taunton
River upstream to the Center St.-Elm St.
bridge will be in the Coastal Zone.
Coastal Zone—That portion of
Massachusetts east and south of the
Central Zone.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
New York
Lake Champlain Goose Area—The
same as the Lake Champlain Waterfowl
Hunting Zone, which is that area of New
York State lying east and north of a
continuous line extending along Route
11 from the New York-Canada
International boundary south to Route
9B, south along Route 9B to Route 9,
south along Route 9 to Route 22 south
of Keeseville, south along Route 22 to
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the west shore of South Bay along and
around the shoreline of South Bay to
Route 22 on the east shore of South Bay,
southeast along Route 22 to Route 4,
northeast along Route 4 to the New
York-Vermont boundary.
Northeast Goose Area—The same as
the Northeastern Waterfowl Hunting
Zone, which is that area of New York
State lying north of a continuous line
extending from Lake Ontario east along
the north shore of the Salmon River to
Interstate 81, south along Interstate
Route 81 to Route 31, east along Route
31 to Route 13, north along Route 13 to
Route 49, east along Route 49 to Route
365, east along Route 365 to Route 28,
east along Route 28 to Route 29, east
along Route 29 to Route 22 at
Greenwich Junction, north along Route
22 to Washington County Route 153,
east along CR 153 to the New YorkVermont boundary, exclusive of the
Lake Champlain Zone.
East Central Goose Area—That area of
New York State lying inside of a
continuous line extending from
Interstate Route 81 in Cicero, east along
Route 31 to Route 13, north along Route
13 to Route 49, east along Route 49 to
Route 365, east along Route 365 to
Route 28, east along Route 28 to Route
29, east along Route 29 to Route 147 at
Kimball Corners, south along Route 147
to Schenectady County Route 40 (West
Glenville Road), west along Route 40 to
Touareuna Road, south along Touareuna
Road to Schenectady County Route 59,
south along Route 59 to State Route 5,
east along Route 5 to the Lock 9 bridge,
southwest along the Lock 9 bridge to
Route 5S, southeast along Route 5S to
Schenectady County Route 58,
southwest along Route 58 to the NYS
Thruway, south along the Thruway to
Route 7, southwest along Route 7 to
Schenectady County Route 103, south
along Route 103 to Route 406, east along
Route 406 to Schenectady County Route
99 (Windy Hill Road), south along Route
99 to Dunnsville Road, south along
Dunnsville Road to Route 397,
southwest along Route 397 to Route 146
at Altamont, west along Route 146 to
Albany County Route 252, northwest
along Route 252 to Schenectady County
Route 131, north along Route 131 to
Route 7, west along Route 7 to Route 10
at Richmondville, south on Route 10 to
Route 23 at Stamford, west along Route
23 to Route 7 in Oneonta, southwest
along Route 7 to Route 79 to Interstate
Route 88 near Harpursville, west along
Route 88 to Interstate Route 81, north
along Route 81 to the point of
beginning.
West Central Goose Area—That area
of New York State lying within a
continuous line beginning at the point
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43281
where the northerly extension of Route
269 (County Line Road on the Niagara–
Orleans County boundary) meets the
International boundary with Canada,
south to the shore of Lake Ontario at the
eastern boundary of Golden Hill State
Park, south along the extension of Route
269 and Route 269 to Route 104 at
Jeddo, west along Route 104 to Niagara
County Route 271, south along Route
271 to Route 31E at Middleport, south
along Route 31E to Route 31, west along
Route 31 to Griswold Street, south along
Griswold Street to Ditch Road, south
along Ditch Road to Foot Road, south
along Foot Road to the north bank of
Tonawanda Creek, west along the north
bank of Tonawanda Creek to Route 93,
south along Route 93 to Route 5, east
along Route 5 to Crittenden-Murrays
Corners Road, south on CrittendenMurrays Corners Road to the NYS
Thruway, east along the Thruway 90 to
Route 98 (at Thruway Exit 48) in
Batavia, south along Route 98 to Route
20, east along Route 20 to Route 19 in
Pavilion Center, south along Route 19 to
Route 63, southeast along Route 63 to
Route 246, south along Route 246 to
Route 39 in Perry, northeast along Route
39 to Route 20A, northeast along Route
20A to Route 20, east along Route 20 to
Route 364 (near Canandaigua), south
and east along Route 364 to Yates
County Route 18 (Italy Valley Road),
southwest along Route 18 to Yates
County Route 34, east along Route 34 to
Yates County Route 32, south along
Route 32 to Steuben County Route 122,
south along Route 122 to Route 53,
south along Route 53 to Steuben County
Route 74, east along Route 74 to Route
54A (near Pulteney), south along Route
54A to Steuben County Route 87, east
along Route 87 to Steuben County Route
96, east along Route 96 to Steuben
County Route 114, east along Route 114
to Schuyler County Route 23, east and
southeast along Route 23 to Schuyler
County Route 28, southeast along Route
28 to Route 409 at Watkins Glen, south
along Route 409 to Route 14, south
along Route 14 to Route 224 at Montour
Falls, east along Route 224 to Route 228
in Odessa, north along Route 228 to
Route 79 in Mecklenburg, east along
Route 79 to Route 366 in Ithaca,
northeast along Route 366 to Route 13,
northeast along Route 13 to Interstate
Route 81 in Cortland, north along Route
81 to the north shore of the Salmon
River to shore of Lake Ontario,
extending generally northwest in a
straight line to the nearest point of the
International boundary with Canada,
south and west along the International
boundary to the point of beginning.
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Hudson Valley Goose Area—That area
of New York State lying within a
continuous line extending from Route 4
at the New York–Vermont boundary,
west and south along Route 4 to Route
149 at Fort Ann, west on Route 149 to
Route 9, south along Route 9 to
Interstate Route 87 (at Exit 20 in Glens
Falls), south along Route 87 to Route 29,
west along Route 29 to Route 147 at
Kimball Corners, south along Route 147
to Schenectady County Route 40 (West
Glenville Road), west along Route 40 to
Touareuna Road, south along Touareuna
Road to Schenectady County Route 59,
south along Route 59 to State Route 5,
east along Route 5 to the Lock 9 bridge,
southwest along the Lock 9 bridge to
Route 5S, southeast along Route 5S to
Schenectady County Route 58,
southwest along Route 58 to the NYS
Thruway, south along the Thruway to
Route 7, southwest along Route 7 to
Schenectady County Route 103, south
along Route 103 to Route 406, east along
Route 406 to Schenectady County Route
99 (Windy Hill Road), south along Route
99 to Dunnsville Road, south along
Dunnsville Road to Route 397,
southwest along Route 397 to Route 146
at Altamont, southeast along Route 146
to Main Street in Altamont, west along
Main Street to Route 156, southeast
along Route 156 to Albany County
Route 307, southeast along Route 307 to
Route 85A, southwest along Route 85A
to Route 85, south along Route 85 to
Route 443, southeast along Route 443 to
Albany County Route 301 at Clarksville,
southeast along Route 301 to Route 32,
south along Route 32 to Route 23 at
Cairo, west along Route 23 to Joseph
Chadderdon Road, southeast along
Joseph Chadderdon Road to Hearts
Content Road (Greene County Route 31),
southeast along Route 31 to Route 32,
south along Route 32 to Greene County
Route 23A, east along Route 23A to
Interstate Route 87 (the NYS Thruway),
south along Route 87 to Route 28 (Exit
19) near Kingston, northwest on Route
28 to Route 209, southwest on Route
209 to the New York–Pennsylvania
boundary, southeast along the New
York–Pennsylvania boundary to the
New York–New Jersey boundary,
southeast along the New York–New
Jersey boundary to Route 210 near
Greenwood Lake, northeast along Route
210 to Orange County Route 5, northeast
along Orange County Route 5 to Route
105 in the Village of Monroe, east and
north along Route 105 to Route 32,
northeast along Route 32 to Orange
County Route 107 (Quaker Avenue), east
along Route 107 to Route 9W, north
along Route 9W to the south bank of
Moodna Creek, southeast along the
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south bank of Moodna Creek to the New
Windsor–Cornwall town boundary,
northeast along the New Windsor–
Cornwall town boundary to the Orange–
Dutchess County boundary (middle of
the Hudson River), north along the
county boundary to Interstate Route 84,
east along Route 84 to the Dutchess–
Putnam County boundary, east along the
county boundary to the New York–
Connecticut boundary, north along the
New York–Connecticut boundary to the
New York–Massachusetts boundary,
north along the New York–
Massachusetts boundary to the New
York–Vermont boundary, north to the
point of beginning.
Eastern Long Island Goose Area (NAP
High Harvest Area)—That area of
Suffolk County lying east of a
continuous line extending due south
from the New York–Connecticut
boundary to the northernmost end of
Roanoke Avenue in the Town of
Riverhead; then south on Roanoke
Avenue (which becomes County Route
73) to State Route 25; then west on
Route 25 to Peconic Avenue; then south
on Peconic Avenue to County Route
(CR) 104 (Riverleigh Avenue); then
south on CR 104 to CR 31 (Old
Riverhead Road); then south on CR 31
to Oak Street; then south on Oak Street
to Potunk Lane; then west on Stevens
Lane; then south on Jessup Avenue (in
Westhampton Beach) to Dune Road (CR
89); then due south to international
waters.
Western Long Island Goose Area (RP
Area)—That area of Westchester County
and its tidal waters southeast of
Interstate Route 95 and that area of
Nassau and Suffolk Counties lying west
of a continuous line extending due
south from the New York–Connecticut
boundary to the northernmost end of the
Sunken Meadow State Parkway; then
south on the Sunken Meadow Parkway
to the Sagtikos State Parkway; then
south on the Sagtikos Parkway to the
Robert Moses State Parkway; then south
on the Robert Moses Parkway to its
southernmost end; then due south to
international waters.
Central Long Island Goose Area (NAP
Low Harvest Area)—That area of Suffolk
County lying between the Western and
Eastern Long Island Goose Areas, as
defined above.
South Goose Area—The remainder of
New York State, excluding New York
City.
Pennsylvania
Southern James Bay Population (SJBP)
Zone—The area north of I–80 and west
of I–79, including in the city of Erie
west of Bay Front Parkway to and
including the Lake Erie Duck Zone
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(Lake Erie, Presque Isle, and the area
within 150 yards of the Lake Erie
Shoreline).
Vermont
Lake Champlain Zone—The U.S.
portion of Lake Champlain and that area
north and west of the line extending
from the New York border along U.S. 4
to VT 22A at Fair Haven; VT 22A to U.S.
7 at Vergennes; U.S. 7 to VT 78 at
Swanton; VT 78 to VT 36; VT 36 to
Maquam Bay on Lake Champlain; along
and around the shoreline of Maquam
Bay and Hog Island to VT 78 at the West
Swanton Bridge; VT 78 to VT 2 in
Alburg; VT 2 to the Richelieu River in
Alburg; along the east shore of the
Richelieu River to the Canadian border.
Interior Zone—That portion of
Vermont east of the Lake Champlain
Zone and west of a line extending from
the Massachusetts border at Interstate
91; north along Interstate 91 to US 2;
east along US 2 to VT 102; north along
VT 102 to VT 253; north along VT 253
to the Canadian border.
Connecticut River Zone—The
remaining portion of Vermont east of
the Interior Zone.
Mississippi Flyway
Arkansas
Early Canada Goose Area—Baxter,
Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Conway,
Crawford, Faulkner, Franklin, Garland,
Hempstead, Hot Springs, Howard,
Johnson, Lafayette, Little River, Logan,
Madison, Marion, Miller, Montgomery,
Newton, Perry, Pike, Polk, Pope,
Pulaski, Saline, Searcy, Sebastian,
Sevier, Scott, Van Buren, Washington,
and Yell Counties.
Illinois
North September Canada Goose
Zone—That portion of the State north of
a line extending west from the Indiana
border along Interstate 80 to I–39, south
along I–39 to Illinois Route 18, west
along Illinois Route 18 to Illinois Route
29, south along Illinois Route 29 to
Illinois Route 17, west along Illinois
Route 17 to the Mississippi River, and
due south across the Mississippi River
to the Iowa border.
Central September Canada Goose
Zone—That portion of the State south of
the North September Canada Goose
Zone line to a line extending west from
the Indiana border along I–70 to Illinois
Route 4, south along Illinois Route 4 to
Illinois Route 161, west along Illinois
Route 161 to Illinois Route 158, south
and west along Illinois Route 158 to
Illinois Route 159, south along Illinois
Route 159 to Illinois Route 3, south
along Illinois Route 3 to St. Leo’s Road,
south along St. Leo’s road to Modoc
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Road, west along Modoc Road to Modoc
Ferry Road, southwest along Modoc
Ferry Road to Levee Road, southeast
along Levee Road to County Route 12
(Modoc Ferry entrance Road), south
along County Route 12 to the Modoc
Ferry route and southwest on the Modoc
Ferry route across the Mississippi River
to the Missouri border.
South September Canada Goose
Zone—That portion of the State south
and east of a line extending west from
the Indiana border along Interstate 70,
south along U.S. Highway 45, to Illinois
Route 13, west along Illinois Route 13
to Greenbriar Road, north on Greenbriar
Road to Sycamore Road, west on
Sycamore Road to N. Reed Station Road,
south on N. Reed Station Road to
Illinois Route 13, west along Illinois
Route 13 to Illinois Route 127, south
along Illinois Route 127 to State Forest
Road (1025 N), west along State Forest
Road to Illinois Route 3, north along
Illinois Route 3 to the south bank of the
Big Muddy River, west along the south
bank of the Big Muddy River to the
Mississippi River, west across the
Mississippi River to the Missouri
border.
South Central September Canada
Goose Zone—The remainder of the State
between the south border of the Central
Zone and the North border of the South
Zone
Iowa
North Zone—That portion of the State
north of U.S. Highway 20.
South Zone—The remainder of Iowa.
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Goose Zone—
Includes portions of Linn and Johnson
Counties bounded as follows: Beginning
at the intersection of the west border of
Linn County and Linn County Road
E2W; then south and east along County
Road E2W to Highway 920; then north
along Highway 920 to County Road E16;
then east along County Road E16 to
County Road W58; then south along
County Road W58 to County Road E34;
then east along County Road E34 to
Highway 13; then south along Highway
13 to Highway 30; then east along
Highway 30 to Highway 1; then south
along Highway 1 to Morse Road in
Johnson County; then east along Morse
Road to Wapsi Avenue; then south
along Wapsi Avenue to Lower West
Branch Road; then west along Lower
West Branch Road to Taft Avenue; then
south along Taft Avenue to County Road
F62; then west along County Road F62
to Kansas Avenue; then north along
Kansas Avenue to Black Diamond Road;
then west on Black Diamond Road to
Jasper Avenue; then north along Jasper
Avenue to Rohert Road; then west along
Rohert Road to Ivy Avenue; then north
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along Ivy Avenue to 340th Street; then
west along 340th Street to Half Moon
Avenue; then north along Half Moon
Avenue to Highway 6; then west along
Highway 6 to Echo Avenue; then north
along Echo Avenue to 250th Street; then
east on 250th Street to Green Castle
Avenue; then north along Green Castle
Avenue to County Road F12; then west
along County Road F12 to County Road
W30; then north along County Road
W30 to Highway 151; then north along
the Linn–Benton County line to the
point of beginning.
Des Moines Goose Zone—Includes
those portions of Polk, Warren, Madison
and Dallas Counties bounded as follows:
Beginning at the intersection of
Northwest 158th Avenue and County
Road R38 in Polk County; then south
along R38 to Northwest 142nd Avenue;
then east along Northwest 142nd
Avenue to Northeast 126th Avenue;
then east along Northeast 126th Avenue
to Northeast 46th Street; then south
along Northeast 46th Street to Highway
931; then east along Highway 931 to
Northeast 80th Street; then south along
Northeast 80th Street to Southeast 6th
Avenue; then west along Southeast 6th
Avenue to Highway 65; then south and
west along Highway 65 to Highway 69
in Warren County; then south along
Highway 69 to County Road G24; then
west along County Road G24 to
Highway 28; then southwest along
Highway 28 to 43rd Avenue; then north
along 43rd Avenue to Ford Street; then
west along Ford Street to Filmore Street;
then west along Filmore Street to 10th
Avenue; then south along 10th Avenue
to 155th Street in Madison County; then
west along 155th Street to Cumming
Road; then north along Cumming Road
to Badger Creek Avenue; then north
along Badger Creek Avenue to County
Road F90 in Dallas County; then east
along County Road F90 to County Road
R22; then north along County Road R22
to Highway 44; then east along Highway
44 to County Road R30; then north
along County Road R30 to County Road
F31; then east along County Road F31
to Highway 17; then north along
Highway 17 to Highway 415 in Polk
County; then east along Highway 415 to
Northwest 158th Avenue; then east
along Northwest 158th Avenue to the
point of beginning.
Cedar Falls/Waterloo Goose Zone—
Includes those portions of Black Hawk
County bounded as follows: Beginning
at the intersection of County Roads C66
and V49 in Black Hawk County, then
south along County Road V49 to County
Road D38, then west along County Road
D38 to State Highway 21, then south
along State Highway 21 to County Road
D35, then west along County Road D35
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43283
to Grundy Road, then north along
Grundy Road to County Road D19, then
west along County Road D19 to Butler
Road, then north along Butler Road to
County Road C57, then north and east
along County Road C57 to U.S. Highway
63, then south along U.S. Highway 63 to
County Road C66, then east along
County Road C66 to the point of
beginning.
Michigan
North Zone—Same as North duck
zone.
Middle Zone—Same as Middle duck
zone.
South Zone—Same as South duck
zone.
Minnesota
Northwest Goose Zone—That portion
of the State encompassed by a line
extending east from the North Dakota
border along U.S. Highway 2 to State
Trunk Highway (STH) 32, north along
STH 32 to STH 92, east along STH 92
to County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 2
in Polk County, north along CSAH 2 to
CSAH 27 in Pennington County, north
along CSAH 27 to STH 1, east along
STH 1 to CSAH 28 in Pennington
County, north along CSAH 28 to CSAH
54 in Marshall County, north along
CSAH 54 to CSAH 9 in Roseau County,
north along CSAH 9 to STH 11, west
along STH 11 to STH 310, and north
along STH 310 to the Manitoba border.
Intensive Harvest Zone—That portion
of the State encompassed by a line
extending east from the junction of US
2 and the North Dakota border, US 2
east to MN 32 N, MN 32 N to MN 92
S, MN 92 S to MN 200 E, MN 200 E to
US 71 S, US 71 S to US 10 E, US 10
E to MN 101 S, MN 101 S to Interstate
94 E, Interstate 94 E to US 494 S, US 494
S to US 212 W, US 212 W to MN 23 S,
MN 23 S to US 14 W, US 14 W to the
South Dakota border, South Dakota
Border north to the North Dakota
border, North Dakota border north to US
2 E.
Rest of State: Remainder of
Minnesota.
Wisconsin
Early-Season Subzone A—That
portion of the State encompassed by a
line beginning at the intersection of U.S.
Highway 141 and the Michigan border
near Niagara, then south along U.S. 141
to State Highway 22, west and
southwest along State 22 to U.S. 45,
south along U.S. 45 to State 22, west
and south along State 22 to State 110,
south along State 110 to U.S. 10, south
along U.S. 10 to State 49, south along
State 49 to State 23, west along State 23
to State 73, south along State 73 to State
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60, west along State 60 to State 23,
south along State 23 to State 11, east
along State 11 to State 78, then south
along State 78 to the Illinois border.
Early-Season Subzone B—The
remainder of the State.
Central Flyway
North Dakota
Missouri River Canada Goose Zone—
The area within and bounded by a line
starting where ND Hwy 6 crosses the
South Dakota border; then north on ND
Hwy 6 to I–94; then west on I–94 to ND
Hwy 49; then north on ND Hwy 49 to
ND Hwy 200; then north on Mercer
County Rd. 21 to the section line
between sections 8 and 9 (T146N–
R87W); then north on that section line
to the southern shoreline to Lake
Sakakawea; then east along the southern
shoreline (including Mallard Island) of
Lake Sakakawea to US Hwy 83; then
south on US Hwy 83 to ND Hwy 200;
then east on ND Hwy 200 to ND Hwy
41; then south on ND Hwy 41 to US
Hwy 83; then south on US Hwy 83 to
I–94; then east on I–94 to US Hwy 83;
then south on US Hwy 83 to the South
Dakota border; then west along the
South Dakota border to ND Hwy 6.
Rest of State—Remainder of North
Dakota.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
South Dakota
Special Early Canada Goose Unit—
The Counties of Campbell, Marshall,
Roberts, Day, Clark, Codington, Grant,
Hamlin, Deuel, Walworth; that portion
of of Perkins County west of State
Highway 75 and south of State Highway
20; that portion of Dewey County north
of Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 8,
Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 9, and the
section of U.S. Highway 212 east of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 8
junction; that portion of Potter County
east of U.S. Highway 83; that portion of
Sully County east of U.S. Highway 83;
portions of Hyde, Buffalo, Brule, and
Charles Mix counties north and east of
a line beginning at the Hughes-Hyde
County line on State Highway 34, east
to Lees Boulevard, southeast to the State
Highway 34, east 7 miles to 350th
Avenue, south to Interstate 90 on 350th
Avenue, south and east on State
Highway 50 to Geddes, east on 285th
Street to U.S. Highway 281, and north
on U.S. Highway 281 to the Charles
Mix-Douglas County boundary; that
portion of Bon Homme County north of
State Highway 50; McPherson,
Edmunds, Kingsbury, Brookings, Lake,
Moody, Miner, Faulk, Hand, Jerauld,
Douglas, Hutchinson, Turner, Union,
Clay, Yankton, Aurora, Beadle, Davison,
Hanson, Sanborn, Spink, Brown,
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Harding, Butte, Lawrence, Meade,
Shannon, Jackson, Mellette, Todd,
Jones, Haakon, Corson, Ziebach, and
McCook Counties; and those portions of
Minnehaha and Lincoln counties
outside of an area bounded by a line
beginning at the junction of the South
Dakota-Minnesota state line and
Minnehaha County Highway 122 (254th
Street) west to its junction with
Minnehaha County Highway 149 (464th
Avenue), south on Minnehaha County
Highway 149 (464th Avenue) to
Hartford, then south on Minnehaha
County Highway 151 (463rd Avenue) to
State Highway 42, east on State
Highway 42 to State Highway 17, south
on State Highway 17 to its junction with
Lincoln County Highway 116 (Klondike
Road), and east on Lincoln County
Highway 116 (Klondike Road) to the
South Dakota–Iowa State line, then
north along the South Dakota–Iowa and
South Dakota–Minnesota border to the
junction of the South Dakota–Minnesota
State line and Minnehaha County
Highway 122 (254th Street).
Texas
Eastern Goose Zone—East of a line
from the International Toll Bridge at
Laredo, north following IH–35 and 35W
to Fort Worth, northwest along U.S.
Hwy. 81 and 287 to Bowie, north along
U.S. Hwy. 81 to the Texas–Oklahoma
State line.
Pacific Flyway
Oregon
Northwest Zone—Benton, Clackamas,
Clatsop, Columbia, Lane, Lincoln, Linn,
Marion, Polk, Multnomah, Tillamook,
Washington, and Yamhill Counties.
Southwest Zone—Coos, Curry,
Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, and
Klamath Counties.
East Zone—Baker, Gilliam, Malheur,
Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, and
Wasco Counties.
Washington
Area 1—Skagit, Island, and
Snohomish Counties.
Area 2A (SW Permit Zone)—Clark
County, except portions south of the
Washougal River; Cowlitz County; and
Wahkiakum County.
Area 2B (SW Permit Zone)—Pacific
County.
Area 3—All areas west of the Pacific
Crest Trail and west of the Big White
Salmon River that are not included in
Areas 1, 2A, and 2B.
Area 4—Adams, Benton, Chelan,
Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Kittitas,
Lincoln, Okanogan, Spokane, and Walla
Walla Counties.
Area 5—All areas east of the Pacific
Crest Trail and east of the Big White
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Salmon River that are not included in
Area 4.
Wyoming
Teton County Zone—All of Teton
County.
Balance of State Zone—Remainder of
the State.
Ducks
Atlantic Flyway
New York
Lake Champlain Zone—The U.S.
portion of Lake Champlain and that area
east and north of a line extending along
NY 9B from the Canadian border to U.S.
9, south along U.S. 9 to NY 22 south of
Keesville; south along NY 22 to the west
shore of South Bay, along and around
the shoreline of South Bay to NY 22 on
the east shore of South Bay; southeast
along NY 22 to U.S. 4, northeast along
U.S. 4 to the Vermont border.
Long Island Zone—That area
consisting of Nassau County, Suffolk
County, that area of Westchester County
southeast of I–95, and their tidal waters.
Western Zone—That area west of a
line extending from Lake Ontario east
along the north shore of the Salmon
River to I–81, and south along I–81 to
the Pennsylvania border.
Northeastern Zone—That area north
of a line extending from Lake Ontario
east along the north shore of the Salmon
River to I–81, south along I–81 to NY 49,
east along NY 49 to NY 365, east along
NY 365 to NY 28, east along NY 28 to
NY 29, east along NY 29 to I–87, north
along I–87 to U.S. 9 (at Exit 20), north
along U.S. 9 to NY 149, east along NY
149 to U.S. 4, north along U.S. 4 to the
Vermont border, exclusive of the Lake
Champlain Zone.
Southeastern Zone—The remaining
portion of New York.
Maryland
Special Teal Season Area— Calvert,
Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford,
Kent, Queen Anne’s, St. Mary’s,
Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and
Worcester Counties; that part of Anne
Arundel County east of Interstate 895,
Interstate 97, and Route 3; that part of
Prince Georges County east of Route 3
and Route 301; and that part of Charles
County east of Route 301 to the Virginia
State Line.
Mississippi Flyway
Indiana
North Zone—That part of Indiana
north of a line extending east from the
Illinois border along State Road 18 to
U.S. 31; north along U.S. 31 to U.S. 24;
east along U.S. 24 to Huntington;
southeast along U.S. 224; south along
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State Road 5; and east along State Road
124 to the Ohio border.
Central Zone—That part of Indiana
south of the North Zone boundary and
north of the South Zone boundary.
South Zone—That part of Indiana
south of a line extending east from the
Illinois border along U.S. 40; south
along U.S. 41; east along State Road 58;
south along State Road 37 to Bedford;
and east along U.S. 50 to the Ohio
border.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Iowa
North Zone—That portion of Iowa
north of a line beginning on the South
Dakota–Iowa border at Interstate 29,
southeast along Interstate 29 to State
Highway 175, east along State Highway
175 to State Highway 37, southeast
along State Highway 37 to State
Highway 183, northeast along State
Highway 183 to State Highway 141, east
along State Highway 141 to U.S.
Highway 30, and along U.S. Highway 30
to the Illinois border.
Missouri River Zone—That portion of
Iowa west of a line beginning on the
South Dakota–Iowa border at Interstate
29, southeast along Interstate 29 to State
Highway 175, and west along State
Highway 175 to the Iowa–Nebraska
border.
South Zone—The remainder of Iowa.
Michigan
North Zone: The Upper Peninsula.
Middle Zone—That portion of the
Lower Peninsula north of a line
beginning at the Wisconsin State line in
Lake Michigan due west of the mouth of
Stony Creek in Oceana County; then due
east to, and easterly and southerly along
the south shore of Stony Creek to Scenic
Drive, easterly and southerly along
Scenic Drive to Stony Lake Road,
easterly along Stony Lake and Garfield
Roads to Michigan Highway 20, east
along Michigan 20 to U.S. Highway 10
Business Route (BR) in the city of
Midland, easterly along U.S. 10 BR to
U.S. 10, easterly along U.S. 10 to
Interstate Highway 75/U.S. Highway 23,
northerly along I–75/U.S. 23 to the U.S.
23 exit at Standish, easterly along U.S.
23 to the centerline of the Au Gres
River, then southerly along the
centerline of the Au Gres River to
Saginaw Bay, then on a line directly east
10 miles into Saginaw Bay, and from
that point on a line directly northeast to
the Canadian border.
South Zone—The remainder of
Michigan.
Wisconsin
North Zone—That portion of the State
north of a line extending east from the
Minnesota State line along U.S.
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Highway 10 into Portage County to
County Highway HH, east on County
Highway HH to State Highway 66 and
then east on State Highway 66 to U.S.
Highway 10, continuing east on U.S.
Highway 10 to U.S. Highway 41, then
north on U.S. Highway 41 to the
Michigan State line.
Mississippi River Zone—That area
encompassed by a line beginning at the
intersection of the Burlington Northern
& Santa Fe Railway and the Illinois
State line in Grant County and
extending northerly along the
Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway
to the city limit of Prescott in Pierce
County, then west along the Prescott
city limit to the Minnesota State line.
South Zone—The remainder of
Wisconsin.
Central Flyway
Colorado
Special Teal Season Area—Lake and
Chaffee Counties and that portion of the
State east of Interstate Highway 25.
Kansas
High Plains Zone—That portion of the
State west of U.S. 283.
Early Zone—That part of Kansas
bounded by a line from the Nebraska–
Kansas State line south on K–128 to its
junction with U.S.–36, then east on
U.S.–36 to its junction with K–199, then
south on K–199 to its junction with
Republic County 30 Rd, then south on
Republic County 30 Rd to its junction
with K–148, then east on K–148 to its
junction with Republic County 50 Rd,
then south on Republic County 50 Rd to
its junction with Cloud County 40th Rd,
then south on Cloud County 40th Rd to
its junction with K–9, then west on K–
9 to its junction with U.S.–24, then west
on U.S.–24 to its junction with U.S.–
281, then north on U.S.–281 to its
junction with U.S.–36, then west on
U.S.–36 to its junction with U.S.–183,
then south on U.S.–183 to its junction
with U.S.–24, then west on U.S.–24 to
its junction with K–18, then southeast
on K–18 to its junction with U.S.–183,
then south on U.S.–183 to its junction
with K–4, then east on K–4 to its
junction with I–135, then south on I–
135 to its junction with K–61, then
southwest on K–61 to McPherson
County 14th Avenue, then south on
McPherson County 14th Avenue to its
junction with Arapaho Rd, then west on
Arapaho Rd to its junction with K–61,
then southwest on K–61 to its junction
with K–96, then northwest on K–96 to
its junction with U.S.–56, then
southwest on U.S.–56 to its junction
with K–19, then east on K–19 to its
junction with U.S.–281, then south on
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U.S.–281 to its junction with U.S.–54,
then west on U.S.–54 to its junction
with U.S.–183, then north on U.S.–183
to its junction with U.S.–56, then
southwest on U.S.–56 to its junction
with Ford County Rd 126, then south on
Ford County Rd 126 to its junction with
U.S.–400, then northwest on U.S.–400
to its junction with U.S.–283, then north
on U.S.–283 to its junction with the
Nebraska–Kansas State line, then east
along the Nebraska–Kansas State line to
its junction with K–128.
Late Zone—That part of Kansas
bounded by a line from the Nebraska–
Kansas State line south on K–128 to its
junction with U.S.–36, then east on
U.S.–36 to its junction with K–199, then
south on K–199 to its junction with
Republic County 30 Rd, then south on
Republic County 30 Rd to its junction
with K–148, then east on K–148 to its
junction with Republic County 50 Rd,
then south on Republic County 50 Rd to
its junction with Cloud County 40th Rd,
then south on Cloud County 40th Rd to
its junction with K–9, then west on K–
9 to its junction with U.S.–24, then west
on U.S.–24 to its junction with U.S.–
281, then north on U.S.–281 to its
junction with U.S.–36, then west on
U.S.–36 to its junction with U.S.–183,
then south on U.S.–183 to its junction
with U.S.–24, then west on U.S.–24 to
its junction with K–18, then southeast
on K–18 to its junction with U.S.–183,
then south on U.S.–183 to its junction
with K–4, then east on K–4 to its
junction with I–135, then south on I–
135 to its junction with K–61, then
southwest on K–61 to 14th Avenue,
then south on 14th Avenue to its
junction with Arapaho Rd, then west on
Arapaho Rd to its junction with K–61,
then southwest on K–61 to its junction
with K–96, then northwest on K–96 to
its junction with U.S.–56, then
southwest on U.S.–56 to its junction
with K–19, then east on K–19 to its
junction with U.S.–281, then south on
U.S.–281 to its junction with U.S.–54,
then west on U.S.–54 to its junction
with U.S.–183, then north on U.S.–183
to its junction with U.S.–56, then
southwest on U.S.–56 to its junction
with Ford County Rd 126, then south on
Ford County Rd 126 to its junction with
U.S.–400, then northwest on U.S.–400
to its junction with U.S.–283, then south
on U.S.–283 to its junction with the
Oklahoma–Kansas State line, then east
along the Oklahoma–Kansas State line
to its junction with U.S.–77, then north
on U.S.–77 to its junction with Butler
County, NE 150th Street, then east on
Butler County, NE 150th Street to its
junction with U.S.–35, then northeast
on U.S.–35 to its junction with K–68,
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asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
then east on K–68 to the Kansas–
Missouri State line, then north along the
Kansas–Missouri State line to its
junction with the Nebraska State line,
then west along the Kansas–Nebraska
State line to its junction with K–128.
Southeast Zone—That part of Kansas
bounded by a line from the Missouri–
Kansas State line west on K–68 to its
junction with U.S.–35, then southwest
on U.S.–35 to its junction with Butler
County, NE 150th Street, then west on
NE 150th Street until its junction with
K–77, then south on K–77 to the
Oklahoma–Kansas State line, then east
along the Kansas–Oklahoma State line
to its junction with the Missouri State
line, then north along the Kansas—
Missouri State line to its junction with
K–68.
Nebraska
Special Teal Season Area (south)—
That portion of the State south of a line
beginning at the Wyoming State line;
east along U.S. 26 to Nebraska Highway
L62A east to U.S. 385; south to U.S. 26;
east to NE 92; east along NE 92 to NE
61; south along NE 61 to U.S. 30; east
along U.S. 30 to the Iowa border.
Special Teal Season Area (north)—
The remainder of the State.
High Plains—That portion of
Nebraska lying west of a line beginning
at the South Dakota-Nebraska border on
U.S. Hwy. 183; south on U.S. Hwy. 183
to U.S. Hwy. 20; west on U.S. Hwy. 20
to NE Hwy. 7; south on NE Hwy. 7 to
NE Hwy. 91; southwest on NE Hwy. 91
to NE Hwy. 2; southeast on NE Hwy. 2
to NE Hwy. 92; west on NE Hwy. 92 to
NE Hwy. 40; south on NE Hwy. 40 to
NE Hwy. 47; south on NE Hwy. 47 to
NE Hwy. 23; east on NE Hwy. 23 to U.S.
Hwy. 283; and south on U.S. Hwy. 283
to the Kansas—Nebraska border.
Zone 1—Area bounded by designated
Federal and State highways and
political boundaries beginning at the
South Dakota-Nebraska border west of
NE Hwy. 26E Spur and north of NE
Hwy. 12; those portions of Dixon, Cedar
and Knox Counties north of NE Hwy.
12; that portion of Keya Paha County
east of U.S. Hwy. 183; and all of Boyd
County. Both banks of the Niobrara
River in Keya Paha and Boyd counties
east of U.S. Hwy. 183 shall be included
in Zone 1.
Zone 2—The area south of Zone 1 and
north of Zone 3.
Zone 3—Area bounded by designated
Federal and State highways, County
Roads, and political boundaries
beginning at the Wyoming-Nebraska
border at the intersection of the
Interstate Canal; east along northern
borders of Scotts Bluff and Morrill
Counties to Broadwater Road; south to
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Morrill County Rd 94; east to County Rd
135; south to County Rd 88; southeast
to County Rd 151; south to County Rd
80; east to County Rd 161; south to
County Rd 76; east to County Rd 165;
south to Country Rd 167; south to U.S.
Hwy. 26; east to County Rd 171; north
to County Rd 68; east to County Rd 183;
south to County Rd 64; east to County
Rd 189; north to County Rd 70; east to
County Rd 201; south to County Rd
60A; east to County Rd 203; south to
County Rd 52; east to Keith County
Line; east along the northern boundaries
of Keith and Lincoln Counties to NE
Hwy. 97; south to U.S. Hwy 83; south
to E Hall School Rd; east to N Airport
Road; south to U.S. Hwy. 30; east to
Merrick County Rd 13; north to County
Rd O; east to NE Hwy. 14; north to NE
Hwy. 52; west and north to NE Hwy. 91;
west to U.S. Hwy. 281; south to NE
Hwy. 22; west to NE Hwy. 11; northwest
to NE Hwy. 91; west to U.S. Hwy. 183;
south to Round Valley Rd; west to
Sargent River Rd; west to Sargent Rd;
west to Milburn Rd; north to Blaine
County Line; east to Loup County Line;
north to NE Hwy. 91; west to North
Loup Spur Rd; north to North Loup
River Rd; east to Pleasant Valley/Worth
Rd; east to Loup County Line; north to
Loup-Brown county line; east along
northern boundaries of Loup and
Garfield Counties to Cedar River Rd;
south to NE Hwy. 70; east to U.S. Hwy.
281; north to NE Hwy. 70; east to NE
Hwy. 14; south to NE Hwy. 39;
southeast to NE Hwy. 22; east to U.S.
Hwy. 81; southeast to U.S. Hwy. 30; east
to U.S. Hwy. 75; north to the
Washington County line; east to the
Iowa-Nebraska border; south to the
Missouri-Nebraska border; south to
Kansas-Nebraska border; west along
Kansas-Nebraska border to ColoradoNebraska border; north and west to
Wyoming-Nebraska border; north to
intersection of Interstate Canal; and
excluding that area in Zone 4.
Zone 4—Area encompassed by
designated Federal and State highways
and County Roads beginning at the
intersection of NE Hwy. 8 and U.S.
Hwy. 75; north to U.S. Hwy. 136; east
to the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 136 and
the Steamboat Trace (Trace); north along
the Trace to the intersection with
Federal Levee R–562; north along
Federal Levee R–562 to the intersection
with the Trace; north along the Trace/
Burlington Northern Railroad right-ofway to NE Hwy. 2; west to U.S. Hwy.
75; north to NE Hwy. 2; west to NE
Hwy. 43; north to U.S. Hwy. 34; east to
NE Hwy. 63; north to NE Hwy. 66; north
and west to U.S. Hwy. 77; north to NE
Hwy. 92; west to NE Hwy. Spur 12F;
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south to Butler County Rd 30; east to
County Rd X; south to County Rd 27;
west to County Rd W; south to County
Rd 26; east to County Rd X; south to
County Rd 21 (Seward County Line);
west to NE Hwy. 15; north to County Rd
34; west to County Rd J; south to NE
Hwy. 92; west to U.S. Hwy. 81; south to
NE Hwy. 66; west to Polk County Rd C;
north to NE Hwy. 92; west to U.S. Hwy.
30; west to Merrick County Rd 17; south
to Hordlake Road; southeast to Prairie
Island Road; southeast to Hamilton
County Rd T; south to NE Hwy. 66; west
to NE Hwy. 14; south to County Rd 22;
west to County Rd M; south to County
Rd 21; west to County Rd K; south to
U.S. Hwy. 34; west to NE Hwy. 2; south
to U.S. Hwy. I–80; west to Gunbarrel Rd
(Hall/Hamilton county line); south to
Giltner Rd; west to U.S. Hwy. 281; south
to U.S. Hwy. 34; west to NE Hwy. 10;
north to Kearney County Rd R and
Phelps County Rd 742; west to U.S.
Hwy. 283; south to U.S. Hwy 34; east to
U.S. Hwy. 136; east to U.S. Hwy. 183;
north to NE Hwy. 4; east to NE Hwy. 10;
south to U.S. Hwy. 136; east to NE Hwy.
14; south to NE Hwy. 8; east to U.S.
Hwy. 81; north to NE Hwy. 4; east to NE
Hwy. 15; south to U.S. Hwy. 136; east
to NE Hwy. 103; south to NE Hwy. 8;
east to U.S. Hwy. 75.
New Mexico (Central Flyway Portion)
North Zone—That portion of the State
north of I–40 and U.S. 54.
South Zone—The remainder of New
Mexico.
Pacific Flyway
California
Northeastern Zone—In that portion of
California lying east and north of a line
beginning at the intersection of
Interstate 5 with the California-Oregon
line; south along Interstate 5 to its
junction with Walters Lane south of the
town of Yreka; west along Walters Lane
to its junction with Easy Street; south
along Easy Street to the junction with
Old Highway 99; south along Old
Highway 99 to the point of intersection
with Interstate 5 north of the town of
Weed; south along Interstate 5 to its
junction with Highway 89; east and
south along Highway 89 to Main Street
Greenville; north and east to its junction
with North Valley Road; south to its
junction of Diamond Mountain Road;
north and east to its junction with North
Arm Road; south and west to the
junction of North Valley Road; south to
the junction with Arlington Road (A22);
west to the junction of Highway 89;
south and west to the junction of
Highway 70; east on Highway 70 to
Highway 395; south and east on
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Highway 395 to the point of intersection
with the California-Nevada State line;
north along the California-Nevada State
line to the junction of the CaliforniaNevada-Oregon State lines west along
the California-Oregon State line to the
point of origin.
Colorado River Zone—Those portions
of San Bernardino, Riverside, and
Imperial Counties east of a line
extending from the Nevada border south
along U.S. 95 to Vidal Junction; south
on a road known as ‘‘Aqueduct Road’’
in San Bernardino County through the
town of Rice to the San Bernardino—
Riverside County line; south on a road
known in Riverside County as the
‘‘Desert Center to Rice Road’’ to the
town of Desert Center; east 31 miles on
I–10 to the Wiley Well Road; south on
this road to Wiley Well; southeast along
the Army-Milpitas Road to the Blythe,
Brawley, Davis Lake intersections; south
on the Blythe-Brawley paved road to the
Ogilby and Tumco Mine Road; south on
this road to U.S. 80; east 7 miles on U.S.
80 to the Andrade-Algodones Road;
south on this paved road to the Mexican
border at Algodones, Mexico.
Southern Zone—That portion of
southern California (but excluding the
Colorado River Zone) south and east of
a line extending from the Pacific Ocean
east along the Santa Maria River to CA
166 near the City of Santa Maria; east on
CA 166 to CA 99; south on CA 99 to the
crest of the Tehachapi Mountains at
Tejon Pass; east and north along the
crest of the Tehachapi Mountains to CA
178 at Walker Pass; east on CA 178 to
U.S. 395 at the town of Inyokern; south
on U.S. 395 to CA 58; east on CA 58 to
I–15; east on I–15 to CA 127; north on
CA 127 to the Nevada border.
Southern San Joaquin Valley
Temporary Zone—All of Kings and
Tulare Counties and that portion of
Kern County north of the Southern
Zone.
Balance-of-the-State Zone—The
remainder of California not included in
the Northeastern, Southern, and
Colorado River Zones, and the Southern
San Joaquin Valley Temporary Zone.
Canada Geese
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Michigan
North Zone—Same as North duck
zone.
Middle Zone—Same as Middle duck
zone.
South Zone—Same as South duck
zone.
Tuscola/Huron Goose Management
Unit (GMU)—Those portions of Tuscola
and Huron Counties bounded on the
south by Michigan Highway 138 and
Bay City Road, on the east by Colwood
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and Bay Port Roads, on the north by
Kilmanagh Road and a line extending
directly west off the end of Kilmanagh
Road into Saginaw Bay to the west
boundary, and on the west by the
Tuscola-Bay County line and a line
extending directly north off the end of
the Tuscola-Bay County line into
Saginaw Bay to the north boundary.
Allegan County GMU—That area
encompassed by a line beginning at the
junction of 136th Avenue and Interstate
Highway 196 in Lake Town Township
and extending easterly along 136th
Avenue to Michigan Highway 40,
southerly along Michigan 40 through
the city of Allegan to 108th Avenue in
Trowbridge Township, westerly along
108th Avenue to 46th Street, northerly
along 46th Street to 109th Avenue,
westerly along 109th Avenue to I–196 in
Casco Township, then northerly along
I–196 to the point of beginning.
Saginaw County GMU—That portion
of Saginaw County bounded by
Michigan Highway 46 on the north;
Michigan 52 on the west; Michigan 57
on the south; and Michigan 13 on the
east.
Muskegon Wastewater GMU—That
portion of Muskegon County within the
boundaries of the Muskegon County
wastewater system, east of the
Muskegon State Game Area, in sections
5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, and 32,
T10N R14W, and sections 1, 2, 10, 11,
12, 13, 14, 24, and 25, T10N R15W, as
posted.
Wisconsin
Same zones as for ducks but in
addition:
Horicon Zone—That area
encompassed by a line beginning at the
intersection of State 21 and the Fox
River in Winnebago County and
extending westerly along State 21 to the
west boundary of Winnebago County,
southerly along the west boundary of
Winnebago County to the north
boundary of Green Lake County,
westerly along the north boundaries of
Green Lake and Marquette Counties to
State 22, southerly along State 22 to
State 33, westerly along State 33 to I–
39, southerly along I–39 to I–90/94,
southerly along I–90/94 to State 60,
easterly along State 60 to State 83,
northerly along State 83 to State 175,
northerly along State 175 to State 33,
easterly along State 33 to U.S. 45,
northerly along U.S. 45 to the east shore
of the Fond Du Lac River, northerly
along the east shore of the Fond Du Lac
River to Lake Winnebago, northerly
along the western shoreline of Lake
Winnebago to the Fox River, then
westerly along the Fox River to State 21.
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43287
Exterior Zone—That portion of the
State not included in the Horicon Zone.
Mississippi River Subzone—That area
encompassed by a line beginning at the
intersection of the Burlington Northern
& Santa Fe Railway and the Illinois
State line in Grant County and
extending northerly along the
Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway
to the city limit of Prescott in Pierce
County, then west along the Prescott
city limit to the Minnesota State line.
Brown County Subzone—That area
encompassed by a line beginning at the
intersection of the Fox River with Green
Bay in Brown County and extending
southerly along the Fox River to State
29, northwesterly along State 29 to the
Brown County line, south, east, and
north along the Brown County line to
Green Bay, due west to the midpoint of
the Green Bay Ship Channel, then
southwesterly along the Green Bay Ship
Channel to the Fox River.
Sandhill Cranes
Mississippi Flyway
Minnesota
Northwest Goose Zone—That portion
of the State encompassed by a line
extending east from the North Dakota
border along U.S. Highway 2 to State
Trunk Highway (STH) 32, north along
STH 32 to STH 92, east along STH 92
to County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 2
in Polk County, north along CSAH 2 to
CSAH 27 in Pennington County, north
along CSAH 27 to STH 1, east along
STH 1 to CSAH 28 in Pennington
County, north along CSAH 28 to CSAH
54 in Marshall County, north along
CSAH 54 to CSAH 9 in Roseau County,
north along CSAH 9 to STH 11, west
along STH 11 to STH 310, and north
along STH 310 to the Manitoba border.
Tennessee
Hunt Zone—That portion of the State
south of Interstate 40 and east of State
Highway 56.
Closed Zone—Remainder of the State.
Central Flyway
Colorado—The Central Flyway
portion of the State except the San Luis
Valley (Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla,
Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, and
Saguache Counties east of the
Continental Divide) and North Park
(Jackson County).
Kansas—That portion of the State
west of a line beginning at the
Oklahoma border, north on I–35 to
Wichita, north on I–135 to Salina, and
north on U.S. 81 to the Nebraska border.
Montana—The Central Flyway
portion of the State except for that area
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south and west of Interstate 90, which
is closed to sandhill crane hunting.
New Mexico
Regular-Season Open Area—Chaves,
Curry, De Baca, Eddy, Lea, Quay, and
Roosevelt Counties.
Middle Rio Grande Valley Area—The
Central Flyway portion of New Mexico
in Socorro and Valencia Counties.
Estancia Valley Area—Those portions
of Santa Fe, Torrance and Bernallilo
Counties within an area bounded on the
west by New Mexico Highway 55
beginning at Mountainair north to NM
337, north to NM 14, north to I–25; on
the north by I–25 east to U.S. 285; on
the east by U.S. 285 south to U.S. 60;
and on the south by U.S. 60 from U.S.
285 west to NM 55 in Mountainair.
Southwest Zone—Area bounded on
the south by the New Mexico/Mexico
border; on the west by the New Mexico/
Arizona border north to Interstate 10; on
the north by Interstate 10 east to U.S.
180, north to N.M. 26, east to N.M. 27,
north to N.M. 152, and east to Interstate
25; on the east by Interstate 25 south to
Interstate 10, west to the Luna county
line, and south to the New Mexico/
Mexico border.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
North Dakota
Area 1—That portion of the State west
of U.S. 281.
Area 2—That portion of the State east
of U.S. 281.
Oklahoma—That portion of the State
west of I–35.
South Dakota—That portion of the
State west of U.S. 281.
Texas
Zone A—That portion of Texas lying
west of a line beginning at the
international toll bridge at Laredo, then
northeast along U.S. Highway 81 to its
junction with Interstate Highway 35 in
Laredo, then north along Interstate
Highway 35 to its junction with
Interstate Highway 10 in San Antonio,
then northwest along Interstate Highway
10 to its junction with U.S. Highway 83
at Junction, then north along U.S.
Highway 83 to its junction with U.S.
Highway 62, 16 miles north of
Childress, then east along U.S. Highway
62 to the Texas-Oklahoma State line.
Zone B—That portion of Texas lying
within boundaries beginning at the
junction of U.S. Highway 81 and the
Texas–Oklahoma State line, then
southeast along U.S. Highway 81 to its
junction with U.S. Highway 287 in
Montague County, then southeast along
U.S. Highway 287 to its junction with
Interstate Highway 35W in Fort Worth,
then southwest along Interstate
Highway 35 to its junction with
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Interstate Highway 10 in San Antonio,
then northwest along Interstate Highway
10 to its junction with U.S. Highway 83
in the town of Junction, then north
along U.S. Highway 83 to its junction
with U.S. Highway 62, 16 miles north of
Childress, then east along U.S. Highway
62 to the Texas-Oklahoma State line,
then south along the Texas-Oklahoma
State line to the south bank of the Red
River, then eastward along the
vegetation line on the south bank of the
Red River to U.S. Highway 81.
Zone C—The remainder of the State,
except for the closed areas.
Closed areas—(A) That portion of the
State lying east and north of a line
beginning at the junction of U.S.
Highway 81 and the Texas–Oklahoma
State line, then southeast along U.S.
Highway 81 to its junction with U.S.
Highway 287 in Montague County, then
southeast along U.S. Highway 287 to its
junction with Interstate Highway 35W
in Fort Worth, then southwest along
Interstate Highway 35 to its junction
with U.S. Highway 290 East in Austin,
then east along U.S. Highway 290 to its
junction with Interstate Loop 610 in
Harris County, then south and east
along Interstate Loop 610 to its junction
with Interstate Highway 45 in Houston,
then south on Interstate Highway 45 to
State Highway 342, then to the shore of
the Gulf of Mexico, and then north and
east along the shore of the Gulf of
Mexico to the Texas-Louisiana State
line.
(B) That portion of the State lying
within the boundaries of a line
beginning at the Kleberg–Nueces County
line and the shore of the Gulf of Mexico,
then west along the County line to Park
Road 22 in Nueces County, then north
and west along Park Road 22 to its
junction with State Highway 358 in
Corpus Christi, then west and north
along State Highway 358 to its junction
with State Highway 286, then north
along State Highway 286 to its junction
with Interstate Highway 37, then east
along Interstate Highway 37 to its
junction with U.S. Highway 181, then
north and west along U.S. Highway 181
to its junction with U.S. Highway 77 in
Sinton, then north and east along U.S.
Highway 77 to its junction with U.S.
Highway 87 in Victoria, then south and
east along U.S. Highway 87 to its
junction with State Highway 35 at Port
Lavaca, then north and east along State
Highway 35 to the south end of the
Lavaca Bay Causeway, then south and
east along the shore of Lavaca Bay to its
junction with the Port Lavaca Ship
Channel, then south and east along the
Lavaca Bay Ship Channel to the Gulf of
Mexico, and then south and west along
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the shore of the Gulf of Mexico to the
Kleberg-Nueces County line.
Wyoming
Regular Season Open Area—
Campbell, Converse, Crook, Goshen,
Laramie, Niobrara, Platte, and Weston
Counties.
Riverton-Boysen Unit—Portions of
Fremont County.
Park and Big Horn County Unit—All
of Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park and
Washakie Counties.
Pacific Flyway
Arizona
Special Season Area—Game
Management Units 28, 30A, 30B, 31,
and 32.
Idaho
Area 1—All of Bear Lake County and
all of Caribou County except that
portion downstream from the dam at
Alexander Reservoir south of U.S.
Highway 30, and that portion lying
within the Grays Lake Basin.
Area 2—All of Teton County except
that portion lying west of state Highway
33 and south of Packsaddle Road (West
400 North) and north of the North
Cedron Road (West 600 South) and east
of the west bank of the Teton River.
Area 3—All of Fremont County except
the Chester Wetlands Wildlife
Management Area.
Area 4—All of Jefferson County.
Area 5—All of Bannock County east
of Interstate 15 and south of U.S.
Highway 30; and Franklin County west
of U.S. Highway 91 from the Utah State
line north to the junction of State
Highway 34 in Preston and everything
west of state Highway 34 north to the
Franklin County-Caribou County line.
Montana
Zone 1 (Warm Springs Portion of Deer
Lodge County)—Those portions of Deer
Lodge County lying within the
following described boundary:
Beginning at the intersection of I–90 and
Highway 273, then westerly along
Highway 273 to the junction of Highway
1, then southeast along said highway to
Highway 275 at Opportunity, then east
along said highway to East Side County
road, then north along said road to
Perkins Lake, then west on said lane to
I–90, then north on said interstate to the
junction of Highway 273, the point of
beginning. Except for sections 13 and
24, T5N, R10W; and Warm Springs
Pond number 3.
Zone 2 (Ovando-Helmville Area)—
That portion of the Pacific Flyway,
located in Powell County lying within
the following described boundary:
beginning at the junction of State Routes
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asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
141 and 200, then west along Route 200
to its intersection with the Blackfoot
River at Russell Gates Fishing Access
Site (Powell—Missoula County line),
then southeast along said river to its
intersection with the Ovando—
Helmville Road (County Road 104) at
Cedar Meadows Fishing Access Site,
then south and east along said road to
its junction with State Route 141, then
north along said route to its junction
with State Route 200, the point of
beginning.
Zone 3 (Dillon/Twin Bridges/
Cardwell Areas)—That portion of
Beaverhead, Madison and Jefferson
counties lying within the following
described boundaries: Beginning at
Dillon, then northerly along US Hwy 91
to its intersection with the Big Hole
River at Brown’s Bridge north of Glen,
then southeasterly and northeasterly
along the Big Hole River to High Road,
then east along High Road to State
Highway 41, then east along said
highway to the Beaverhead River, then
north along said river to the Jefferson
River and north along the Jefferson
River to the Ironrod Bridge, then
northeasterly along State Highway 41 to
the junction with State Highway 55,
then northeasterly along said highway
to the junction with I–90, then east
along I–90 to Cardwell and Route 359
then south along Route 359 to the Parrot
Hill/Cedar Hill Road then southwesterly
along said road and the Cemetery Hill
Road to the Parrot Ditch road to the
Point of Rocks Road to Carney Lane to
the Bench Road to the Waterloo Road
and Bayers Lanes, to State Highway 41,
then east along State Highway 41 to the
Beaverhead River, then south along the
Beaverhead River to the mouth of the
Ruby River, then southeasterly along the
Ruby River to the East Bench Road, then
southwesterly along the East Bench
Road to the East Bench Canal, then
southwesterly along said canal to the
Sweetwater Road, then west along
Sweetwater Road to Dillon, the point of
beginning, plus the remainder of
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:44 Jul 20, 2015
Jkt 235001
Madison County and all of Gallatin
County.
Zone 4 (Broadwater County)—All of
Broadwater County.
Utah
Cache County—All of Cache County.
East Box Elder County—That portion
of Box Elder County beginning on the
Utah-Idaho State line at the Box ElderCache County line; west on the State
line to the Pocatello Valley County
Road; south on the Pocatello Valley
County Road to I–15; southeast on I–15
to SR–83; south on SR–83 to Lamp
Junction; west and south on the
Promontory Point County Road to the
tip of Promontory Point; south from
Promontory Point to the Box ElderWeber County line; east on the Box
Elder-Weber County line to the Box
Elder-Cache County line; north on the
Box Elder-Cache County line to the
Utah-Idaho State line.
Rich County—All of Rich County.
Uintah County—All of Uintah
County.
Wyoming
Area 1 (Bear River)—All of the Bear
River and Ham’s Fork River drainages in
Lincoln County.
Area 2 (Salt River Area)—All of the
Salt River drainage in Lincoln County
south of the McCoy Creek Road.
Area 3 (Eden Valley Area)—All lands
within the Bureau of Reclamation’s
Eden Project in Sweetwater County.
Area 5 (Uintah County Area)—All of
Uinta County.
All Migratory Game Birds in Alaska
North Zone—State Game Management
Units 11–13 and 17–26.
Gulf Coast Zone—State Game
Management Units 5–7, 9, 14–16, and
10 (Unimak Island only).
Southeast Zone—State Game
Management Units 1–4.
Pribilof and Aleutian Islands Zone—
State Game Management Unit 10 (except
Unimak Island).
Kodiak Zone—State Game
Management Unit 8.
PO 00000
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Fmt 4701
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43289
All Migratory Game Birds in the Virgin
Islands
Ruth Cay Closure Area—The island of
Ruth Cay, just south of St. Croix.
All Migratory Game Birds in Puerto
Rico
Municipality of Culebra Closure
Area—All of the municipality of
Culebra.
Desecheo Island Closure Area—All of
Desecheo Island.
Mona Island Closure Area—All of
Mona Island.
El Verde Closure Area—Those areas
of the municipalities of Rio Grande and
Loiza delineated as follows: (1) All
lands between Routes 956 on the west
and 186 on the east, from Route 3 on the
north to the juncture of Routes 956 and
186 (Km 13.2) in the south; (2) all lands
between Routes 186 and 966 from the
juncture of 186 and 966 on the north, to
the Caribbean National Forest Boundary
on the south; (3) all lands lying west of
Route 186 for 1 kilometer from the
juncture of Routes 186 and 956 south to
Km 6 on Route 186; (4) all lands within
Km 14 and Km 6 on the west and the
Caribbean National Forest Boundary on
the east; and (5) all lands within the
Caribbean National Forest Boundary
whether private or public.
Cidra Municipality and adjacent
areas—All of Cidra Municipality and
portions of Aguas Buenas, Caguas,
Cayey, and Comerio Municipalities as
encompassed within the following
boundary: Beginning on Highway 172 as
it leaves the municipality of Cidra on
the west edge, north to Highway 156,
east on Highway 156 to Highway 1,
south on Highway 1 to Highway 765,
south on Highway 765 to Highway 763,
south on Highway 763 to the Rio
Guavate, west along Rio Guavate to
Highway 1, southwest on Highway 1 to
Highway 14, west on Highway 14 to
Highway 729, north on Highway 729 to
Cidra Municipality boundary to the
point of the beginning.
E:\FR\FM\21JYP2.SGM
21JYP2
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
43290
PO 00000
RES
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Beginning
Shooting
Time
LIB
RES
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
MOD
LIB
1/2 hr.
before
1/2 hr.
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before
1/2 hr.
before
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before
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before
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before
1/2 hr.
before
1/2 hr.
before
1/2 hr.
before
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MOD
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Ending
Shooting
Time
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Opening
Date
Oct.1
Sat. nearest
Sept. 24
Sat. nearest
Sept. 24
Sat. nearest
Oct.1
Sat. nearest
Sept. 24
Sat. nearest
Sept. 24
Sat. nearest
Oct.1
Sat. nearest
Sept. 24
Sat. nearest
Sept. 24
Sat. nearest
Oct.1
Sat. nearest
Sept. 24
Sat. nearest
Sept. 24
Closing
Date
Jan. 20
Last Sunday
in Jan.
Last Sunday
in Jan.
Sun. nearest Last Sunday
Jan. 20
in Jan.
Last Sunday
in Jan.
Sun. nearest Last Sunday
Jan. 20
in Jan.
Last Sunday
in Jan.
Sun. nearest Last Sunday
Jan. 20
in Jan.
Last Sunday
in Jan.
Season
Fmt 4701
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EP21JY15.001
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
MOD
30
45
60
30
45
60
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60
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60
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107
3
6
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7
7
412
2/1
4/1
412
3/1
5/1
5/2
3/1
5/2
712
Length (in days)
Daily Bag/
Species/Sex Limits within the Overall Daily Bag Limit
Mallard (Total/Female)
(a)
3/1
412
In the High Plains Mallard Management Unit, all regulations would be the same as the remainder of the Central Flyway, with the exception of season length. Additional days would
be allowed under the various alternatives as follows: restrictive- 12, moderate and liberal- 23. Under all alternatives, additional days rnust be on or after the Saturday nearest
December 10.
(b) In the Columbia Basin Mallard Management Unit, all regulations would be the same as the remainder of the Pacific Flyway, with the exception of season length. Under all alternatives
except the liberal alternative, an additional 7 days would be allowed.
(c) In Alaska, framework dates, bag limits, and season length would be different from the remainder of the Pacific Flyway. The bag limit would be 5-8 under the restrictive alternative,
and 7-10 under the moderate and liberal alternatives. Under all alternatives, season length would be 107 days and framework dates would be Sep. 1 - Jan. 26.
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 139 / Tuesday, July 21, 2015 / Proposed Rules
Jkt 235001
[FR Doc. 2015–17718 Filed 7–20–15; 8:45 am]
19:44 Jul 20, 2015
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
REGULATORY ALTERNATIVES FOR DUCK HUNTING DURING THE 2015-16 SEASON
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 139 (Tuesday, July 21, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 43265-43290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-17718]
[[Page 43265]]
Vol. 80
Tuesday,
No. 139
July 21, 2015
Part IV
Department of the Interior
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Fish and Wildlife Service
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
50 CFR Part 20
Migratory Bird Hunting; Proposed Frameworks for Early-Season Migratory
Bird Hunting Regulations; Notice of Meetings; Proposed Rule
Federal Register / Vol. 80 , No. 139 / Tuesday, July 21, 2015 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 43266]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 20
[Docket No. FWS-HQ-MB-2014-0064; FF09M21200-156-FXMB1231099BPP0]
RIN 1018-BA67
Migratory Bird Hunting; Proposed Frameworks for Early-Season
Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations; Notice of Meetings
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; supplemental.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (hereinafter Service or we)
is proposing to establish the 2015-16 early-season hunting regulations
for certain migratory game birds. We annually prescribe frameworks, or
outer limits, for dates and times when hunting may occur and the
maximum number of birds that may be taken and possessed in early
seasons. Early seasons may open as early as September 1, and include
seasons in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
These frameworks are necessary to allow State selections of specific
final seasons and limits and to allow recreational harvest at levels
compatible with population status and habitat conditions. This proposed
rule also provides the regulatory alternatives for the 2015-16 duck
hunting seasons.
DATES: Comments: You must submit comments on the proposed early-season
frameworks by July 31, 2015.
Meetings: The Service Migratory Bird Regulations Committee (SRC)
will meet to consider and develop proposed regulations for late-season
migratory bird hunting and the 2016 spring/summer migratory bird
subsistence seasons in Alaska on July 29-30, 2015. All meetings will
commence at approximately 8:30 a.m.
ADDRESSES: Comments: You may submit comments on the proposals by one of
the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-
MB-2014-0064.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing,
Attn: FWS-HQ-MB-2014-0064; Division of Policy, Performance, and
Management Programs; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC; 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041.
We will not accept emailed or faxed comments. We will post all
comments on https://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that your
entire submission--including any personal identifying information--will
be posted on the Web site. See the Public Comments section, below, for
more information.
Meetings: The Service Migratory Bird Regulations Committee will
meet at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls
Church, Virginia.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron W. Kokel, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Department of the Interior, MS: MB, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls
Church, VA 22041-3803; (703) 358-1967.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Regulations Schedule for 2015
On April 13, 2015, we published in the Federal Register (80 FR
19852) a proposal to amend 50 CFR part 20. The proposal provided a
background and overview of the migratory bird hunting regulations
process, and addressed the establishment of seasons, limits, and other
regulations for hunting migratory game birds under Sec. Sec. 20.101
through 20.107, 20.109, and 20.110 of subpart K. Major steps in the
2015-16 regulatory cycle relating to open public meetings and Federal
Register notifications were also identified in the April 13 proposed
rule.
Further, we explained that all sections of subsequent documents
outlining hunting frameworks and guidelines were organized under
numbered headings. Those headings are:
1. Ducks
A. General Harvest Strategy
B. Regulatory Alternatives
C. Zones and Split Seasons
D. Special Seasons/Species Management
i. September Teal Seasons
ii. September Teal/Wood Duck Seasons
iii. Black ducks
iv. Canvasbacks
v. Pintails
vi. Scaup
vii. Mottled ducks
viii. Wood ducks
ix. Youth Hunt
x. Mallard Management Units
xi. Other
2. Sea Ducks
3. Mergansers
4. Canada Geese
A. Special Seasons
B. Regular Seasons
C. Special Late Seasons
5. White-fronted Geese
6. Brant
7. Snow and Ross's (Light) Geese
8. Swans
9. Sandhill Cranes
10. Coots
11. Moorhens and Gallinules
12. Rails
13. Snipe
14. Woodcock
15. Band-tailed Pigeons
16. Doves
17. Alaska
18. Hawaii
19. Puerto Rico
20. Virgin Islands
21. Falconry
22. Other
Subsequent documents will refer only to numbered items requiring
attention. Therefore, it is important to note that we will omit those
items requiring no attention, and remaining numbered items will be
discontinuous and appear incomplete.
On June 11, 2015, we published in the Federal Register (80 FR
33223) a second document providing supplemental proposals for early-
and late-season migratory bird hunting regulations. The June 11
supplement also provided detailed information on the 2015-16 regulatory
schedule and announced the SRC and Flyway Council meetings.
This document, the third in a series of proposed, supplemental, and
final rulemaking documents for migratory bird hunting regulations,
deals specifically with proposed frameworks for early-season
regulations and the regulatory alternatives for the 2015-16 duck
hunting seasons. It will lead to final frameworks from which States may
select season dates, shooting hours, and daily bag and possession
limits for the 2015-16 season.
We have considered all pertinent comments received through June 26,
2015, on the April 13 and June 11, 2015, rulemaking documents in
developing this proposed rule. In addition, new proposals for certain
early-season regulations are provided for public comment. Comment
periods are specified above under DATES. We will publish final
regulatory frameworks for early seasons in the Federal Register on or
about August 16, 2015.
Service Migratory Bird Regulations Committee Meetings
Participants at the June 24-25, 2015, meetings reviewed information
on the current status of migratory shore and upland game birds and
developed 2015-16 migratory game bird regulations recommendations for
these species plus regulations for migratory game birds in Alaska,
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; special September waterfowl
seasons in designated States; special sea duck seasons in the Atlantic
Flyway; and extended falconry seasons. In addition, we reviewed and
discussed preliminary information on the status of waterfowl.
Participants at the previously announced July 29-30, 2015, meetings
will review information on the current
[[Page 43267]]
status of waterfowl and develop recommendations for the 2015-16
regulations pertaining to regular waterfowl seasons and other species
and seasons not previously discussed at the early-season meetings. In
accordance with Department of the Interior policy, these meetings are
open to public observation and you may submit comments on the matters
discussed.
Population Status and Harvest
The following paragraphs provide preliminary information on the
status of waterfowl and information on the status and harvest of
migratory shore and upland game birds excerpted from various reports.
For more detailed information on methodologies and results, you may
obtain complete copies of the various reports at the address indicated
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or from our Web site at https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/NewsPublicationsReports.html.
Waterfowl Breeding and Habitat Survey
Federal, provincial, and State agencies conduct surveys each spring
to estimate the size of waterfowl breeding populations and to evaluate
the conditions of the habitats. These surveys are conducted using
fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and ground crews and encompass
principal breeding areas of North America, covering an area over 2.0
million square miles. The traditional survey area comprises Alaska,
Canada, and the northcentral United States, and includes approximately
1.3 million square miles. The eastern survey area includes parts of
Ontario, Quebec, Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward
Island, New Brunswick, New York, and Maine, an area of approximately
0.7 million square miles.
Despite an early spring over most of the survey area, habitat
conditions were similar to or poorer than last year. In many areas, the
decline in habitat conditions was due to average to below-average
annual precipitation, with the exception of portions of southern
Saskatchewan and central latitudes of eastern Canada. The total pond
estimate (Prairie Canada and United States combined) was 6.3 0.2 million, which was 12 percent below the 2014 estimate of 7.2
0.2 million and 21 percent above the long-term average of
5.2 0.03 million.
Traditional Survey Area (U.S. and Canadian Prairies and Parklands)
Spring came early across the traditional survey area, particularly
in relation to 2013 and 2014. Much of the Canadian prairies had average
to below-average winter precipitation and above-average temperatures.
Best moisture conditions were centered in southern Saskatchewan, but
nearly all of prairie Canada experienced below-normal spring
precipitation. The 2015 estimate of ponds in Prairie Canada was 4.2
0.1 million. This estimate was 10 percent below the 2014
estimate of 4.6 0.2 million and 19 percent above the long-
term average (3.5 0.02 million). Annual winter
precipitation was lower in the northern part of the survey area; the
Parklands, however, continue to benefit from hold-over water. The
boreal region and Alaska exhibited drier conditions, but an early
spring and no flooding should aid waterfowl production. Most of the
Canadian portion of the traditional survey area was rated as fair or
good this year with areas of excellent conditions that received greater
annual precipitation.
Following a relatively mild winter, the U.S. prairies also recorded
an early spring, although precipitation since last summer was average
to mostly below average. Habitat conditions declined from 2014 in
Montana and the Dakotas despite significant rainfall in May, which came
too late to benefit most nesting waterfowl. The 2015 pond estimate for
the northcentral United States was 2.2 0.09 million which
was 16 percent below the 2014 estimate of 2.6 0.1 million
and 28 percent above the long-term average (1.7 0.02
million).
Eastern Survey Area
Winter and spring temperatures in the eastern survey area were
again well below normal. February was the coldest on record in Maine
and the State had near-record snowfall. Average to above-average winter
and spring precipitation was confined to central latitudes of Ontario
and Quebec and the Maritimes whereas far western and southeastern
Ontario and northern and extreme southern Quebec received well below-
average precipitation. Even with an early spring in the survey area, a
protracted thaw produced little flooding in areas that had received
above-average precipitation, therefore assisting waterfowl production.
Status of Teal
The estimate of blue-winged teal from the traditional survey area
is 8.5 million. This count was similar to 2014, and is 73 percent above
the 1955-2014 average.
Sandhill Cranes
The annual indices to abundance of the Mid-Continent Population
(MCP) of sandhill cranes have been relatively stable since 1982, but
over the past few years the trend is slightly increasing. The
preliminary spring 2015 index for sandhill cranes in the Central Platte
River Valley (CPRV), Nebraska, uncorrected for visibility bias, was
325,956 birds. This estimate is 4 percent lower than the long-term
average for the ocular estimate. The 3-year average for photo-corrected
counts (which are more accurate than ocular estimates because they
account for birds present but not seen by aerial crews) for 2012-14 was
620,841, which is above the established population-objective range of
349,000- 472,000 cranes. All Central Flyway States, except Nebraska,
allowed crane hunting in portions of their States during 2014-15. An
estimated 7,825 Central Flyway hunters participated in these seasons,
which was 24 percent lower than the number that participated in the
previous season. Hunters harvested 15,776 MCP cranes in the U.S.
portion of the Central Flyway during the 2014-15 seasons, which was 27
percent lower than the harvest for the previous year but 6 percent
higher than the long-term average. The retrieved harvest of MCP cranes
in hunt areas outside of the Central Flyway (Arizona, Pacific Flyway
portion of New Mexico, Minnesota, Alaska, Canada, and Mexico combined)
was 13,221 during 2014-15. The preliminary estimate for the North
American MCP sport harvest, including crippling losses, was 32,666
birds, which was a 19 percent decrease from the previous year's
estimate. The long-term (1982-2012) trends for the MCP indicate that
harvest has been increasing at a higher rate than population growth.
The fall 2014 pre-migration survey for the Rocky Mountain
Population (RMP) resulted in a count of 19,668 cranes. The 3-year
average was 18,482 sandhill cranes, which is within the established
population objective of 17,000-21,000 for the RMP. Hunting seasons
during 2014-15 in portions of Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico,
Utah, and Wyoming resulted in a harvest of 624 RMP cranes, an 8 percent
decrease from the previous year's harvest.
The Lower Colorado River Valley Population (LCRVP) survey results
indicate a 24 percent decrease from 3,353 birds in 2014 to 2,536 birds
in 2015. The 3-year average is 2,989 LCRVP cranes, which is above the
population objective of 2,500.
The Eastern Population (EP) sandhill crane fall survey index
(83,479) increased by 30 percent in 2014, and a combined total of 401
cranes were harvested in Kentucky's fourth hunting season and
Tennessee's second season.
[[Page 43268]]
Woodcock
The American woodcock (Scolopax minor) is managed as two management
regions, the Eastern and the Central. Singing Ground and Wing-
collection Surveys are conducted to assess population status. The
Singing Ground Survey is intended to measure long-term changes in
woodcock population levels. Singing Ground Survey data for 2015
indicate that the number of singing male woodcock per route in the
Eastern and Central Management Regions was unchanged from 2014. There
was a statistically significant, declining 10-year trend in woodcock
heard for the Eastern Management Region during 2005-15, while the 10-
year trend in the Central Management Region was not significant. This
marks the second year in a row that the 10-year trend in the Eastern
Management Region has shown a decline. Both management regions have a
long-term (1968-2015) declining trend (-1.1 percent per year in the
Eastern Management Region and -0.7 percent per year in the Central
Management Region).
The Wing-collection Survey provides an index to recruitment. Wing-
collection Survey data indicate that the 2014 recruitment index for the
U.S. portion of the Eastern Region (1.49 immatures per adult female)
was 6.9 percent less than the 2013 index, and 8.9 percent less than the
long-term (1963-2013) average. The recruitment index for the U.S.
portion of the Central Region (1.39 immatures per adult female) was 9.7
percent less than the 2013 index and 10.6 percent less than the long-
term (1963-2013) average.
During last year's seasons, hunters in the Eastern Region harvested
58,600 birds, which was 6.2 percent below the number for the previous
season and 31.4 percent below the long-term (1999-2013) average. In the
Central Region, 141,500 woodcock were harvested, 21.4 percent less than
in 2013 and 36.5 percent less than the long-term average.
Band-Tailed Pigeons
Two subspecies of band-tailed pigeon occur north of Mexico, and are
managed as two separate populations: Interior and Pacific Coast.
Information on the abundance and harvest of band-tailed pigeons is
collected annually in the United States and British Columbia. Abundance
information comes from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the Mineral
Site Survey (MSS, specific to the Pacific Coast Population). Harvest
and hunter participation are estimated from the Migratory Bird Harvest
Information Program (HIP). The BBS provided evidence that the abundance
of Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeons decreased (-1.8 percent per year)
over the long term (1968-2014). No trends in abundance were evident
during the recent 10- and 5-year periods for both the BBS and MSS.
Harvest estimates indicate that 2,900 active hunters took 12,000
pigeons and spent 8,800 days afield in 2014. Composition of harvest was
25 percent hatching-year pigeons.
For Interior band-tailed pigeons, the BBS provided evidence that
abundance decreased (-5.5 percent per year) over the long term (1968-
2014). Similar to Pacific Coast birds, no trends in abundance were
evident during the recent 10- and 5-year periods. An estimated 1,500
hunters harvested 1,500 pigeons and spent 3,300 days afield in 2014.
Mourning Doves
Doves in the United States are managed in three management units,
Eastern (EMU), Central (CMU), and Western (WMU). We annually summarize
information collected in the United States on survival, recruitment,
abundance, and harvest of mourning doves. We report on trends in the
number of doves heard and seen per route from the all-bird BBS, and
provide absolute abundance estimates based on band recovery and harvest
data. Harvest and hunter participation are estimated from the HIP.
BBS data suggested that the abundance of mourning doves over the
last 49 years increased in the Eastern Management Unit (EMU) and
decreased in the Central (CMU) and Western (WMU) Management Units.
Estimates of absolute abundance are available only since 2003 and
indicate that there are about 274 million doves in the United States.
In 2014, abundance varied among the management units with 68.2 million
in the EMU, 161.6 million in the CMU, and 43.6 million in the WMU.
Current (2014) HIP estimates for mourning dove total harvest,
active hunters, and total days afield in the United States were
13,809,500 birds, 839,600 hunters, and 2,386,700 days afield. Harvest
and hunter participation at the unit level were: EMU, 4,889,800 birds,
310,200 hunters, and 791,300 days afield; CMU, 7,654,700 birds, 427,100
hunters, and 1,333,600 days afield; and WMU, 1,265,000 birds, 102,300
hunters, and 261,800 days afield.
Review of Public Comments
The preliminary proposed rulemaking (April 13, 2015; 80 FR 19852)
opened the public comment period for migratory game bird hunting
regulations and announced the proposed regulatory alternatives for the
2015-16 duck hunting season. Comments concerning early-season issues
and the proposed alternatives are summarized below and numbered in the
order used in the April 13, 2015, Federal Register document. Only the
numbered items pertaining to early-season issues and the proposed
regulatory alternatives for which we received written comments are
included. Consequently, the issues do not follow in consecutive
numerical or alphabetical order.
We received recommendations from all four Flyway Councils. Some
recommendations supported continuation of last year's frameworks. Due
to the comprehensive nature of the annual review of the frameworks
performed by the Councils, support for continuation of last year's
frameworks is assumed for items for which no recommendations were
received. Council recommendations for changes in the frameworks are
summarized below.
We seek additional information and comments on the recommendations
in this supplemental proposed rule. New proposals and modifications to
previously described proposals are discussed below. Wherever possible,
they are discussed under headings corresponding to the numbered items
in the April 13. 2015, Federal Register document.
General
Written Comments: A commenter protested the entire migratory bird
hunting regulations process, the killing of all migratory birds, and
status and habitat data on which the migratory bird hunting regulations
are based.
Service Response: Our long-term objectives continue to include
providing opportunities to harvest portions of certain migratory game
bird populations and to limit harvests to levels compatible with each
population's ability to maintain healthy, viable numbers. Having taken
into account the zones of temperature and the distribution, abundance,
economic value, breeding habits, and times and lines of flight of
migratory birds, we believe that the hunting seasons provided for
herein are compatible with the current status of migratory bird
populations and long-term population goals. Additionally, we are
obligated to, and do, give serious consideration to all information
received as public comment. We believe that the Flyway-Council system
of migratory bird management has been a longstanding, successful
example of State-Federal cooperative management since its establishment
in 1952. However, as
[[Page 43269]]
always, we continue to seek new ways to streamline and improve the
process.
1. Ducks
Categories used to discuss issues related to duck harvest
management are: (A) General Harvest Strategy; (B) Regulatory
Alternatives, including specification of framework dates, season
lengths, and bag limits; (C) Zones and Split Seasons; and (D) Special
Seasons/Species Management. The categories correspond to previously
published issues/discussions, and only those containing substantial
recommendations are discussed below.
A. General Harvest Strategy
Council Recommendations: The Mississippi Flyway Council recommended
that regulations changes be restricted to one step per year, both when
restricting as well as liberalizing hunting regulations.
The Pacific Flyway Council recommended removing the objective
constraint for the western mallard Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM)
protocol.
Service Response: As we stated in the April 13, 2015, proposed
rule, we intend to continue use of AHM to help determine appropriate
duck-hunting regulations for the 2015-16 season. AHM is a tool that
permits sound resource decisions in the face of uncertain regulatory
impacts, as well as providing a mechanism for reducing that uncertainty
over time. The current AHM protocol is used to evaluate four
alternative regulatory levels based on the population status of
mallards and their breeding habitat (i.e., abundance of ponds). Special
hunting restrictions are enacted for certain species, such as
canvasbacks, black ducks, scaup, and pintails.
Regarding the Mississippi Flyway Council recommendation to limit
regulatory changes to one step per year, we recognize the long-standing
interest by the Council to impose a one-step constraint on regulatory
changes. In the past, we have not endorsed this recommendation due to
the pending completion of the Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (SEIS) on migratory bird hunting. With the recently completed
SEIS, we are now transitioning to a new regulatory process. At the same
time, the Central and Mississippi Flyways have begun a new effort to
re-visit the AHM protocol for managing harvest of mid-continent
mallards (i.e., ``double-looping''). This effort will include a
discussion of appropriate management objectives, regulatory packages,
and management of non-mallard stocks. We believe that these discussions
would be the appropriate venue to discuss what role, if any, a one-step
constraint might play in management of waterfowl in the Central and
Mississippi Flyways. Such discussions should include the potential
impact of a one-step constraint on the frequency of when the liberal,
moderate, and restrictive packages would be recommended. On a final
note, while we recognize the Council's concern about potentially
communicating a large regulatory change to hunters, we have concerns
about the appropriateness of a one-step constraint in situations when
the status of the waterfowl resource may warrant such a measure. We
look forward to working with the Flyway Councils on this issue.
In 2008, we described and adopted a protocol for regulatory
decision-making for the newly defined stock of western mallards (73 FR
43290; July 24, 2008). We continue to believe that the prescribed
regulatory choice for the Pacific Flyway should be based on the status
of this western mallard breeding stock. However, as we previously
discussed in the April 13, 2015, proposed rule, the current early and
late-season regulatory actions will be combined into a new single
process beginning with the 2016-17 seasons. Migratory bird hunting
regulations will be based on predictions from models derived from long-
term biological information and established harvest strategies.
Adjustment to western mallard AHM for the new regulatory process was
straightforward, except for the implementation of the objective
function constraint that has been in use since 2008. Efforts to
implement this constraint with new optimization methods were
unsuccessful, and assessment results suggest that the objective
function constraint used in western mallard AHM may not be necessary or
performing as previously envisioned. The Pacific Flyway Council has
expressed interest in continued cooperation in working with the Service
to clarify western mallard AHM objectives. During 2016, the technical
representatives from the Pacific Flyway Council in conjunction with the
Harvest Management Working Group will review harvest management
objectives, incorporate additional mallard breeding stocks (i.e., those
in Washington and British Columbia), and consider constraints to
minimize large annual changes in regulation packages with relatively
small changes in population size (e.g., moving from liberal to closed
seasons in successive years with no moderate or restrictive
intermediate steps).
We will propose a specific regulatory alternative for each of the
Flyways during the 2015-16 season after survey information becomes
available later this summer. More information on AHM is located at
https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/adaptive-harvest-management.php.
As we stated above, for the 2016-17 season, the current early and
late-season regulatory actions will be combined into a new single
process. Migratory bird hunting regulations will be based on
predictions from models derived from long-term biological information
and established harvest strategies. Since 1995, the Service and Flyway
Councils have applied the principles of adaptive management to inform
harvest management decisions in the face of uncertainty while trying to
learn about system (bird populations) responses to harvest regulations
and environmental changes. Prior to the timing and process changes
necessary for implementation of SEIS 2013, the annual AHM process began
with the observation of the system state each spring followed by an
updating of model weights and the derivation of an optimal harvest
policy that was then used to make a state-dependent decision (i.e.,
breeding population estimates were used with a policy matrix to inform
harvest regulatory decisions). The system state then evolves over time
in response to the decision and natural variation in population
dynamics. The following spring, the monitoring programs observe the
state of the system and the iterative decision-making process continues
forward in time. However, with the changes in decision timing specified
by the SEIS, the post-survey AHM process will not be possible because
monitoring information describing the system state will not be
available at the time the decision must be made. As a result, the
optimization framework used to derive the current harvest policy can no
longer calculate current and future harvest values as a function of the
current system and model states. To address this issue, we adjusted the
optimization procedures to calculate harvest values conditional on the
last observed system state and regulatory decision.
Results and analysis of our work is contained in a technical report
that provides a summary of revised methods and assessment results based
on updated AHM protocols developed in response to the preferred
alternative specified in the SEIS. The report describes necessary
changes to optimization procedures and decision processes for the
implementation of AHM for midcontinent, eastern and
[[Page 43270]]
western mallards, northern pintails, and scaup decision frameworks.
Results indicate that the necessary adjustments to the optimization
procedures and AHM protocols to account for changes in decision timing
are not expected to result in major changes to expected management
performance for mallard, pintail, and scaup AHM. In general, pre-survey
(or pre-SEIS necessary changes) harvest policies were similar to
harvest policies based on new post-survey (or post-SEIS necessary
changes) AHM protocols. We found some subtle differences in the degree
to which strategies exhibited knife-edged regulatory changes in the
pre-survey policies with a reduction in the number of cells indicating
moderate regulations. In addition, pre-survey policies became more
liberal when conditioning on previous regulatory decisions that were
more conservative. These patterns were consistent for each AHM
decision-making framework. Overall, a comparison of simulation results
of the pre- and post-survey protocols did not suggest substantive
changes in the frequency of regulations or in the expected average
population size. These results suggest that the additional form of
uncertainty that the change in decision timing introduces is not
expected to limit our expected harvest management performance with the
adoption of the pre-survey AHM protocols.
A complete copy of the AHM report can be found on
www.regulations.gov or at https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/pdf/management/AHM/SEIS&AHMReportFinal.pdf.
B. Regulatory Alternatives
Council Recommendations: The Mississippi and Central Flyway
Councils recommended that regulatory alternatives for duck hunting
seasons remain the same as those used in 2014-15.
Service Response: The regulatory alternatives proposed in the April
13, 2015, Federal Register will be used for the 2015-16 hunting season
(see accompanying table at the end of this proposed rule for
specifics). In 2005, the AHM regulatory alternatives were modified to
consist only of the maximum season lengths, framework dates, and bag
limits for total ducks and mallards. Restrictions for certain species
within these frameworks that are not covered by existing harvest
strategies will be addressed during the late-season regulations
process. For those species with specific harvest strategies
(canvasbacks, pintails, black ducks, and scaup), those strategies will
again be used for the 2015-16 hunting season.
C. Zones and Split Seasons
Council Recommendations: The Mississippi and Central Flyway
Councils recommended no changes to the existing zone and split season
guidelines. However, they further recommended that States be provided
the option of changing duck zones and split arrangements in either the
2016-17 or 2017-18 seasons, with the next open season in 2021 for the
2021-25 period.
Service Response: Zones and split seasons are ``special
regulations'' designed to distribute hunting opportunities and harvests
according to temporal, geographic, and demographic variability in
waterfowl and other migratory game bird populations. For ducks, States
have been allowed the option of dividing their allotted hunting days
into two (or in some cases three) segments to take advantage of
species-specific peaks of abundance or to satisfy hunters in different
areas who want to hunt during the peak of waterfowl abundance in their
area. However, the split-season option does not fully satisfy many
States that wish to provide a more equitable distribution of harvest
opportunities. Therefore, we also have allowed the establishment of
independent seasons in up to four zones within States for the purpose
of providing more equitable distribution of harvest opportunity for
hunters throughout the State.
In 1978, we prepared an environmental assessment (EA) on the use of
zones to set duck hunting regulations. A primary tenet of the 1978 EA
was that zoning would be for the primary purpose of providing equitable
distribution of duck hunting opportunities within a State or region and
not for the purpose of increasing total annual waterfowl harvest in the
zoned areas. In fact, target harvest levels were to be adjusted
downward if they exceeded traditional levels as a result of zoning.
Subsequent to the 1978 EA, we conducted a review of the use of zones
and split seasons in 1990. In 2011, we prepared a new EA analyzing some
specific proposed changes to the zone and split season guidelines. The
current guidelines were then finalized in 2011 (76 FR 53536; August 26,
2011).
Currently, every 5 years, States are afforded the opportunity to
change the zoning and split season configuration within which they set
their annual duck hunting regulations. The next regularly scheduled
open season for changes to zone and split season configurations is in
2016, for use during the 2016-20 period. However, as we discussed in
the September 23, 2014, Federal Register (79 FR 56864), and the April
13, 2015, Federal Register (80 FR 19852), we are implementing
significant changes to the annual regulatory process as outlined in the
2013 SEIS. As such, the previously identified May 1, 2016, due date for
zone and split season configuration changes that was developed under
the current regulatory process, is too late for those States wishing to
change zone and split season configurations for implementation in the
2016-17 season. Under the new regulatory schedule, we anticipate
publishing the proposed rule for all 2016-17 migratory bird seasons
sometime this fall--approximately 30 days after the SRC meeting (which
is scheduled for October 28-29, 2015). A final rule tentatively would
be published 75 days after the proposed rule (no later than April 1).
This schedule would preclude inclusion of new zone descriptions in the
proposed rule as had been done in past open seasons and would not be
appropriate because it would preclude the ability for the public to
comment on these new individual State zone descriptions. Therefore, we
need to include any new proposed 2016-20 zone descriptions in the 2016-
17 hunting seasons proposed rule document that will be published later
this year.
Considering all of the above, we agree with the Mississippi and
Central Flyway Councils and have decided that a two-phase approach is
appropriate. For those States wishing to change zone and split season
configurations in time for the 2016-17 season, we will need to receive
new configuration and zone descriptions by December 1, 2015. States
that do not send in new zone and split season configuration changes
until the previously identified May 1, 2016, deadline will have those
changes implemented in the 2017-18 hunting season. The next scheduled
open season would remain in 2021 for the 2021-25 seasons.
For the current open season, the guidelines for duck zone and split
season configurations will be as follows:
Guidelines for Duck Zones and Split Seasons
The following zone and split-season guidelines apply only for the
regular duck season:
(1) A zone is a geographic area or portion of a State, with a
contiguous boundary, for which independent dates may be selected for
the regular duck season.
(2) Consideration of changes for management-unit boundaries is not
subject to the guidelines and provisions governing the use of zones and
split seasons for ducks.
[[Page 43271]]
(3) Only minor (less than a county in size) boundary changes will
be allowed for any grandfathered arrangement, and changes are limited
to the open season.
(4) Once a zone and split option is selected during an open season,
it must remain in place for the following 5 years.
Any State may continue the configuration used in the previous 5-
year period. If changes are made, the zone and split-season
configuration must conform to one of the following options:
(1) No more than four zones with no splits,
(2) Split seasons (no more than 3 segments) with no zones, or
(3) No more than three zones with the option for 2-way (2-segment)
split seasons in one, two, or all zones.
Grandfathered Zone and Split Arrangements
When we first implemented the zone and split guidelines in 1991,
several States had completed experiments with zone and split
arrangements different from our original options. We offered those
States a one-time opportunity to continue (``grandfather'') those
arrangements, with the stipulation that only minor changes could be
made to zone boundaries. If any of those States now wish to change
their zone and split arrangement:
(1) The new arrangement must conform to one of the 3 options
identified above; and
(2) The State cannot go back to the grandfathered arrangement that
it previously had in place.
Management Units
We will continue to utilize the specific limitations previously
established regarding the use of zones and split seasons in special
management units, including the High Plains Mallard Management Unit. We
note that the original justification and objectives established for the
High Plains Mallard Management Unit provided for additional days of
hunting opportunity at the end of the regular duck season. In order to
maintain the integrity of the management unit, current guidelines
prohibit simultaneous zoning and/or 3-way split seasons within a
management unit and the remainder of the State. Removal of this
limitation would allow additional proliferation of zone and split
configurations and compromise the original objectives of the management
unit.
D. Special Seasons/Species Management
i. September Teal Seasons
Utilizing the criteria developed for the teal season harvest
strategy, this year's estimate of 8.3 million blue-winged teal from the
traditional survey area indicates that a 16-day September teal season
in the Atlantic, Central, and Mississippi Flyways is appropriate for
2015.
4. Canada Geese
A. Special Seasons
Council Recommendations: The Pacific Flyway Council recommended
increasing season length from 7 to 15 days and the daily bag limit from
2 to 5 for Canada geese in Idaho.
Service Response: We agree with the Pacific Flyway Council's
request to increase the Canada goose season length and daily bag limit
in Idaho. The special early Canada goose hunting season is generally
designed to reduce or control overabundant resident Canada goose
populations. Increasing the season length from 7 to 15 days and the
daily bag limit from 2 to 5 geese in Idaho may help reduce or control
the abundance of resident Canada geese.
B. Regular Seasons
Council Recommendations: The Mississippi Flyway Council recommended
that the framework opening date for all species of geese for the
regular goose seasons in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and Wisconsin
be September 16, 2015, and in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan be
September 11, 2015.
Service Response: We concur with recommended framework opening
dates. Michigan, beginning in 1998, and Wisconsin, beginning in 1989,
have opened their regular Canada goose seasons prior to the Flyway-wide
framework opening date to address resident goose management concerns in
these States. As we have previously stated (73 FR 50678, August 27,
2008), we agree with the objective to increase harvest pressure on
resident Canada geese in the Mississippi Flyway and will continue to
consider the opening dates in both States as exceptions to the general
Flyway opening date, to be reconsidered annually. The framework closing
date for the early goose season in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is
September 10. By changing the framework opening date for the regular
season to September 11 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan there will be
no need to close goose hunting in that area for 5 days and thus lose
the ability to maintain harvest pressure on resident Canada geese. We
note that the most recent resident Canada goose estimate for the
Mississippi Flyway was 1,461,000 geese during the spring of 2014, above
the Flyway's population goal of 1.18 to 1.40 million birds.
6. Brant
As we discussed in the June 11, 2015, Federal Register (80 FR
33223), for the 2015-16 Atlantic brant season, we will continue to use
the existing Flyway Cooperative Management Plan for this species to
determine the appropriate hunting regulations. However, as we discuss
below, the process for determining regulations for the 2016-17 season
will need to be modified. In the April 30, 2014 (79 FR 24512), and the
April 13, 2015 (80 FR 19852), Federal Registers, we discussed how,
under the new regulatory process, the current early- and late-season
regulatory actions will be combined into a new single process beginning
with the 2016-17 seasons. Regulatory proposals will be developed using
biological data from the preceding year(s), model predictions, and/or
most recently accumulated data that are available at the time the
proposals are being formulated. Individual harvest strategies will be
modified using data from the previous year(s) because the current
year's data would not be available for many of the strategies.
Further, we stated that during this transition period, harvest
strategies and prescriptions would be modified to fit into the new
regulatory schedule. Atlantic brant is one such species that will
require some modifications to the regulatory process that we have
largely used since 1992 to establish the annual frameworks.
In developing the annual proposed frameworks for Atlantic brant in
the past, the Atlantic Flyway Council and the Service used the number
of brant counted during the Mid-winter Waterfowl Survey (MWS) in the
Atlantic Flyway, and took into consideration the brant population's
expected productivity that summer. The MWS is conducted each January,
and expected brant productivity is based on early-summer observations
of breeding habitat conditions and nesting effort in important brant
nesting areas. Thus, the data under consideration were available before
the annual Flyway and SRC decision-making meetings took place in late
July. Although the existing regulatory alternatives for Atlantic brant
were developed by factoring together long-term productivity rates
(observed during November and December productivity surveys) with
estimated
[[Page 43272]]
observed harvest under different framework regulations, the primary
decision-making criterion for selecting the annual frameworks was the
MWS count.
In the April 13, 2015, Federal Register (80 FR 19852), we presented
the major steps in the 2016-17 regulatory cycle relating to biological
information availability, open public meetings, and Federal Register
notifications. Under the new regulatory schedule due to be implemented
this fall and winter for the 2016-17 migratory bird hunting
regulations, neither the expected 2016 brant production information
(available summer 2016) nor the 2016 MWS count (conducted in January
2016) will be available this October, when the decisions on proposed
Atlantic brant frameworks for the 2016-17 seasons must be made.
However, the 2016 MWS will be completed and winter brant data will be
available by the expected publication of the final frameworks (late
February 2016). Therefore, we are proposing frameworks for Atlantic
brant in 2016-17 using the process laid out below, with the final
decision to be determined by the 2016 MWS count:
If the MWS count is <100,000 Atlantic brant, the season will be
closed.
If the MWS count is between 100,000 and 125,000 brant, States may
select a 30-day season between the Saturday nearest September 24 and
January 31, with a 2-bird daily bag limit. States may split their
seasons into 2 segments.
If the MWS count is between 125,000 and 150,000 brant, States may
select a 50-day season between the Saturday nearest September 24 and
January 31, with a 2-bird daily bag limit. States may split their
seasons into 2 segments.
If the MWS count is between 150,000 and 200,000 brant, States may
select a 60-day season between the Saturday nearest September 24 and
January 31, with a 2-bird daily bag limit. States may split their
seasons into 2 segments.
If the MWS count is >200,000 brant, States may select a 60-day
season between the Saturday nearest September 24 and January 31, with a
3-bird daily bag limit. States may split their seasons into 2 segments.
We note that the proposed prescriptive regulatory frameworks listed
above are identical to those contained in the Atlantic Flyway Council's
current Atlantic brant hunt plan (2011), with the exception of
considering expected brant production. However, at this time our new
regulatory schedule will likely preclude any formal consideration of
the brant population's expected productivity in the summer. While our
proposed process would be a slight change to the existing mechanics of
the Atlantic brant hunt plan, we believe it would have no significant
effects on the long-term conservation of the Atlantic brant resource.
For a more detailed discussion of the various technical aspects of
the new regulatory process, we refer the reader to the 2013 SEIS on our
Web site at https://www.fws.gov/birds/index.php.
8. Swans
Council Recommendations: In March the Atlantic, Mississippi, and
Central Flyway Councils recommended increasing tundra swan permit
numbers by 25 percent (2,400 permits) for the 2015-16 season, if the
final 3-year running average mid-winter count exceeds 110,000 Eastern
Population tundra swans, in accordance with the Eastern Population
tundra swan management plan.
Service Response: At the June 24-25 SRC meeting, the Atlantic,
Mississippi, and Central Flyway Councils withdrew their recommendations
to increase tundra swan permit numbers because the final 3-year running
average mid-winter count did not exceed 110,000 Eastern Population
tundra swans.
9. Sandhill Cranes
Council Recommendations: The Atlantic and Mississippi Flyway
Councils recommended that Kentucky be granted an operational sandhill
crane hunting season beginning in 2015 following the guidelines
established in the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes Management
Plan (EP Management Plan). Kentucky's operational season would consist
of a maximum season length of 60 days (with no splits) to be held
between September 1 and January 31, with a daily bag limit of 2 birds,
and a season limit of 3 birds. Hunting would occur between sunrise and
sunset. Per the guidelines set forth in the EP Management Plan, and
based on the State's 5-year peak average of 12,072 birds, Kentucky
would be allowed to issue a maximum of 1,207 tags during the 2015-16
season. These permits would be divided among 400 permitted hunters.
Hunters would be required to take mandatory whooping crane
identification training, utilize Service-approved nontoxic shot shells,
tag birds, report harvest daily via Kentucky's reporting system, and
complete a post-season survey.
The Central and Pacific Flyway Councils recommended using the Rocky
Mountain Population (RMP) sandhill crane harvest allocation of 938
birds as proposed in the allocation formula using the 3-year running
population average for 2012-14. The Councils also recommended that,
under the new annual regulatory process beginning with the 2016-17
season, the harvest strategy described in the Pacific and Central
Flyway Management Plan for RMP sandhill cranes be published in the
proposed season frameworks and be used to determine allowable harvest.
They recommended that the final allowable harvest each year be included
in the final season frameworks published in February.
The Pacific Flyway Council recommended some minor changes to the
hunt area boundaries in Idaho to simplify and clarify hunt area
descriptions. More specifically, Area 5 would now include all of
Franklin County, and Area 1 would include all of Caribou County except
that portion lying within the Grays Lake Basin. The Pacific Flyway
Council also recommended eliminating the Lower Colorado River Valley
Population (LCRVP) experimental season.
Service Response: We agree with the recommendation to grant
operational status to Kentucky's sandhill crane hunting season.
Kentucky held an experimental sandhill crane season during 2011-13 and
was granted an additional year in order to finalize analysis of the
first 3 years of data collected during the experiment. The structure of
the experimental seasons conformed to the frameworks outlined in the
Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes Management Plan. Harvest of
sandhill cranes in Kentucky during 2011-13 ranged from 59 to 96 birds
per year. This level of annual harvest was well below the allowable
annual harvest of 1,174 birds determined by the permit allocation
system outlined in the management plan. Therefore, we believe that
Kentucky's crane season should continue on an operational basis, and
that seasons should conform to the frameworks and permit guidelines
outlined in the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes Management Plan.
We also agree with the Central and Pacific Flyway Councils'
recommendations on the RMP sandhill crane harvest allocation of 938
cranes for the 2015-16 season, as outlined in the RMP sandhill crane
management plan's hunting area requirements and harvest allocation
formula. The objective for RMP sandhill cranes is to manage for a
stable population index of 17,000-21,000 cranes determined by an
average of the three most recent, reliable September (fall pre-
migration) surveys. Additionally, the RMP management plan allows for
the regulated harvest of cranes when the 3-year average of the
[[Page 43273]]
population indices exceeds 15,000 cranes. The most recent 3-year
average for the RMP sandhill crane fall index is 18,482 birds, a slight
increase from the previous 3-year average of 17,757 cranes.
Regarding the RMP crane harvest and the new regulatory process,
this issue is very similar to the Atlantic brant issue discussed above
under 6. Brant. Currently, results of the fall survey of RMP sandhill
cranes, upon which the annual allowable harvest is based, will continue
to be released between December 15 and January 31 each year, which is
after the date for which proposed frameworks will be formulated in the
new regulatory process. If the usual procedures for determining
allowable harvest were used, data 2-4 years old would be used to
determine the annual allocation for RMP sandhill cranes. Due to the
variability in fall survey counts and recruitment for this population,
and their impact on the annual harvest allocations, we agree that
relying on data that is 2-4 years old is not ideal. Thus, we agree that
the formula to determine the annual allowable harvest for RMP sandhill
cranes should be used under the new regulatory schedule and propose to
utilize it as such. That formula uses information on abundance and
recruitment collected annually through operational monitoring programs,
as well as constant values based on past research or monitoring for
survival of fledglings to breeding age and harvest retrieval rate. The
formula is:
H = C x P x R x L x f
where:
H = total annual allowable harvest;
C = the average of the three most recent, reliable fall population
indices;
P = the average proportion of fledged chicks in the fall population
in the San Luis Valley during the most recent 3 years for which data
are available;
R = estimated recruitment of fledged chicks to breeding age (current
estimate is 0.5);
L = retrieval rate of 0.80 (allowance for an estimated 20 percent
crippling loss based on hunter interviews); and
f = (C/16,000) (a variable factor used to adjust the total harvest
to achieve a desired effect on the entire population)
A final estimate for the allowable harvest would be available to
publish in the final rule, allowing us to use data that is 1-3 years
old as is currently practiced. We look forward to continuing
discussions and work on the RMP crane issue with the Central and
Pacific Flyway Councils this summer in preparation for the 2016-17
season.
We also agree with the Pacific Flyway Council's recommendation for
minor changes to the existing RMP sandhill crane hunting area
boundaries in Idaho. The boundary adjustments are intended to simplify
and clarify existing hunting area boundary descriptions, and are
consistent with the Pacific and Central Flyway Council's RMP sandhill
crane management plan hunting area requirements.
Finally, we also agree with the Pacific Flyway Council's
recommendation to eliminate the LCRVP sandhill crane experimental
hunting season. As requested by the Pacific Flyway Council in 2006 (71
FR 51407, August 29, 2006), we authorized in 2007 a carefully
controlled, very limited experimental season for LCRVP sandhill cranes
in Arizona based on our final environmental assessment (72 FR 49624,
August 28, 2007). In 2009, the Pacific Flyway Council recommended
extending the experimental season for LCRVP sandhill cranes in Arizona
for an additional 3 years (74 FR 43009, August 25, 2009). The extension
was necessary due to implementation difficulties that prohibited
initiating the new hunt. We continued to support the establishment of
the 3-year experimental framework for this hunt, conditional on
successful monitoring being conducted as called for in the Flyway
hunting plan for this population. Subsequently, the only hunting season
successfully implemented in Arizona for this population was in 2010
where 5 youth participated and no cranes were harvested. The Pacific
Flyway Council has indicated in their recent recommendation that there
are no plans to hunt this population in the near future.
11. Moorhens and Gallinules
Council Recommendations: The Atlantic Flyway Council recommended
allowing the hunting of purple swamphens (Porphyrio porphyria) in
Florida beginning in 2015. They recommended that hunting be allowed
during any open waterfowl season and that all regulations in 50 CFR 20
subparts C and D would apply. Further, they recommended a daily bag
limit of 25 birds, with a possession limit of 75. They also recommended
that we exclude this species from monitoring programs.
Service Response: Purple swamphens are a species native to the U.S.
Territories of American Samoa, Baker and Howland Islands, and Guam, and
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and as such are protected
under 50 CFR 10.13. In Florida, purple swamphens are an introduced
species that likely resulted from escapees. Available data indicate
that the population may be expanding and competing with native species.
As such, in 2010, we established a Control Order in 50 CFR 21.53 in
order to control possible expansion of the species (75 FR 9314, March
1, 2010). However, there has never been a sport hunting season
established in the United States for purple swamphens. Consequently, we
believe a new hunting season for purple swamphens would require
appropriate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) coverage. Since a
NEPA analysis of this proposal has not yet been conducted, we do not
support the Council's recommendation at this time. We will reconsider
it after appropriate NEPA analysis has been completed.
14. Woodcock
In 2011, we implemented an interim harvest strategy for woodcock
for a period of 5 years (2011-15) (76 FR 19876, April 8, 2011). The
interim harvest strategy provides a transparent framework for making
regulatory decisions for woodcock season length and bag limit while we
work to improve monitoring and assessment protocols for this species.
Utilizing the criteria developed for the interim strategy, the 3-year
average for the Singing Ground Survey indices and associated confidence
intervals fall within the ``moderate package'' for both the Eastern and
Central Management Regions. As such, a ``moderate season'' for both
management regions for the 2015-16 woodcock hunting season is
appropriate. Specifics of the interim harvest strategy can be found at
https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/NewsPublicationsReports.html.
15. Band-Tailed Pigeons
Council Recommendations: The Central and Pacific Flyway Councils
recommended decreasing the season length from 30 days to 14 days, and
decreasing the daily bag limit from 5 to 2 for the Interior Population
of band-tailed pigeons.
Service Response: We agree with the Central and Pacific Flyway
Councils' recommendations to decrease season length from 30 to 14 days
and daily bag limit from 5 to 2 birds for Interior band-tailed pigeons.
Last year (79 FR 51405, August 28, 2014), we recommended that the
Councils work together and with the Service's Division of Migratory
Bird Management to review available information and conduct an
assessment of the harvest potential of this population. We also
requested they advise us of the results of this assessment and develop
a regulatory recommendation using this information at our June 2015
regulatory meeting.
[[Page 43274]]
Technical representatives from the Central and Pacific Flyway Councils
and the Service's Division of Migratory Bird Management met in Denver
on October 23-24, 2014, to discuss an approach to assessing harvest
potential and review available demographic data for interior band-
tailed pigeons. At the meeting in Denver, participants agreed on using
the Potential Take Level framework (PTL) for the harvest potential
assessment. The objective of this PTL assessment was to derive an
estimate of allowable harvest to compare with the best estimate of
observed harvest after accounting for uncertainty of demographic
parameters (i.e., survival, reproduction, and population size). The
assessment used all available demographic information for this species,
albeit limited, but the information is dated and may not adequately
represent extant conditions. Also, current abundance is largely
unknown, and estimated hunter harvest is highly imprecise and may be
biased high relative to the true value. Considering all the data, their
precision, and potential biases, the assessment suggested that a
conservative approach to harvest management for this population is
warranted. Results were consistent with those of earlier investigators
(1992) that reported low harvest potential for the Pacific Coast band-
tailed pigeon. Results of the assessment provide a transparent approach
to help inform the regulatory decision-making process for this
population until additional information becomes available or a formal
harvest strategy is developed. The PTL assessment could be updated if
improved information on estimated hunter harvest and population size
becomes available.
16. Mourning Doves
Council Recommendations: The Atlantic and Mississippi Flyway
Councils recommended use of the ``standard'' season framework
comprising a 90-day season and 15-bird daily bag limit for States
within the Eastern Management Unit. The daily bag limit could be
composed of mourning doves and white-winged doves, singly or in
combination.
The Mississippi and Central Flyway Councils recommended the use of
the ``standard'' season package of a 15-bird daily bag limit and a 70-
day season for the 2015-16 mourning dove season in the States within
the Central Management Unit.
The Pacific Flyway Council recommended use of the ``standard''
season framework for States in the Western Management Unit (WMU)
population of mourning doves. In Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and
Washington, the season length would be no more than 60 consecutive days
with a daily bag limit of 15 mourning and white-winged doves in the
aggregate. In Arizona and California, the season length would be no
more than 60 consecutive days, which could be split between two
periods, September 1-15 and November 1-January 15. In Arizona, during
the first segment of the season, the daily bag limit would be 15
mourning and white-winged doves in the aggregate, of which no more than
10 could be white-winged doves. During the remainder of the season, the
daily bag limit would be 15 mourning doves. In California, the daily
bag limit would be 15 mourning and white-winged doves in the aggregate,
of which no more than 10 could be white-winged doves.
The Central Flyway Council also recommended that the Service,
beginning with the 2016-17 hunting season, adopt a new ``standard''
season package framework comprised of a 90-day season and 15-bird daily
bag limit for States within the Central Management Unit.
Service Response: Based on the harvest strategies and current
population status, we agree with the recommended selection of the
``standard'' season frameworks for doves in the Eastern, Central, and
Western Management Units for the 2015-16 seasons.
We do not support the recommendation by the Central Flyway to
increase the length of the dove season to 90 days for the 2016-17
season at this time. We understand that the Central Flyway will
continue to work with the Mississippi Flyway in the coming months to
develop a joint recommendation to increase the season length, and we
would consider such a recommendation at that time.
Lastly, as we discussed in the April 13, 2015, Federal Register (80
FR 19852), 2016 is the next open season for changes to dove zone and
split configurations for the 2016-20 period. The current guidelines
were approved in 2006 (see July 28, 2006, Federal Register, 71 FR
43008), for the use of zones and split seasons for doves with
implementation beginning in the 2007-08 season. While the initial
period was for 4 years (2007-10), we further stated that, beginning in
2011, zoning would conform to a 5-year period.
As discussed above under C. Zones and Split Seasons for ducks,
because of unintentional and unanticipated issues with changing the
regulatory schedule for the 2016-17 season, we have decided that a two-
phase approach is appropriate. For those States wishing to change zone
and split season configurations in time for the 2016-17 season, we will
need to receive that new configuration and zone descriptions by
December 1, 2015. For those States that do not send in zone and split
season configuration changes until the previously identified May 1,
2016, deadline, we will implement those changes in the 2017-18 hunting
season. The next normally scheduled open season will be in 2021 for the
2021-25 seasons.
For the current open season, the guidelines for dove zone and split
season configurations will be as follows:
Guidelines for Dove Zones and Split Seasons in the Eastern and Central
Mourning Dove Management Units
(1) A zone is a geographic area or portion of a State, with a
contiguous boundary, for which independent seasons may be selected for
dove hunting.
(2) States may select a zone and split option during an open
season. The option must remain in place for the following 5 years
except that States may make a one-time change and revert to their
previous zone and split configuration in any year of the 5-year period.
Formal approval will not be required, but States must notify the
Service before making the change.
(3) Zoning periods for dove hunting will conform to those years
used for ducks, e.g., 2016-20.
(4) The zone and split configuration consists of two zones with the
option for 3-way (3-segment) split seasons in one or both zones. As a
grandfathered arrangement, Texas will have three zones with the option
for 2-way (2-segment) split seasons in one, two, or all three zones.
(5) States that do not wish to zone for dove hunting may split
their seasons into no more than 3 segments.
For the 2016-20 period, any State may continue the configuration
used in 2011-15. If changes are made, the zone and split-season
configuration must conform to one of the options listed above. If Texas
uses a new configuration for the entirety of the 5-year period, it
cannot go back to the grandfathered arrangement that it previously had
in place.
18. Alaska
Council Recommendations: The Pacific Flyway Council recommended two
changes in the Alaska early-season frameworks. Specifically, they
recommended:
[[Page 43275]]
1. For white-fronted geese in Unit 18 (Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta),
increasing the daily bag limit from 8 to 10.
2. For Canada geese in Units 6-B, 6-C, and on Hinchinbrook and
Hawkins Islands in Unit 6-D, increasing the possession limit from two
times to three times the daily bag limit.
Service Response: We agree with the Pacific Flyway Council's
recommendation to increase the daily bag limit from 8 to 10 white-
fronted geese in Unit 18. The recent 3-year (2012-14) average fall
population of Pacific white-fronted geese was 627,108 geese, and is
well above the population objective of 300,000 geese as identified in
the Pacific Flyway Council's management plan for this population. The
Yukon-Kuskowim Delta (Unit 18) supports more than 95 percent of the
breeding population of Pacific white-fronted geese.
We also agree with the Pacific Flyway Council's recommendation to
increase the possession limit for Canada geese from two times to three
times the daily bag limit in Units 6-B, 6-C, and on Hinchinbrook and
Hawkins Islands in Unit 6-D. The recent 3-year (2011-14, no estimate
was available in 2013) average breeding population of dusky Canada
geese was 13,678 geese, and is the highest 3-year average since 1995.
The dusky Canada goose annual population index has increased steadily
since 2009, and 2014 (15,574) is the highest value since 2005. The
status of dusky Canada geese continues to be of concern, and harvest
restrictions have been and remain in place to protect these geese
throughout their range since the 1970s. We continue to support the
harvest strategy described in the Pacific Flyway Council's management
plan for this population.
Public Comments
The Department of the Interior's policy is, whenever possible, to
afford the public an opportunity to participate in the rulemaking
process. Accordingly, we invite interested persons to submit written
comments, suggestions, or recommendations regarding the proposed
regulations. Before promulgating final migratory game bird hunting
regulations, we will consider all comments we receive. These comments,
and any additional information we receive, may lead to final
regulations that differ from these proposals.
You may submit your comments and materials concerning this proposed
rule by one of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. We will not accept
comments sent by email or fax. We will not consider hand-delivered
comments that we do not receive, or mailed comments that are not
postmarked, by the date specified in DATES.
We will post all comments in their entirety--including your
personal identifying information--on https://www.regulations.gov. Before
including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Comments and materials we receive, as well as supporting
documentation we used in preparing this proposed rule, will be
available for public inspection on https://www.regulations.gov, or by
appointment, during normal business hours, at the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird Management, 5275 Leesburg
Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
For each series of proposed rulemakings, we will establish specific
comment periods. We will consider, but possibly may not respond in
detail to, each comment. As in the past, we will summarize all comments
we receive during the comment period and respond to them after the
closing date in the preambles of any final rules.
Required Determinations
Based on our most current data, we are affirming our required
determinations made in the April 13, 2015, proposed rule (80 FR 19852);
see that document, for descriptions of our actions to ensure compliance
with the following statutes and Executive Orders:
National Environmental Policy Act;
Endangered Species Act;
Regulatory Planning and Review;
Regulatory Flexibility Act;
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act;
Paperwork Reduction Act;
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act;
Executive Orders 12630, 12988, 13175, 13132, and 13211.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 20
Exports, Hunting, Imports, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Transportation, Wildlife.
These rules that are proposed to be promulgated for the 2015-16
hunting season are authorized under 16 U.S.C. 703-712 and 16 U.S.C. 742
a-j.
Dated: July 9, 2015.
Michael J. Bean,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
Proposed Regulations Frameworks for 2015-16 Early Hunting Seasons on
Certain Migratory Game Birds
Pursuant to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and delegated
authorities, the Department of the Interior approved the following
proposed frameworks, which prescribe season lengths, bag limits,
shooting hours, and outside dates within which States may select
hunting seasons for certain migratory game birds between September 1,
2015, and March 10, 2016. These frameworks are summarized below.
General
Dates: All outside dates noted below are inclusive.
Shooting and Hawking (taking by falconry) Hours: Unless otherwise
specified, from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily.
Possession Limits: Unless otherwise specified, possession limits
are three times the daily bag limit.
Permits: For some species of migratory birds, the Service
authorizes the use of permits to regulate harvest or monitor their take
by sport hunters, or both. In many cases (e.g., tundra swans, some
sandhill crane populations), the Service determines the amount of
harvest that may be taken during hunting seasons during its formal
regulations-setting process, and the States then issue permits to
hunters at levels predicted to result in the amount of take authorized
by the Service. Thus, although issued by States, the permits would not
be valid unless the Service approved such take in its regulations.
These Federally authorized, State-issued permits are issued to
individuals, and only the individual whose name and address appears on
the permit at the time of issuance is authorized to take migratory
birds at levels specified in the permit, in accordance with provisions
of both Federal and State regulations governing the hunting season. The
permit must be carried by the permittee when exercising its provisions
and must be presented to any law enforcement officer upon request. The
permit is not transferrable or assignable to another individual, and
may not be sold, bartered, traded, or otherwise provided to another
person. If the permit is altered or defaced in any way, the permit
becomes invalid.
[[Page 43276]]
Flyways and Management Units
Waterfowl Flyways
Atlantic Flyway--includes Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont,
Virginia, and West Virginia.
Mississippi Flyway--includes Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,
Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
Central Flyway--includes Colorado (east of the Continental Divide),
Kansas, Montana (Counties of Blaine, Carbon, Fergus, Judith Basin,
Stillwater, Sweetgrass, Wheatland, and all Counties east thereof),
Nebraska, New Mexico (east of the Continental Divide except the
Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation), North Dakota, Oklahoma, South
Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming (east of the Continental Divide).
Pacific Flyway--includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho,
Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and those portions of Colorado,
Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming not included in the Central Flyway.
Management Units
Mourning Dove Management Units
Eastern Management Unit--All States east of the Mississippi River,
and Louisiana.
Central Management Unit--Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas,
Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.
Western Management Unit--Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada,
Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
Woodcock Management Regions
Eastern Management Region--Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont,
Virginia, and West Virginia.
Central Management Region--Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi,
Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota,
Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Other geographic descriptions are contained in a later portion of
this document.
Definitions
Dark geese: Canada geese, white-fronted geese, brant (except in
Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington, and the Atlantic Flyway), and
all other goose species, except light geese.
Light geese: Snow (including blue) geese and Ross's geese.
Waterfowl Seasons in the Atlantic Flyway
In the Atlantic Flyway States of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania,
where Sunday hunting is prohibited Statewide by State law, all Sundays
are closed to all take of migratory waterfowl (including mergansers and
coots).
Special September Teal Season
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and September 30, an open season
on all species of teal may be selected by the following States in areas
delineated by State regulations:
Atlantic Flyway--Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Mississippi Flyway--Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee,
and Wisconsin. The seasons in Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin are
experimental.
Central Flyway--Colorado (part), Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico
(part), Oklahoma, and Texas. The season in the northern portion of
Nebraska is experimental.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag Limits: Not to exceed 16 consecutive
hunting days in the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Central Flyways. The
daily bag limit is 6 teal.
Shooting Hours:
Atlantic Flyway--One-half hour before sunrise to sunset, except in
South Carolina, where the hours are from sunrise to sunset.
Mississippi and Central Flyways--One-half hour before sunrise to
sunset, except in the States of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin, where the hours are
from sunrise to sunset.
Special September Duck Seasons
Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee: In lieu of a special September
teal season, a 5-consecutive-day season may be selected in September.
The daily bag limit may not exceed 6 teal and wood ducks in the
aggregate, of which no more than 2 may be wood ducks. In addition, a 4-
consecutive-day experimental season may be selected in September either
immediately before or immediately after the 5-consecutive day teal/wood
duck season. The daily bag limit is 6 teal.
Iowa: In lieu of an experimental special September teal season,
Iowa may hold up to 5 days of its regular duck hunting season in
September. All ducks that are legal during the regular duck season may
be taken during the September segment of the season. The September
season segment may commence no earlier than the Saturday nearest
September 20 (September 19). The daily bag and possession limits will
be the same as those in effect last year but are subject to change
during the late-season regulations process. The remainder of the
regular duck season may not begin before October 10.
Special Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days
Outside Dates: States may select 2 days per duck-hunting zone,
designated as ``Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days,'' in addition to their
regular duck seasons. The days must be held outside any regular duck
season on a weekend, holidays, or other non-school days when youth
hunters would have the maximum opportunity to participate. The days may
be held up to 14 days before or after any regular duck-season
frameworks or within any split of a regular duck season, or within any
other open season on migratory birds.
Daily Bag Limits: The daily bag limits may include ducks, geese,
mergansers, coots, and gallinules and will be the same as those allowed
in the regular season. Flyway species and area restrictions will remain
in effect.
Shooting Hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset.
Participation Restrictions: Youth hunters must be 15 years of age
or younger. In addition, an adult at least 18 years of age must
accompany the youth hunter into the field. This adult may not duck
hunt, but may participate in other seasons that are open on the special
youth day.
Scoters, Eiders, and Long-Tailed Ducks (Atlantic Flyway)
Outside Dates: Between September 15 and January 31.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag Limits: Not to exceed 107 days, with
a daily bag limit of 7, singly or in the aggregate, of the listed sea
duck species, of which no more than 4 may be scoters.
Daily Bag Limits During the Regular Duck Season: Within the special
sea duck areas, during the regular duck season in the Atlantic Flyway,
States may choose to allow the above sea duck limits in addition to the
limits applying to other ducks during the regular duck season. In all
other areas, sea ducks may be taken only during the regular open
[[Page 43277]]
season for ducks and are part of the regular duck season daily bag (not
to exceed 4 scoters) and possession limits.
Areas: In all coastal waters and all waters of rivers and streams
seaward from the first upstream bridge in Maine, New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York; in any waters
of the Atlantic Ocean and in any tidal waters of any bay which are
separated by at least 1 mile of open water from any shore, island, and
emergent vegetation in New Jersey, South Carolina, and Georgia; and in
any waters of the Atlantic Ocean and in any tidal waters of any bay
which are separated by at least 800 yards of open water from any shore,
island, and emergent vegetation in Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina,
and Virginia; and provided that any such areas have been described,
delineated, and designated as special sea duck hunting areas under the
hunting regulations adopted by the respective States.
Special Early Canada Goose Seasons
Atlantic Flyway
General Seasons
A Canada goose season of up to 15 days during September 1-15 may be
selected for the Eastern Unit of Maryland. Seasons not to exceed 30
days during September 1-30 may be selected for Connecticut, Florida,
Georgia, New Jersey, New York (Long Island Zone only), North Carolina,
Rhode Island, and South Carolina. Seasons may not exceed 25 days during
September 1-25 in the remainder of the Flyway. Areas open to the
hunting of Canada geese must be described, delineated, and designated
as such in each State's hunting regulations.
Daily Bag Limits: Not to exceed 15 Canada geese.
Shooting Hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset, except that
during any general season, shooting hours may extend to one-half hour
after sunset if all other waterfowl seasons are closed in the specific
applicable area.
Mississippi Flyway
General Seasons
Canada goose seasons of up to 15 days during September 1-15 may be
selected, except in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, where the season
may not extend beyond September 10, and in Minnesota, where a season of
up to 22 days during September 1-22 may be selected. The daily bag
limit may not exceed 5 Canada geese, except in designated areas of
Minnesota where the daily bag limit may not exceed 10 Canada geese.
Areas open to the hunting of Canada geese must be described,
delineated, and designated as such in each State's hunting regulations.
A Canada goose season of up to 10 consecutive days during September
1-10 may be selected by Michigan for Huron, Saginaw, and Tuscola
Counties, except that the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge,
Shiawassee River State Game Area Refuge, and the Fish Point Wildlife
Area Refuge will remain closed. The daily bag limit may not exceed 5
Canada geese.
Shooting Hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset, except that
during September 1-15 shooting hours may extend to one-half hour after
sunset if all other waterfowl and crane seasons are closed in the
specific applicable area.
Central Flyway
General Seasons
In Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas, Canada
goose seasons of up to 30 days during September 1-30 may be selected.
In Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, Canada
goose seasons of up to 15 days during September 1-15 may be selected.
The daily bag limit may not exceed 5 Canada geese, except in Kansas,
Nebraska, and Oklahoma, where the daily bag limit may not exceed 8
Canada geese and in North Dakota and South Dakota, where the daily bag
limit may not exceed 15 Canada geese. Areas open to the hunting of
Canada geese must be described, delineated, and designated as such in
each State's hunting regulations.
Shooting Hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset, except that
during September 1-15 shooting hours may extend to one-half hour after
sunset if all other waterfowl and crane seasons are closed in the
specific applicable area.
Pacific Flyway
General Seasons
California may select a 9-day season in Humboldt County during
September 1-15. The daily bag limit is 2.
Colorado may select a 9-day season during September 1-15. The daily
bag limit is 4.
Oregon may select a 15-day season during September 1-15, except
that in the Northwest Zone the season may be during September 1-20. The
daily bag limit is 5.
Idaho may select a 15-day season during September 1-15. The daily
bag limit is 5.
Washington may select a 15-day season during September 1-15. The
daily bag limit is 5, except in Pacific County where the daily bag
limit is 15.
Wyoming may select an 8-day season during September 1-15. The daily
bag limit is 3.
Areas open to hunting of Canada geese in each State must be
described, delineated, and designated as such in each State's hunting
regulations.
Regular Goose Seasons
Mississippi Flyway
Regular goose seasons may open as early as September 11 in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan and September 16 in Wisconsin and the Lower
Peninsula of Michigan. Season lengths, bag and possession limits, and
other provisions will be established during the late-season regulations
process.
Sandhill Cranes
Regular Seasons in the Mississippi Flyway:
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and February 28 in Minnesota and
between September 1 and January 31 in Kentucky.
Hunting Seasons: A season not to exceed 37 consecutive days may be
selected in the designated portion of northwestern Minnesota (Northwest
Goose Zone) and a season not to exceed 60 consecutive days in Kentucky.
Daily Bag Limit: 2 sandhill cranes. In Kentucky the seasonal bag
limit is 3 sandhill cranes.
Permits: Each person participating in the regular sandhill crane
seasons must have a valid Federal or State sandhill crane hunting
permit.
Other Provisions: The number of permits (where applicable), open
areas, season dates, protection plans for other species, and other
provisions of seasons must be consistent with the management plans and
approved by the Mississippi Flyway Council.
Experimental Season in the Mississippi Flyway:
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and January 31.
Hunting Seasons: A season not to exceed 60 consecutive days may be
selected in Tennessee.
Bag Limit: Not to exceed 3 daily and 3 per season in Tennessee.
Permits: Each person participating in the regular sandhill crane
season must have a valid Federal or State sandhill crane hunting
permit.
Other Provisions: Numbers of permits, open areas, season dates,
protection plans for other species, and other provisions of seasons
must be consistent with the management plan and approved by the
Mississippi Flyway Council.
[[Page 43278]]
Regular Seasons in the Central Flyway:
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and February 28.
Hunting Seasons: Seasons not to exceed 37 consecutive days may be
selected in designated portions of Texas (Area 2). Seasons not to
exceed 58 consecutive days may be selected in designated portions of
the following States: Colorado, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, South
Dakota, and Wyoming. Seasons not to exceed 93 consecutive days may be
selected in designated portions of the following States: New Mexico,
Oklahoma, and Texas.
Daily Bag Limits: 3 sandhill cranes, except 2 sandhill cranes in
designated portions of North Dakota (Area 2) and Texas (Area 2).
Permits: Each person participating in the regular sandhill crane
season must have a valid Federal or State sandhill crane hunting
permit.
Special Seasons in the Central and Pacific Flyways:
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming
may select seasons for hunting sandhill cranes within the range of the
Rocky Mountain Population (RMP) subject to the following conditions:
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and January 31.
Hunting Seasons: The season in any State or zone may not exceed 30
consecutive days.
Bag limits: Not to exceed 3 daily and 9 per season.
Permits: Participants must have a valid permit, issued by the
appropriate State, in their possession while hunting.
Other Provisions: Numbers of permits, open areas, season dates,
protection plans for other species, and other provisions of seasons
must be consistent with the management plan and approved by the Central
and Pacific Flyway Councils, with the following exceptions:
A. In Utah, 100 percent of the harvest will be assigned to the RMP
quota;
B. In Arizona, monitoring the racial composition of the harvest
must be conducted at 3-year intervals;
C. In Idaho, 100 percent of the harvest will be assigned to the RMP
quota; and
D. In New Mexico, the season in the Estancia Valley is
experimental, with a requirement to monitor the level and racial
composition of the harvest; greater sandhill cranes in the harvest will
be assigned to the RMP quota.
Common Moorhens and Purple Gallinules
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and the last Sunday in January
(January 31) in the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Central Flyways. States
in the Pacific Flyway have been allowed to select their hunting seasons
between the outside dates for the season on ducks; therefore, they are
late-season frameworks, and no frameworks are provided in this
document.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag Limits: Seasons may not exceed 70
days in the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Central Flyways. Seasons may be
split into 2 segments. The daily bag limit is 15 common moorhens and
purple gallinules, singly or in the aggregate of the two species.
Zoning: Seasons may be selected by zones established for duck
hunting.
Rails
Outside Dates: States included herein may select seasons between
September 1 and the last Sunday in January (January 31) on clapper,
king, sora, and Virginia rails.
Hunting Seasons: Seasons may not exceed 70 days, and may be split
into 2 segments.
Daily Bag Limits:
Clapper and King Rails--In Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New
Jersey, and Rhode Island, 10, singly or in the aggregate of the two
species. In Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, 15, singly or in the
aggregate of the two species.
Sora and Virginia Rails--In the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Central
Flyways and the Pacific Flyway portions of Colorado, Montana, New
Mexico, and Wyoming, 25 rails, singly or in the aggregate of the two
species. The season is closed in the remainder of the Pacific Flyway.
Snipe
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and February 28, except in
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia, where the
season must end no later than January 31.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag Limits: Seasons may not exceed 107
days and may be split into two segments. The daily bag limit is 8
snipe.
Zoning: Seasons may be selected by zones established for duck
hunting.
American Woodcock
Outside Dates: States in the Eastern Management Region may select
hunting seasons between October 1 and January 31. States in the Central
Management Region may select hunting seasons between the Saturday
nearest September 22 (September 19) and January 31.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag Limits: Seasons may not exceed 45
days in the Eastern Region and 45 days in the Central Region. The daily
bag limit is 3. Seasons may be split into two segments.
Zoning: New Jersey may select seasons in each of two zones. The
season in each zone may not exceed 36 days.
Band-Tailed Pigeons
Pacific Coast States (California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada)
Outside Dates: Between September 15 and January 1.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag Limits: Not more than 9 consecutive
days, with a daily bag limit of 2.
Zoning: California may select hunting seasons not to exceed 9
consecutive days in each of two zones. The season in the North Zone
must close by October 3.
Four-Corners States (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah)
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and November 30.
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag Limits: Not more than 14 consecutive
days, with a daily bag limit of 2.
Zoning: New Mexico may select hunting seasons not to exceed 14
consecutive days in each of two zones. The season in the South Zone may
not open until October 1.
Doves
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and January 15, except as
otherwise provided, States may select hunting seasons and daily bag
limits as follows:
Eastern Management Unit
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag Limits: Not more than 90 days, with a
daily bag limit of 15 mourning and white-winged doves in the aggregate.
Zoning and Split Seasons: States may select hunting seasons in each
of two zones. The season within each zone may be split into not more
than three periods. Regulations for bag and possession limits, season
length, and shooting hours must be uniform within specific hunting
zones.
Central Management Unit
For all States except Texas:
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag Limits: Not more than 70 days, with a
daily bag limit of 15 mourning and white-winged doves in the aggregate.
Zoning and Split Seasons: States may select hunting seasons in each
of two zones. The season within each zone may
[[Page 43279]]
be split into not more than three periods.
Texas:
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag Limits: Not more than 70 days, with a
daily bag limit of 15 mourning, white-winged, and white-tipped doves in
the aggregate, of which no more than 2 may be white-tipped doves.
Zoning and Split Seasons: Texas may select hunting seasons for each
of three zones subject to the following conditions:
A. The hunting season may be split into not more than two periods,
except in that portion of Texas in which the special white-winged dove
season is allowed, where a limited take of mourning and white-tipped
doves may also occur during that special season (see Special White-
winged Dove Area).
B. A season may be selected for the North and Central Zones between
September 1 and January 25; and for the South Zone between the Friday
nearest September 20 (September 18), but not earlier than September 17,
and January 25.
C. Except as noted above, regulations for bag and possession
limits, season length, and shooting hours must be uniform within each
hunting zone.
Special White-winged Dove Area in Texas:
In addition, Texas may select a hunting season of not more than 4
days for the Special White-winged Dove Area of the South Zone between
September 1 and September 19. The daily bag limit may not exceed 15
white-winged, mourning, and white-tipped doves in the aggregate, of
which no more than 2 may be mourning doves and no more than 2 may be
white-tipped doves.
Western Management Unit
Hunting Seasons and Daily Bag Limits:
Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington--Not more than 60
consecutive days, with a daily bag limit of 15 mourning and white-
winged doves in the aggregate.
Arizona and California--Not more than 60 days, which may be split
between two periods, September 1-15 and November 1-January 15. In
Arizona, during the first segment of the season, the daily bag limit is
15 mourning and white-winged doves in the aggregate, of which no more
than 10 could be white-winged doves. During the remainder of the
season, the daily bag limit is 15 mourning doves. In California, the
daily bag limit is 15 mourning and white-winged doves in the aggregate,
of which no more than 10 could be white-winged doves.
Alaska
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and January 26.
Hunting Seasons: Alaska may select 107 consecutive days for
waterfowl, sandhill cranes, and common snipe in each of 5 zones. The
season may be split without penalty in the Kodiak Zone. The seasons in
each zone must be concurrent.
Closures: The hunting season is closed on emperor geese, spectacled
eiders, and Steller's eiders.
Daily Bag and Possession Limits:
Ducks--Except as noted, a basic daily bag limit of 7 ducks. Daily
bag limits in the North Zone are 10, and in the Gulf Coast Zone, they
are 8. The basic limits may include no more than 1 canvasback daily and
may not include sea ducks.
In addition to the basic duck limits, Alaska may select sea duck
limits of 10 daily, singly or in the aggregate, including no more than
6 each of either harlequin or long-tailed ducks. Sea ducks include
scoters, common and king eiders, harlequin ducks, long-tailed ducks,
and common and red-breasted mergansers.
Light Geese--The daily bag limit is 4.
Canada Geese--The daily bag limit is 4 with the following
exceptions:
A. In Units 5 and 6, the taking of Canada geese is permitted from
September 28 through December 16.
B. On Middleton Island in Unit 6, a special, permit-only Canada
goose season may be offered. A mandatory goose identification class is
required. Hunters must check in and check out. The bag limit is 1 daily
and 1 in possession. The season will close if incidental harvest
includes 5 dusky Canada geese. A dusky Canada goose is any dark-
breasted Canada goose (Munsell 10 YR color value five or less) with a
bill length between 40 and 50 millimeters.
D. In Units 9, 10, 17, and 18, the daily bag limit is 6 Canada
geese.
White-fronted Geese--The daily bag limit is 4 with the following
exceptions:
A. In Units 9, 10, and 17, the daily bag limit is 6 white-fronted
geese.
B. In Unit 18, the daily bag limit is 10 white-fronted geese.
Brant--The daily bag limit is 2.
Snipe--The daily bag limit is 8.
Sandhill cranes--The daily bag limit is 2 in the Southeast, Gulf
Coast, Kodiak, and Aleutian Zones, and Unit 17 in the North Zone. In
the remainder of the North Zone (outside Unit 17), the daily bag limit
is 3.
Tundra Swans--Open seasons for tundra swans may be selected subject
to the following conditions:
A. All seasons are by registration permit only.
B. All season framework dates are September 1-October 31.
C. In Unit 17, no more than 200 permits may be issued during this
operational season. No more than 3 tundra swans may be authorized per
permit, with no more than 1 permit issued per hunter per season.
D. In Unit 18, no more than 500 permits may be issued during the
operational season. No more than 3 tundra swans may be authorized per
permit. No more than 1 permit may be issued per hunter per season.
E. In Unit 22, no more than 300 permits may be issued during the
operational season. No more than 3 tundra swans may be authorized per
permit. No more than 1 permit may be issued per hunter per season.
F. In Unit 23, no more than 300 permits may be issued during the
operational season. No more than 3 tundra swans may be authorized per
permit. No more than 1 permit may be issued per hunter per season.
Hawaii
Outside Dates: Between October 1 and January 31.
Hunting Seasons: Not more than 65 days (75 under the alternative)
for mourning doves.
Bag Limits: Not to exceed 15 (12 under the alternative) mourning
doves.
Note: Mourning doves may be taken in Hawaii in accordance with
shooting hours and other regulations set by the State of Hawaii, and
subject to the applicable provisions of 50 CFR part 20.
Puerto Rico
Doves and Pigeons
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and January 15.
Hunting Seasons: Not more than 60 days.
Daily Bag and Possession Limits: Not to exceed 20 Zenaida,
mourning, and white-winged doves in the aggregate, of which not more
than 10 may be Zenaida doves and 3 may be mourning doves. Not to exceed
5 scaly-naped pigeons.
Closed Seasons: The season is closed on the white-crowned pigeon
and the plain pigeon, which are protected by the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico.
Closed Areas: There is no open season on doves or pigeons in the
following areas: Municipality of Culebra, Desecheo Island, Mona Island,
El Verde Closure Area, and Cidra Municipality and adjacent areas.
Ducks, Coots, Moorhens, Gallinules, and Snipe
Outside Dates: Between October 1 and January 31.
Hunting Seasons: Not more than 55 days may be selected for hunting
ducks,
[[Page 43280]]
common moorhens, and common snipe. The season may be split into two
segments.
Daily Bag Limits:
Ducks--Not to exceed 6.
Common moorhens--Not to exceed 6.
Common snipe--Not to exceed 8.
Closed Seasons: The season is closed on the ruddy duck, white-
cheeked pintail, West Indian whistling duck, fulvous whistling duck,
and masked duck, which are protected by the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico. The season also is closed on the purple gallinule, American coot,
and Caribbean coot.
Closed Areas: There is no open season on ducks, common moorhens,
and common snipe in the Municipality of Culebra and on Desecheo Island.
Virgin Islands
Doves and Pigeons
Outside Dates: Between September 1 and January 15.
Hunting Seasons: Not more than 60 days for Zenaida doves.
Daily Bag and Possession Limits: Not to exceed 10 Zenaida doves.
Closed Seasons: No open season is prescribed for ground or quail
doves or pigeons.
Closed Areas: There is no open season for migratory game birds on
Ruth Cay (just south of St. Croix).
Local Names for Certain Birds: Zenaida dove, also known as mountain
dove; bridled quail-dove, also known as Barbary dove or partridge;
common ground-dove, also known as stone dove, tobacco dove, rola, or
tortolita; scaly-naped pigeon, also known as red-necked or scaled
pigeon.
Ducks
Outside Dates: Between December 1 and January 31.
Hunting Seasons: Not more than 55 consecutive days.
Daily Bag Limits: Not to exceed 6.
Closed Seasons: The season is closed on the ruddy duck, white-
cheeked pintail, West Indian whistling duck, fulvous whistling duck,
and masked duck.
Special Falconry Regulations
Falconry is a permitted means of taking migratory game birds in any
State meeting Federal falconry standards in 50 CFR 21.29. These States
may select an extended season for taking migratory game birds in
accordance with the following:
Extended Seasons: For all hunting methods combined, the combined
length of the extended season, regular season, and any special or
experimental seasons must not exceed 107 days for any species or group
of species in a geographical area. Each extended season may be divided
into a maximum of 3 segments.
Framework Dates: Seasons must fall between September 1 and March
10.
Daily Bag Limits: Falconry daily bag limits for all permitted
migratory game birds must not exceed 3 birds, singly or in the
aggregate, during extended falconry seasons, any special or
experimental seasons, and regular hunting seasons in all States,
including those that do not select an extended falconry season.
Regular Seasons: General hunting regulations, including seasons and
hunting hours, apply to falconry in each State listed in 50 CFR 21.29.
Regular season bag limits do not apply to falconry. The falconry bag
limit is not in addition to gun limits.
Area, Unit, and Zone Descriptions
Doves
Alabama
South Zone--Baldwin, Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Escambia,
Geneva, Henry, Houston, and Mobile Counties.
North Zone--Remainder of the State.
Florida
Northwest Zone--The Counties of Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin,
Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton,
Washington, Leon (except that portion north of U.S. 27 and east of
State Road 155), Jefferson (south of U.S. 27, west of State Road 59 and
north of U.S. 98), and Wakulla (except that portion south of U.S. 98
and east of the St. Marks River).
South Zone--Remainder of State.
Louisiana
North Zone--That portion of the State north of a line extending
east from the Texas border along State Highway 12 to U.S. Highway 190,
east along U.S. 190 to Interstate Highway 12, east along Interstate
Highway 12 to Interstate Highway 10, then east along Interstate Highway
10 to the Mississippi border.
South Zone--The remainder of the State.
Mississippi
North Zone--That portion of the State north and west of a line
extending west from the Alabama State line along U.S. Highway 84 to its
junction with State Highway 35, then south along State Highway 35 to
the Louisiana State line.
South Zone--The remainder of Mississippi.
Texas
North Zone--That portion of the State north of a line beginning at
the International Bridge south of Fort Hancock; north along FM 1088 to
TX 20; west along TX 20 to TX 148; north along TX 148 to I-10 at Fort
Hancock; east along I-10 to I-20; northeast along I-20 to I-30 at Fort
Worth; northeast along I-30 to the Texas-Arkansas State line.
South Zone--That portion of the State south and west of a line
beginning at the International Bridge south of Del Rio, proceeding east
on U.S. 90 to State Loop 1604 west of San Antonio; then south, east,
and north along Loop 1604 to Interstate Highway 10 east of San Antonio;
then east on I-10 to Orange, Texas.
Special White-winged Dove Area in the South Zone--That portion of
the State south and west of a line beginning at the International Toll
Bridge in Del Rio; then northeast along U.S. Highway 277 Spur to U.S.
Highway 90 in Del Rio; then east along U.S. Highway 90 to State Loop
1604; then along Loop 1604 south and east to Interstate Highway 37;
then south along Interstate Highway 37 to U.S. Highway 181 in Corpus
Christi; then north and east along U.S. 181 to the Corpus Christi Ship
Channel, then eastwards along the south shore of the Corpus Christi
Ship Channel to the Gulf of Mexico.
Central Zone--That portion of the State lying between the North and
South Zones.
Band-tailed Pigeons
California
North Zone--Alpine, Butte, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lassen,
Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity
Counties.
South Zone--The remainder of the State.
New Mexico
North Zone--North of a line following U.S. 60 from the Arizona
State line east to I-25 at Socorro and then south along I-25 from
Socorro to the Texas State line.
South Zone--The remainder of the State.
Washington
Western Washington--The State of Washington excluding those
portions lying east of the Pacific Crest Trail and east of the Big
White Salmon River in Klickitat County.
Woodcock
New Jersey
North Zone--That portion of the State north of NJ 70.
[[Page 43281]]
South Zone--The remainder of the State.
Special Early Canada Goose Seasons
Atlantic Flyway
Connecticut
North Zone--That portion of the State north of I-95.
South Zone--The remainder of the State.
Maryland
Eastern Unit--Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, Kent,
Queen Anne's, St. Mary's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester
Counties; and that part of Anne Arundel County east of Interstate 895,
Interstate 97 and Route 3; that part of Prince George's County east of
Route 3 and Route 301; and that part of Charles County east of Route
301 to the Virginia State line.
Western Unit--Allegany, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett,
Howard, Montgomery, and Washington Counties and that part of Anne
Arundel County west of Interstate 895, Interstate 97 and Route 3; that
part of Prince George's County west of Route 3 and Route 301; and that
part of Charles County west of Route 301 to the Virginia State line.
Massachusetts
Western Zone--That portion of the State west of a line extending
south from the Vermont border on I-91 to MA 9, west on MA 9 to MA 10,
south on MA 10 to U.S. 202, south on U.S. 202 to the Connecticut
border.
Central Zone--That portion of the State east of the Berkshire Zone
and west of a line extending south from the New Hampshire border on I-
95 to U.S. 1, south on U.S. 1 to I-93, south on I-93 to MA 3, south on
MA 3 to U.S. 6, west on U.S. 6 to MA 28, west on MA 28 to I-195, west
to the Rhode Island border; except the waters, and the lands 150 yards
inland from the high-water mark, of the Assonet River upstream to the
MA 24 bridge, and the Taunton River upstream to the Center St.-Elm St.
bridge will be in the Coastal Zone.
Coastal Zone--That portion of Massachusetts east and south of the
Central Zone.
New York
Lake Champlain Goose Area--The same as the Lake Champlain Waterfowl
Hunting Zone, which is that area of New York State lying east and north
of a continuous line extending along Route 11 from the New York-Canada
International boundary south to Route 9B, south along Route 9B to Route
9, south along Route 9 to Route 22 south of Keeseville, south along
Route 22 to the west shore of South Bay along and around the shoreline
of South Bay to Route 22 on the east shore of South Bay, southeast
along Route 22 to Route 4, northeast along Route 4 to the New York-
Vermont boundary.
Northeast Goose Area--The same as the Northeastern Waterfowl
Hunting Zone, which is that area of New York State lying north of a
continuous line extending from Lake Ontario east along the north shore
of the Salmon River to Interstate 81, south along Interstate Route 81
to Route 31, east along Route 31 to Route 13, north along Route 13 to
Route 49, east along Route 49 to Route 365, east along Route 365 to
Route 28, east along Route 28 to Route 29, east along Route 29 to Route
22 at Greenwich Junction, north along Route 22 to Washington County
Route 153, east along CR 153 to the New York-Vermont boundary,
exclusive of the Lake Champlain Zone.
East Central Goose Area--That area of New York State lying inside
of a continuous line extending from Interstate Route 81 in Cicero, east
along Route 31 to Route 13, north along Route 13 to Route 49, east
along Route 49 to Route 365, east along Route 365 to Route 28, east
along Route 28 to Route 29, east along Route 29 to Route 147 at Kimball
Corners, south along Route 147 to Schenectady County Route 40 (West
Glenville Road), west along Route 40 to Touareuna Road, south along
Touareuna Road to Schenectady County Route 59, south along Route 59 to
State Route 5, east along Route 5 to the Lock 9 bridge, southwest along
the Lock 9 bridge to Route 5S, southeast along Route 5S to Schenectady
County Route 58, southwest along Route 58 to the NYS Thruway, south
along the Thruway to Route 7, southwest along Route 7 to Schenectady
County Route 103, south along Route 103 to Route 406, east along Route
406 to Schenectady County Route 99 (Windy Hill Road), south along Route
99 to Dunnsville Road, south along Dunnsville Road to Route 397,
southwest along Route 397 to Route 146 at Altamont, west along Route
146 to Albany County Route 252, northwest along Route 252 to
Schenectady County Route 131, north along Route 131 to Route 7, west
along Route 7 to Route 10 at Richmondville, south on Route 10 to Route
23 at Stamford, west along Route 23 to Route 7 in Oneonta, southwest
along Route 7 to Route 79 to Interstate Route 88 near Harpursville,
west along Route 88 to Interstate Route 81, north along Route 81 to the
point of beginning.
West Central Goose Area--That area of New York State lying within a
continuous line beginning at the point where the northerly extension of
Route 269 (County Line Road on the Niagara-Orleans County boundary)
meets the International boundary with Canada, south to the shore of
Lake Ontario at the eastern boundary of Golden Hill State Park, south
along the extension of Route 269 and Route 269 to Route 104 at Jeddo,
west along Route 104 to Niagara County Route 271, south along Route 271
to Route 31E at Middleport, south along Route 31E to Route 31, west
along Route 31 to Griswold Street, south along Griswold Street to Ditch
Road, south along Ditch Road to Foot Road, south along Foot Road to the
north bank of Tonawanda Creek, west along the north bank of Tonawanda
Creek to Route 93, south along Route 93 to Route 5, east along Route 5
to Crittenden-Murrays Corners Road, south on Crittenden-Murrays Corners
Road to the NYS Thruway, east along the Thruway 90 to Route 98 (at
Thruway Exit 48) in Batavia, south along Route 98 to Route 20, east
along Route 20 to Route 19 in Pavilion Center, south along Route 19 to
Route 63, southeast along Route 63 to Route 246, south along Route 246
to Route 39 in Perry, northeast along Route 39 to Route 20A, northeast
along Route 20A to Route 20, east along Route 20 to Route 364 (near
Canandaigua), south and east along Route 364 to Yates County Route 18
(Italy Valley Road), southwest along Route 18 to Yates County Route 34,
east along Route 34 to Yates County Route 32, south along Route 32 to
Steuben County Route 122, south along Route 122 to Route 53, south
along Route 53 to Steuben County Route 74, east along Route 74 to Route
54A (near Pulteney), south along Route 54A to Steuben County Route 87,
east along Route 87 to Steuben County Route 96, east along Route 96 to
Steuben County Route 114, east along Route 114 to Schuyler County Route
23, east and southeast along Route 23 to Schuyler County Route 28,
southeast along Route 28 to Route 409 at Watkins Glen, south along
Route 409 to Route 14, south along Route 14 to Route 224 at Montour
Falls, east along Route 224 to Route 228 in Odessa, north along Route
228 to Route 79 in Mecklenburg, east along Route 79 to Route 366 in
Ithaca, northeast along Route 366 to Route 13, northeast along Route 13
to Interstate Route 81 in Cortland, north along Route 81 to the north
shore of the Salmon River to shore of Lake Ontario, extending generally
northwest in a straight line to the nearest point of the International
boundary with Canada, south and west along the International boundary
to the point of beginning.
[[Page 43282]]
Hudson Valley Goose Area--That area of New York State lying within
a continuous line extending from Route 4 at the New York-Vermont
boundary, west and south along Route 4 to Route 149 at Fort Ann, west
on Route 149 to Route 9, south along Route 9 to Interstate Route 87 (at
Exit 20 in Glens Falls), south along Route 87 to Route 29, west along
Route 29 to Route 147 at Kimball Corners, south along Route 147 to
Schenectady County Route 40 (West Glenville Road), west along Route 40
to Touareuna Road, south along Touareuna Road to Schenectady County
Route 59, south along Route 59 to State Route 5, east along Route 5 to
the Lock 9 bridge, southwest along the Lock 9 bridge to Route 5S,
southeast along Route 5S to Schenectady County Route 58, southwest
along Route 58 to the NYS Thruway, south along the Thruway to Route 7,
southwest along Route 7 to Schenectady County Route 103, south along
Route 103 to Route 406, east along Route 406 to Schenectady County
Route 99 (Windy Hill Road), south along Route 99 to Dunnsville Road,
south along Dunnsville Road to Route 397, southwest along Route 397 to
Route 146 at Altamont, southeast along Route 146 to Main Street in
Altamont, west along Main Street to Route 156, southeast along Route
156 to Albany County Route 307, southeast along Route 307 to Route 85A,
southwest along Route 85A to Route 85, south along Route 85 to Route
443, southeast along Route 443 to Albany County Route 301 at
Clarksville, southeast along Route 301 to Route 32, south along Route
32 to Route 23 at Cairo, west along Route 23 to Joseph Chadderdon Road,
southeast along Joseph Chadderdon Road to Hearts Content Road (Greene
County Route 31), southeast along Route 31 to Route 32, south along
Route 32 to Greene County Route 23A, east along Route 23A to Interstate
Route 87 (the NYS Thruway), south along Route 87 to Route 28 (Exit 19)
near Kingston, northwest on Route 28 to Route 209, southwest on Route
209 to the New York-Pennsylvania boundary, southeast along the New
York-Pennsylvania boundary to the New York-New Jersey boundary,
southeast along the New York-New Jersey boundary to Route 210 near
Greenwood Lake, northeast along Route 210 to Orange County Route 5,
northeast along Orange County Route 5 to Route 105 in the Village of
Monroe, east and north along Route 105 to Route 32, northeast along
Route 32 to Orange County Route 107 (Quaker Avenue), east along Route
107 to Route 9W, north along Route 9W to the south bank of Moodna
Creek, southeast along the south bank of Moodna Creek to the New
Windsor-Cornwall town boundary, northeast along the New Windsor-
Cornwall town boundary to the Orange-Dutchess County boundary (middle
of the Hudson River), north along the county boundary to Interstate
Route 84, east along Route 84 to the Dutchess-Putnam County boundary,
east along the county boundary to the New York-Connecticut boundary,
north along the New York-Connecticut boundary to the New York-
Massachusetts boundary, north along the New York-Massachusetts boundary
to the New York-Vermont boundary, north to the point of beginning.
Eastern Long Island Goose Area (NAP High Harvest Area)--That area
of Suffolk County lying east of a continuous line extending due south
from the New York-Connecticut boundary to the northernmost end of
Roanoke Avenue in the Town of Riverhead; then south on Roanoke Avenue
(which becomes County Route 73) to State Route 25; then west on Route
25 to Peconic Avenue; then south on Peconic Avenue to County Route (CR)
104 (Riverleigh Avenue); then south on CR 104 to CR 31 (Old Riverhead
Road); then south on CR 31 to Oak Street; then south on Oak Street to
Potunk Lane; then west on Stevens Lane; then south on Jessup Avenue (in
Westhampton Beach) to Dune Road (CR 89); then due south to
international waters.
Western Long Island Goose Area (RP Area)--That area of Westchester
County and its tidal waters southeast of Interstate Route 95 and that
area of Nassau and Suffolk Counties lying west of a continuous line
extending due south from the New York-Connecticut boundary to the
northernmost end of the Sunken Meadow State Parkway; then south on the
Sunken Meadow Parkway to the Sagtikos State Parkway; then south on the
Sagtikos Parkway to the Robert Moses State Parkway; then south on the
Robert Moses Parkway to its southernmost end; then due south to
international waters.
Central Long Island Goose Area (NAP Low Harvest Area)--That area of
Suffolk County lying between the Western and Eastern Long Island Goose
Areas, as defined above.
South Goose Area--The remainder of New York State, excluding New
York City.
Pennsylvania
Southern James Bay Population (SJBP) Zone--The area north of I-80
and west of I-79, including in the city of Erie west of Bay Front
Parkway to and including the Lake Erie Duck Zone (Lake Erie, Presque
Isle, and the area within 150 yards of the Lake Erie Shoreline).
Vermont
Lake Champlain Zone--The U.S. portion of Lake Champlain and that
area north and west of the line extending from the New York border
along U.S. 4 to VT 22A at Fair Haven; VT 22A to U.S. 7 at Vergennes;
U.S. 7 to VT 78 at Swanton; VT 78 to VT 36; VT 36 to Maquam Bay on Lake
Champlain; along and around the shoreline of Maquam Bay and Hog Island
to VT 78 at the West Swanton Bridge; VT 78 to VT 2 in Alburg; VT 2 to
the Richelieu River in Alburg; along the east shore of the Richelieu
River to the Canadian border.
Interior Zone--That portion of Vermont east of the Lake Champlain
Zone and west of a line extending from the Massachusetts border at
Interstate 91; north along Interstate 91 to US 2; east along US 2 to VT
102; north along VT 102 to VT 253; north along VT 253 to the Canadian
border.
Connecticut River Zone--The remaining portion of Vermont east of
the Interior Zone.
Mississippi Flyway
Arkansas
Early Canada Goose Area--Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clark,
Conway, Crawford, Faulkner, Franklin, Garland, Hempstead, Hot Springs,
Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Little River, Logan, Madison, Marion,
Miller, Montgomery, Newton, Perry, Pike, Polk, Pope, Pulaski, Saline,
Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Scott, Van Buren, Washington, and Yell
Counties.
Illinois
North September Canada Goose Zone--That portion of the State north
of a line extending west from the Indiana border along Interstate 80 to
I-39, south along I-39 to Illinois Route 18, west along Illinois Route
18 to Illinois Route 29, south along Illinois Route 29 to Illinois
Route 17, west along Illinois Route 17 to the Mississippi River, and
due south across the Mississippi River to the Iowa border.
Central September Canada Goose Zone--That portion of the State
south of the North September Canada Goose Zone line to a line extending
west from the Indiana border along I-70 to Illinois Route 4, south
along Illinois Route 4 to Illinois Route 161, west along Illinois Route
161 to Illinois Route 158, south and west along Illinois Route 158 to
Illinois Route 159, south along Illinois Route 159 to Illinois Route 3,
south along Illinois Route 3 to St. Leo's Road, south along St. Leo's
road to Modoc
[[Page 43283]]
Road, west along Modoc Road to Modoc Ferry Road, southwest along Modoc
Ferry Road to Levee Road, southeast along Levee Road to County Route 12
(Modoc Ferry entrance Road), south along County Route 12 to the Modoc
Ferry route and southwest on the Modoc Ferry route across the
Mississippi River to the Missouri border.
South September Canada Goose Zone--That portion of the State south
and east of a line extending west from the Indiana border along
Interstate 70, south along U.S. Highway 45, to Illinois Route 13, west
along Illinois Route 13 to Greenbriar Road, north on Greenbriar Road to
Sycamore Road, west on Sycamore Road to N. Reed Station Road, south on
N. Reed Station Road to Illinois Route 13, west along Illinois Route 13
to Illinois Route 127, south along Illinois Route 127 to State Forest
Road (1025 N), west along State Forest Road to Illinois Route 3, north
along Illinois Route 3 to the south bank of the Big Muddy River, west
along the south bank of the Big Muddy River to the Mississippi River,
west across the Mississippi River to the Missouri border.
South Central September Canada Goose Zone--The remainder of the
State between the south border of the Central Zone and the North border
of the South Zone
Iowa
North Zone--That portion of the State north of U.S. Highway 20.
South Zone--The remainder of Iowa.
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Goose Zone--Includes portions of Linn and
Johnson Counties bounded as follows: Beginning at the intersection of
the west border of Linn County and Linn County Road E2W; then south and
east along County Road E2W to Highway 920; then north along Highway 920
to County Road E16; then east along County Road E16 to County Road W58;
then south along County Road W58 to County Road E34; then east along
County Road E34 to Highway 13; then south along Highway 13 to Highway
30; then east along Highway 30 to Highway 1; then south along Highway 1
to Morse Road in Johnson County; then east along Morse Road to Wapsi
Avenue; then south along Wapsi Avenue to Lower West Branch Road; then
west along Lower West Branch Road to Taft Avenue; then south along Taft
Avenue to County Road F62; then west along County Road F62 to Kansas
Avenue; then north along Kansas Avenue to Black Diamond Road; then west
on Black Diamond Road to Jasper Avenue; then north along Jasper Avenue
to Rohert Road; then west along Rohert Road to Ivy Avenue; then north
along Ivy Avenue to 340th Street; then west along 340th Street to Half
Moon Avenue; then north along Half Moon Avenue to Highway 6; then west
along Highway 6 to Echo Avenue; then north along Echo Avenue to 250th
Street; then east on 250th Street to Green Castle Avenue; then north
along Green Castle Avenue to County Road F12; then west along County
Road F12 to County Road W30; then north along County Road W30 to
Highway 151; then north along the Linn-Benton County line to the point
of beginning.
Des Moines Goose Zone--Includes those portions of Polk, Warren,
Madison and Dallas Counties bounded as follows: Beginning at the
intersection of Northwest 158th Avenue and County Road R38 in Polk
County; then south along R38 to Northwest 142nd Avenue; then east along
Northwest 142nd Avenue to Northeast 126th Avenue; then east along
Northeast 126th Avenue to Northeast 46th Street; then south along
Northeast 46th Street to Highway 931; then east along Highway 931 to
Northeast 80th Street; then south along Northeast 80th Street to
Southeast 6th Avenue; then west along Southeast 6th Avenue to Highway
65; then south and west along Highway 65 to Highway 69 in Warren
County; then south along Highway 69 to County Road G24; then west along
County Road G24 to Highway 28; then southwest along Highway 28 to 43rd
Avenue; then north along 43rd Avenue to Ford Street; then west along
Ford Street to Filmore Street; then west along Filmore Street to 10th
Avenue; then south along 10th Avenue to 155th Street in Madison County;
then west along 155th Street to Cumming Road; then north along Cumming
Road to Badger Creek Avenue; then north along Badger Creek Avenue to
County Road F90 in Dallas County; then east along County Road F90 to
County Road R22; then north along County Road R22 to Highway 44; then
east along Highway 44 to County Road R30; then north along County Road
R30 to County Road F31; then east along County Road F31 to Highway 17;
then north along Highway 17 to Highway 415 in Polk County; then east
along Highway 415 to Northwest 158th Avenue; then east along Northwest
158th Avenue to the point of beginning.
Cedar Falls/Waterloo Goose Zone--Includes those portions of Black
Hawk County bounded as follows: Beginning at the intersection of County
Roads C66 and V49 in Black Hawk County, then south along County Road
V49 to County Road D38, then west along County Road D38 to State
Highway 21, then south along State Highway 21 to County Road D35, then
west along County Road D35 to Grundy Road, then north along Grundy Road
to County Road D19, then west along County Road D19 to Butler Road,
then north along Butler Road to County Road C57, then north and east
along County Road C57 to U.S. Highway 63, then south along U.S. Highway
63 to County Road C66, then east along County Road C66 to the point of
beginning.
Michigan
North Zone--Same as North duck zone.
Middle Zone--Same as Middle duck zone.
South Zone--Same as South duck zone.
Minnesota
Northwest Goose Zone--That portion of the State encompassed by a
line extending east from the North Dakota border along U.S. Highway 2
to State Trunk Highway (STH) 32, north along STH 32 to STH 92, east
along STH 92 to County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 2 in Polk County, north
along CSAH 2 to CSAH 27 in Pennington County, north along CSAH 27 to
STH 1, east along STH 1 to CSAH 28 in Pennington County, north along
CSAH 28 to CSAH 54 in Marshall County, north along CSAH 54 to CSAH 9 in
Roseau County, north along CSAH 9 to STH 11, west along STH 11 to STH
310, and north along STH 310 to the Manitoba border.
Intensive Harvest Zone--That portion of the State encompassed by a
line extending east from the junction of US 2 and the North Dakota
border, US 2 east to MN 32 N, MN 32 N to MN 92 S, MN 92 S to MN 200 E,
MN 200 E to US 71 S, US 71 S to US 10 E, US 10 E to MN 101 S, MN 101 S
to Interstate 94 E, Interstate 94 E to US 494 S, US 494 S to US 212 W,
US 212 W to MN 23 S, MN 23 S to US 14 W, US 14 W to the South Dakota
border, South Dakota Border north to the North Dakota border, North
Dakota border north to US 2 E.
Rest of State: Remainder of Minnesota.
Wisconsin
Early-Season Subzone A--That portion of the State encompassed by a
line beginning at the intersection of U.S. Highway 141 and the Michigan
border near Niagara, then south along U.S. 141 to State Highway 22,
west and southwest along State 22 to U.S. 45, south along U.S. 45 to
State 22, west and south along State 22 to State 110, south along State
110 to U.S. 10, south along U.S. 10 to State 49, south along State 49
to State 23, west along State 23 to State 73, south along State 73 to
State
[[Page 43284]]
60, west along State 60 to State 23, south along State 23 to State 11,
east along State 11 to State 78, then south along State 78 to the
Illinois border.
Early-Season Subzone B--The remainder of the State.
Central Flyway
North Dakota
Missouri River Canada Goose Zone--The area within and bounded by a
line starting where ND Hwy 6 crosses the South Dakota border; then
north on ND Hwy 6 to I-94; then west on I-94 to ND Hwy 49; then north
on ND Hwy 49 to ND Hwy 200; then north on Mercer County Rd. 21 to the
section line between sections 8 and 9 (T146N-R87W); then north on that
section line to the southern shoreline to Lake Sakakawea; then east
along the southern shoreline (including Mallard Island) of Lake
Sakakawea to US Hwy 83; then south on US Hwy 83 to ND Hwy 200; then
east on ND Hwy 200 to ND Hwy 41; then south on ND Hwy 41 to US Hwy 83;
then south on US Hwy 83 to I-94; then east on I-94 to US Hwy 83; then
south on US Hwy 83 to the South Dakota border; then west along the
South Dakota border to ND Hwy 6.
Rest of State--Remainder of North Dakota.
South Dakota
Special Early Canada Goose Unit--The Counties of Campbell,
Marshall, Roberts, Day, Clark, Codington, Grant, Hamlin, Deuel,
Walworth; that portion of of Perkins County west of State Highway 75
and south of State Highway 20; that portion of Dewey County north of
Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 8, Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 9, and
the section of U.S. Highway 212 east of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Road 8 junction; that portion of Potter County east of U.S. Highway 83;
that portion of Sully County east of U.S. Highway 83; portions of Hyde,
Buffalo, Brule, and Charles Mix counties north and east of a line
beginning at the Hughes-Hyde County line on State Highway 34, east to
Lees Boulevard, southeast to the State Highway 34, east 7 miles to
350th Avenue, south to Interstate 90 on 350th Avenue, south and east on
State Highway 50 to Geddes, east on 285th Street to U.S. Highway 281,
and north on U.S. Highway 281 to the Charles Mix-Douglas County
boundary; that portion of Bon Homme County north of State Highway 50;
McPherson, Edmunds, Kingsbury, Brookings, Lake, Moody, Miner, Faulk,
Hand, Jerauld, Douglas, Hutchinson, Turner, Union, Clay, Yankton,
Aurora, Beadle, Davison, Hanson, Sanborn, Spink, Brown, Harding, Butte,
Lawrence, Meade, Shannon, Jackson, Mellette, Todd, Jones, Haakon,
Corson, Ziebach, and McCook Counties; and those portions of Minnehaha
and Lincoln counties outside of an area bounded by a line beginning at
the junction of the South Dakota-Minnesota state line and Minnehaha
County Highway 122 (254th Street) west to its junction with Minnehaha
County Highway 149 (464th Avenue), south on Minnehaha County Highway
149 (464th Avenue) to Hartford, then south on Minnehaha County Highway
151 (463rd Avenue) to State Highway 42, east on State Highway 42 to
State Highway 17, south on State Highway 17 to its junction with
Lincoln County Highway 116 (Klondike Road), and east on Lincoln County
Highway 116 (Klondike Road) to the South Dakota-Iowa State line, then
north along the South Dakota-Iowa and South Dakota-Minnesota border to
the junction of the South Dakota-Minnesota State line and Minnehaha
County Highway 122 (254th Street).
Texas
Eastern Goose Zone--East of a line from the International Toll
Bridge at Laredo, north following IH-35 and 35W to Fort Worth,
northwest along U.S. Hwy. 81 and 287 to Bowie, north along U.S. Hwy. 81
to the Texas-Oklahoma State line.
Pacific Flyway
Oregon
Northwest Zone--Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Lane,
Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk, Multnomah, Tillamook, Washington, and
Yamhill Counties.
Southwest Zone--Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, and
Klamath Counties.
East Zone--Baker, Gilliam, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla,
Union, and Wasco Counties.
Washington
Area 1--Skagit, Island, and Snohomish Counties.
Area 2A (SW Permit Zone)--Clark County, except portions south of
the Washougal River; Cowlitz County; and Wahkiakum County.
Area 2B (SW Permit Zone)--Pacific County.
Area 3--All areas west of the Pacific Crest Trail and west of the
Big White Salmon River that are not included in Areas 1, 2A, and 2B.
Area 4--Adams, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Kittitas,
Lincoln, Okanogan, Spokane, and Walla Walla Counties.
Area 5--All areas east of the Pacific Crest Trail and east of the
Big White Salmon River that are not included in Area 4.
Wyoming
Teton County Zone--All of Teton County.
Balance of State Zone--Remainder of the State.
Ducks
Atlantic Flyway
New York
Lake Champlain Zone--The U.S. portion of Lake Champlain and that
area east and north of a line extending along NY 9B from the Canadian
border to U.S. 9, south along U.S. 9 to NY 22 south of Keesville; south
along NY 22 to the west shore of South Bay, along and around the
shoreline of South Bay to NY 22 on the east shore of South Bay;
southeast along NY 22 to U.S. 4, northeast along U.S. 4 to the Vermont
border.
Long Island Zone--That area consisting of Nassau County, Suffolk
County, that area of Westchester County southeast of I-95, and their
tidal waters.
Western Zone--That area west of a line extending from Lake Ontario
east along the north shore of the Salmon River to I-81, and south along
I-81 to the Pennsylvania border.
Northeastern Zone--That area north of a line extending from Lake
Ontario east along the north shore of the Salmon River to I-81, south
along I-81 to NY 49, east along NY 49 to NY 365, east along NY 365 to
NY 28, east along NY 28 to NY 29, east along NY 29 to I-87, north along
I-87 to U.S. 9 (at Exit 20), north along U.S. 9 to NY 149, east along
NY 149 to U.S. 4, north along U.S. 4 to the Vermont border, exclusive
of the Lake Champlain Zone.
Southeastern Zone--The remaining portion of New York.
Maryland
Special Teal Season Area-- Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester,
Harford, Kent, Queen Anne's, St. Mary's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico,
and Worcester Counties; that part of Anne Arundel County east of
Interstate 895, Interstate 97, and Route 3; that part of Prince Georges
County east of Route 3 and Route 301; and that part of Charles County
east of Route 301 to the Virginia State Line.
Mississippi Flyway
Indiana
North Zone--That part of Indiana north of a line extending east
from the Illinois border along State Road 18 to U.S. 31; north along
U.S. 31 to U.S. 24; east along U.S. 24 to Huntington; southeast along
U.S. 224; south along
[[Page 43285]]
State Road 5; and east along State Road 124 to the Ohio border.
Central Zone--That part of Indiana south of the North Zone boundary
and north of the South Zone boundary.
South Zone--That part of Indiana south of a line extending east
from the Illinois border along U.S. 40; south along U.S. 41; east along
State Road 58; south along State Road 37 to Bedford; and east along
U.S. 50 to the Ohio border.
Iowa
North Zone--That portion of Iowa north of a line beginning on the
South Dakota-Iowa border at Interstate 29, southeast along Interstate
29 to State Highway 175, east along State Highway 175 to State Highway
37, southeast along State Highway 37 to State Highway 183, northeast
along State Highway 183 to State Highway 141, east along State Highway
141 to U.S. Highway 30, and along U.S. Highway 30 to the Illinois
border.
Missouri River Zone--That portion of Iowa west of a line beginning
on the South Dakota-Iowa border at Interstate 29, southeast along
Interstate 29 to State Highway 175, and west along State Highway 175 to
the Iowa-Nebraska border.
South Zone--The remainder of Iowa.
Michigan
North Zone: The Upper Peninsula.
Middle Zone--That portion of the Lower Peninsula north of a line
beginning at the Wisconsin State line in Lake Michigan due west of the
mouth of Stony Creek in Oceana County; then due east to, and easterly
and southerly along the south shore of Stony Creek to Scenic Drive,
easterly and southerly along Scenic Drive to Stony Lake Road, easterly
along Stony Lake and Garfield Roads to Michigan Highway 20, east along
Michigan 20 to U.S. Highway 10 Business Route (BR) in the city of
Midland, easterly along U.S. 10 BR to U.S. 10, easterly along U.S. 10
to Interstate Highway 75/U.S. Highway 23, northerly along I-75/U.S. 23
to the U.S. 23 exit at Standish, easterly along U.S. 23 to the
centerline of the Au Gres River, then southerly along the centerline of
the Au Gres River to Saginaw Bay, then on a line directly east 10 miles
into Saginaw Bay, and from that point on a line directly northeast to
the Canadian border.
South Zone--The remainder of Michigan.
Wisconsin
North Zone--That portion of the State north of a line extending
east from the Minnesota State line along U.S. Highway 10 into Portage
County to County Highway HH, east on County Highway HH to State Highway
66 and then east on State Highway 66 to U.S. Highway 10, continuing
east on U.S. Highway 10 to U.S. Highway 41, then north on U.S. Highway
41 to the Michigan State line.
Mississippi River Zone--That area encompassed by a line beginning
at the intersection of the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway and
the Illinois State line in Grant County and extending northerly along
the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway to the city limit of
Prescott in Pierce County, then west along the Prescott city limit to
the Minnesota State line.
South Zone--The remainder of Wisconsin.
Central Flyway
Colorado
Special Teal Season Area--Lake and Chaffee Counties and that
portion of the State east of Interstate Highway 25.
Kansas
High Plains Zone--That portion of the State west of U.S. 283.
Early Zone--That part of Kansas bounded by a line from the
Nebraska-Kansas State line south on K-128 to its junction with U.S.-36,
then east on U.S.-36 to its junction with K-199, then south on K-199 to
its junction with Republic County 30 Rd, then south on Republic County
30 Rd to its junction with K-148, then east on K-148 to its junction
with Republic County 50 Rd, then south on Republic County 50 Rd to its
junction with Cloud County 40th Rd, then south on Cloud County 40th Rd
to its junction with K-9, then west on K-9 to its junction with U.S.-
24, then west on U.S.-24 to its junction with U.S.-281, then north on
U.S.-281 to its junction with U.S.-36, then west on U.S.-36 to its
junction with U.S.-183, then south on U.S.-183 to its junction with
U.S.-24, then west on U.S.-24 to its junction with K-18, then southeast
on K-18 to its junction with U.S.-183, then south on U.S.-183 to its
junction with K-4, then east on K-4 to its junction with I-135, then
south on I-135 to its junction with K-61, then southwest on K-61 to
McPherson County 14th Avenue, then south on McPherson County 14th
Avenue to its junction with Arapaho Rd, then west on Arapaho Rd to its
junction with K-61, then southwest on K-61 to its junction with K-96,
then northwest on K-96 to its junction with U.S.-56, then southwest on
U.S.-56 to its junction with K-19, then east on K-19 to its junction
with U.S.-281, then south on U.S.-281 to its junction with U.S.-54,
then west on U.S.-54 to its junction with U.S.-183, then north on U.S.-
183 to its junction with U.S.-56, then southwest on U.S.-56 to its
junction with Ford County Rd 126, then south on Ford County Rd 126 to
its junction with U.S.-400, then northwest on U.S.-400 to its junction
with U.S.-283, then north on U.S.-283 to its junction with the
Nebraska-Kansas State line, then east along the Nebraska-Kansas State
line to its junction with K-128.
Late Zone--That part of Kansas bounded by a line from the Nebraska-
Kansas State line south on K-128 to its junction with U.S.-36, then
east on U.S.-36 to its junction with K-199, then south on K-199 to its
junction with Republic County 30 Rd, then south on Republic County 30
Rd to its junction with K-148, then east on K-148 to its junction with
Republic County 50 Rd, then south on Republic County 50 Rd to its
junction with Cloud County 40th Rd, then south on Cloud County 40th Rd
to its junction with K-9, then west on K-9 to its junction with U.S.-
24, then west on U.S.-24 to its junction with U.S.-281, then north on
U.S.-281 to its junction with U.S.-36, then west on U.S.-36 to its
junction with U.S.-183, then south on U.S.-183 to its junction with
U.S.-24, then west on U.S.-24 to its junction with K-18, then southeast
on K-18 to its junction with U.S.-183, then south on U.S.-183 to its
junction with K-4, then east on K-4 to its junction with I-135, then
south on I-135 to its junction with K-61, then southwest on K-61 to
14th Avenue, then south on 14th Avenue to its junction with Arapaho Rd,
then west on Arapaho Rd to its junction with K-61, then southwest on K-
61 to its junction with K-96, then northwest on K-96 to its junction
with U.S.-56, then southwest on U.S.-56 to its junction with K-19, then
east on K-19 to its junction with U.S.-281, then south on U.S.-281 to
its junction with U.S.-54, then west on U.S.-54 to its junction with
U.S.-183, then north on U.S.-183 to its junction with U.S.-56, then
southwest on U.S.-56 to its junction with Ford County Rd 126, then
south on Ford County Rd 126 to its junction with U.S.-400, then
northwest on U.S.-400 to its junction with U.S.-283, then south on
U.S.-283 to its junction with the Oklahoma-Kansas State line, then east
along the Oklahoma-Kansas State line to its junction with U.S.-77, then
north on U.S.-77 to its junction with Butler County, NE 150th Street,
then east on Butler County, NE 150th Street to its junction with U.S.-
35, then northeast on U.S.-35 to its junction with K-68,
[[Page 43286]]
then east on K-68 to the Kansas-Missouri State line, then north along
the Kansas-Missouri State line to its junction with the Nebraska State
line, then west along the Kansas-Nebraska State line to its junction
with K-128.
Southeast Zone--That part of Kansas bounded by a line from the
Missouri-Kansas State line west on K-68 to its junction with U.S.-35,
then southwest on U.S.-35 to its junction with Butler County, NE 150th
Street, then west on NE 150th Street until its junction with K-77, then
south on K-77 to the Oklahoma-Kansas State line, then east along the
Kansas-Oklahoma State line to its junction with the Missouri State
line, then north along the Kansas--Missouri State line to its junction
with K-68.
Nebraska
Special Teal Season Area (south)--That portion of the State south
of a line beginning at the Wyoming State line; east along U.S. 26 to
Nebraska Highway L62A east to U.S. 385; south to U.S. 26; east to NE
92; east along NE 92 to NE 61; south along NE 61 to U.S. 30; east along
U.S. 30 to the Iowa border.
Special Teal Season Area (north)--The remainder of the State.
High Plains--That portion of Nebraska lying west of a line
beginning at the South Dakota-Nebraska border on U.S. Hwy. 183; south
on U.S. Hwy. 183 to U.S. Hwy. 20; west on U.S. Hwy. 20 to NE Hwy. 7;
south on NE Hwy. 7 to NE Hwy. 91; southwest on NE Hwy. 91 to NE Hwy. 2;
southeast on NE Hwy. 2 to NE Hwy. 92; west on NE Hwy. 92 to NE Hwy. 40;
south on NE Hwy. 40 to NE Hwy. 47; south on NE Hwy. 47 to NE Hwy. 23;
east on NE Hwy. 23 to U.S. Hwy. 283; and south on U.S. Hwy. 283 to the
Kansas--Nebraska border.
Zone 1--Area bounded by designated Federal and State highways and
political boundaries beginning at the South Dakota-Nebraska border west
of NE Hwy. 26E Spur and north of NE Hwy. 12; those portions of Dixon,
Cedar and Knox Counties north of NE Hwy. 12; that portion of Keya Paha
County east of U.S. Hwy. 183; and all of Boyd County. Both banks of the
Niobrara River in Keya Paha and Boyd counties east of U.S. Hwy. 183
shall be included in Zone 1.
Zone 2--The area south of Zone 1 and north of Zone 3.
Zone 3--Area bounded by designated Federal and State highways,
County Roads, and political boundaries beginning at the Wyoming-
Nebraska border at the intersection of the Interstate Canal; east along
northern borders of Scotts Bluff and Morrill Counties to Broadwater
Road; south to Morrill County Rd 94; east to County Rd 135; south to
County Rd 88; southeast to County Rd 151; south to County Rd 80; east
to County Rd 161; south to County Rd 76; east to County Rd 165; south
to Country Rd 167; south to U.S. Hwy. 26; east to County Rd 171; north
to County Rd 68; east to County Rd 183; south to County Rd 64; east to
County Rd 189; north to County Rd 70; east to County Rd 201; south to
County Rd 60A; east to County Rd 203; south to County Rd 52; east to
Keith County Line; east along the northern boundaries of Keith and
Lincoln Counties to NE Hwy. 97; south to U.S. Hwy 83; south to E Hall
School Rd; east to N Airport Road; south to U.S. Hwy. 30; east to
Merrick County Rd 13; north to County Rd O; east to NE Hwy. 14; north
to NE Hwy. 52; west and north to NE Hwy. 91; west to U.S. Hwy. 281;
south to NE Hwy. 22; west to NE Hwy. 11; northwest to NE Hwy. 91; west
to U.S. Hwy. 183; south to Round Valley Rd; west to Sargent River Rd;
west to Sargent Rd; west to Milburn Rd; north to Blaine County Line;
east to Loup County Line; north to NE Hwy. 91; west to North Loup Spur
Rd; north to North Loup River Rd; east to Pleasant Valley/Worth Rd;
east to Loup County Line; north to Loup-Brown county line; east along
northern boundaries of Loup and Garfield Counties to Cedar River Rd;
south to NE Hwy. 70; east to U.S. Hwy. 281; north to NE Hwy. 70; east
to NE Hwy. 14; south to NE Hwy. 39; southeast to NE Hwy. 22; east to
U.S. Hwy. 81; southeast to U.S. Hwy. 30; east to U.S. Hwy. 75; north to
the Washington County line; east to the Iowa-Nebraska border; south to
the Missouri-Nebraska border; south to Kansas-Nebraska border; west
along Kansas-Nebraska border to Colorado-Nebraska border; north and
west to Wyoming-Nebraska border; north to intersection of Interstate
Canal; and excluding that area in Zone 4.
Zone 4--Area encompassed by designated Federal and State highways
and County Roads beginning at the intersection of NE Hwy. 8 and U.S.
Hwy. 75; north to U.S. Hwy. 136; east to the intersection of U.S. Hwy.
136 and the Steamboat Trace (Trace); north along the Trace to the
intersection with Federal Levee R-562; north along Federal Levee R-562
to the intersection with the Trace; north along the Trace/Burlington
Northern Railroad right-of-way to NE Hwy. 2; west to U.S. Hwy. 75;
north to NE Hwy. 2; west to NE Hwy. 43; north to U.S. Hwy. 34; east to
NE Hwy. 63; north to NE Hwy. 66; north and west to U.S. Hwy. 77; north
to NE Hwy. 92; west to NE Hwy. Spur 12F; south to Butler County Rd 30;
east to County Rd X; south to County Rd 27; west to County Rd W; south
to County Rd 26; east to County Rd X; south to County Rd 21 (Seward
County Line); west to NE Hwy. 15; north to County Rd 34; west to County
Rd J; south to NE Hwy. 92; west to U.S. Hwy. 81; south to NE Hwy. 66;
west to Polk County Rd C; north to NE Hwy. 92; west to U.S. Hwy. 30;
west to Merrick County Rd 17; south to Hordlake Road; southeast to
Prairie Island Road; southeast to Hamilton County Rd T; south to NE
Hwy. 66; west to NE Hwy. 14; south to County Rd 22; west to County Rd
M; south to County Rd 21; west to County Rd K; south to U.S. Hwy. 34;
west to NE Hwy. 2; south to U.S. Hwy. I-80; west to Gunbarrel Rd (Hall/
Hamilton county line); south to Giltner Rd; west to U.S. Hwy. 281;
south to U.S. Hwy. 34; west to NE Hwy. 10; north to Kearney County Rd R
and Phelps County Rd 742; west to U.S. Hwy. 283; south to U.S. Hwy 34;
east to U.S. Hwy. 136; east to U.S. Hwy. 183; north to NE Hwy. 4; east
to NE Hwy. 10; south to U.S. Hwy. 136; east to NE Hwy. 14; south to NE
Hwy. 8; east to U.S. Hwy. 81; north to NE Hwy. 4; east to NE Hwy. 15;
south to U.S. Hwy. 136; east to NE Hwy. 103; south to NE Hwy. 8; east
to U.S. Hwy. 75.
New Mexico (Central Flyway Portion)
North Zone--That portion of the State north of I-40 and U.S. 54.
South Zone--The remainder of New Mexico.
Pacific Flyway
California
Northeastern Zone--In that portion of California lying east and
north of a line beginning at the intersection of Interstate 5 with the
California-Oregon line; south along Interstate 5 to its junction with
Walters Lane south of the town of Yreka; west along Walters Lane to its
junction with Easy Street; south along Easy Street to the junction with
Old Highway 99; south along Old Highway 99 to the point of intersection
with Interstate 5 north of the town of Weed; south along Interstate 5
to its junction with Highway 89; east and south along Highway 89 to
Main Street Greenville; north and east to its junction with North
Valley Road; south to its junction of Diamond Mountain Road; north and
east to its junction with North Arm Road; south and west to the
junction of North Valley Road; south to the junction with Arlington
Road (A22); west to the junction of Highway 89; south and west to the
junction of Highway 70; east on Highway 70 to Highway 395; south and
east on
[[Page 43287]]
Highway 395 to the point of intersection with the California-Nevada
State line; north along the California-Nevada State line to the
junction of the California-Nevada-Oregon State lines west along the
California-Oregon State line to the point of origin.
Colorado River Zone--Those portions of San Bernardino, Riverside,
and Imperial Counties east of a line extending from the Nevada border
south along U.S. 95 to Vidal Junction; south on a road known as
``Aqueduct Road'' in San Bernardino County through the town of Rice to
the San Bernardino--Riverside County line; south on a road known in
Riverside County as the ``Desert Center to Rice Road'' to the town of
Desert Center; east 31 miles on I-10 to the Wiley Well Road; south on
this road to Wiley Well; southeast along the Army-Milpitas Road to the
Blythe, Brawley, Davis Lake intersections; south on the Blythe-Brawley
paved road to the Ogilby and Tumco Mine Road; south on this road to
U.S. 80; east 7 miles on U.S. 80 to the Andrade-Algodones Road; south
on this paved road to the Mexican border at Algodones, Mexico.
Southern Zone--That portion of southern California (but excluding
the Colorado River Zone) south and east of a line extending from the
Pacific Ocean east along the Santa Maria River to CA 166 near the City
of Santa Maria; east on CA 166 to CA 99; south on CA 99 to the crest of
the Tehachapi Mountains at Tejon Pass; east and north along the crest
of the Tehachapi Mountains to CA 178 at Walker Pass; east on CA 178 to
U.S. 395 at the town of Inyokern; south on U.S. 395 to CA 58; east on
CA 58 to I-15; east on I-15 to CA 127; north on CA 127 to the Nevada
border.
Southern San Joaquin Valley Temporary Zone--All of Kings and Tulare
Counties and that portion of Kern County north of the Southern Zone.
Balance-of-the-State Zone--The remainder of California not included
in the Northeastern, Southern, and Colorado River Zones, and the
Southern San Joaquin Valley Temporary Zone.
Canada Geese
Michigan
North Zone--Same as North duck zone.
Middle Zone--Same as Middle duck zone.
South Zone--Same as South duck zone.
Tuscola/Huron Goose Management Unit (GMU)--Those portions of
Tuscola and Huron Counties bounded on the south by Michigan Highway 138
and Bay City Road, on the east by Colwood and Bay Port Roads, on the
north by Kilmanagh Road and a line extending directly west off the end
of Kilmanagh Road into Saginaw Bay to the west boundary, and on the
west by the Tuscola-Bay County line and a line extending directly north
off the end of the Tuscola-Bay County line into Saginaw Bay to the
north boundary.
Allegan County GMU--That area encompassed by a line beginning at
the junction of 136th Avenue and Interstate Highway 196 in Lake Town
Township and extending easterly along 136th Avenue to Michigan Highway
40, southerly along Michigan 40 through the city of Allegan to 108th
Avenue in Trowbridge Township, westerly along 108th Avenue to 46th
Street, northerly along 46th Street to 109th Avenue, westerly along
109th Avenue to I-196 in Casco Township, then northerly along I-196 to
the point of beginning.
Saginaw County GMU--That portion of Saginaw County bounded by
Michigan Highway 46 on the north; Michigan 52 on the west; Michigan 57
on the south; and Michigan 13 on the east.
Muskegon Wastewater GMU--That portion of Muskegon County within the
boundaries of the Muskegon County wastewater system, east of the
Muskegon State Game Area, in sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18, 19, 20, 29,
30, and 32, T10N R14W, and sections 1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 24, and
25, T10N R15W, as posted.
Wisconsin
Same zones as for ducks but in addition:
Horicon Zone--That area encompassed by a line beginning at the
intersection of State 21 and the Fox River in Winnebago County and
extending westerly along State 21 to the west boundary of Winnebago
County, southerly along the west boundary of Winnebago County to the
north boundary of Green Lake County, westerly along the north
boundaries of Green Lake and Marquette Counties to State 22, southerly
along State 22 to State 33, westerly along State 33 to I-39, southerly
along I-39 to I-90/94, southerly along I-90/94 to State 60, easterly
along State 60 to State 83, northerly along State 83 to State 175,
northerly along State 175 to State 33, easterly along State 33 to U.S.
45, northerly along U.S. 45 to the east shore of the Fond Du Lac River,
northerly along the east shore of the Fond Du Lac River to Lake
Winnebago, northerly along the western shoreline of Lake Winnebago to
the Fox River, then westerly along the Fox River to State 21.
Exterior Zone--That portion of the State not included in the
Horicon Zone.
Mississippi River Subzone--That area encompassed by a line
beginning at the intersection of the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe
Railway and the Illinois State line in Grant County and extending
northerly along the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway to the city
limit of Prescott in Pierce County, then west along the Prescott city
limit to the Minnesota State line.
Brown County Subzone--That area encompassed by a line beginning at
the intersection of the Fox River with Green Bay in Brown County and
extending southerly along the Fox River to State 29, northwesterly
along State 29 to the Brown County line, south, east, and north along
the Brown County line to Green Bay, due west to the midpoint of the
Green Bay Ship Channel, then southwesterly along the Green Bay Ship
Channel to the Fox River.
Sandhill Cranes
Mississippi Flyway
Minnesota
Northwest Goose Zone--That portion of the State encompassed by a
line extending east from the North Dakota border along U.S. Highway 2
to State Trunk Highway (STH) 32, north along STH 32 to STH 92, east
along STH 92 to County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 2 in Polk County, north
along CSAH 2 to CSAH 27 in Pennington County, north along CSAH 27 to
STH 1, east along STH 1 to CSAH 28 in Pennington County, north along
CSAH 28 to CSAH 54 in Marshall County, north along CSAH 54 to CSAH 9 in
Roseau County, north along CSAH 9 to STH 11, west along STH 11 to STH
310, and north along STH 310 to the Manitoba border.
Tennessee
Hunt Zone--That portion of the State south of Interstate 40 and
east of State Highway 56.
Closed Zone--Remainder of the State.
Central Flyway
Colorado--The Central Flyway portion of the State except the San
Luis Valley (Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande,
and Saguache Counties east of the Continental Divide) and North Park
(Jackson County).
Kansas--That portion of the State west of a line beginning at the
Oklahoma border, north on I-35 to Wichita, north on I-135 to Salina,
and north on U.S. 81 to the Nebraska border.
Montana--The Central Flyway portion of the State except for that
area
[[Page 43288]]
south and west of Interstate 90, which is closed to sandhill crane
hunting.
New Mexico
Regular-Season Open Area--Chaves, Curry, De Baca, Eddy, Lea, Quay,
and Roosevelt Counties.
Middle Rio Grande Valley Area--The Central Flyway portion of New
Mexico in Socorro and Valencia Counties.
Estancia Valley Area--Those portions of Santa Fe, Torrance and
Bernallilo Counties within an area bounded on the west by New Mexico
Highway 55 beginning at Mountainair north to NM 337, north to NM 14,
north to I-25; on the north by I-25 east to U.S. 285; on the east by
U.S. 285 south to U.S. 60; and on the south by U.S. 60 from U.S. 285
west to NM 55 in Mountainair.
Southwest Zone--Area bounded on the south by the New Mexico/Mexico
border; on the west by the New Mexico/Arizona border north to
Interstate 10; on the north by Interstate 10 east to U.S. 180, north to
N.M. 26, east to N.M. 27, north to N.M. 152, and east to Interstate 25;
on the east by Interstate 25 south to Interstate 10, west to the Luna
county line, and south to the New Mexico/Mexico border.
North Dakota
Area 1--That portion of the State west of U.S. 281.
Area 2--That portion of the State east of U.S. 281.
Oklahoma--That portion of the State west of I-35.
South Dakota--That portion of the State west of U.S. 281.
Texas
Zone A--That portion of Texas lying west of a line beginning at the
international toll bridge at Laredo, then northeast along U.S. Highway
81 to its junction with Interstate Highway 35 in Laredo, then north
along Interstate Highway 35 to its junction with Interstate Highway 10
in San Antonio, then northwest along Interstate Highway 10 to its
junction with U.S. Highway 83 at Junction, then north along U.S.
Highway 83 to its junction with U.S. Highway 62, 16 miles north of
Childress, then east along U.S. Highway 62 to the Texas-Oklahoma State
line.
Zone B--That portion of Texas lying within boundaries beginning at
the junction of U.S. Highway 81 and the Texas-Oklahoma State line, then
southeast along U.S. Highway 81 to its junction with U.S. Highway 287
in Montague County, then southeast along U.S. Highway 287 to its
junction with Interstate Highway 35W in Fort Worth, then southwest
along Interstate Highway 35 to its junction with Interstate Highway 10
in San Antonio, then northwest along Interstate Highway 10 to its
junction with U.S. Highway 83 in the town of Junction, then north along
U.S. Highway 83 to its junction with U.S. Highway 62, 16 miles north of
Childress, then east along U.S. Highway 62 to the Texas-Oklahoma State
line, then south along the Texas-Oklahoma State line to the south bank
of the Red River, then eastward along the vegetation line on the south
bank of the Red River to U.S. Highway 81.
Zone C--The remainder of the State, except for the closed areas.
Closed areas--(A) That portion of the State lying east and north of
a line beginning at the junction of U.S. Highway 81 and the Texas-
Oklahoma State line, then southeast along U.S. Highway 81 to its
junction with U.S. Highway 287 in Montague County, then southeast along
U.S. Highway 287 to its junction with Interstate Highway 35W in Fort
Worth, then southwest along Interstate Highway 35 to its junction with
U.S. Highway 290 East in Austin, then east along U.S. Highway 290 to
its junction with Interstate Loop 610 in Harris County, then south and
east along Interstate Loop 610 to its junction with Interstate Highway
45 in Houston, then south on Interstate Highway 45 to State Highway
342, then to the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, and then north and east
along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico to the Texas-Louisiana State
line.
(B) That portion of the State lying within the boundaries of a line
beginning at the Kleberg-Nueces County line and the shore of the Gulf
of Mexico, then west along the County line to Park Road 22 in Nueces
County, then north and west along Park Road 22 to its junction with
State Highway 358 in Corpus Christi, then west and north along State
Highway 358 to its junction with State Highway 286, then north along
State Highway 286 to its junction with Interstate Highway 37, then east
along Interstate Highway 37 to its junction with U.S. Highway 181, then
north and west along U.S. Highway 181 to its junction with U.S. Highway
77 in Sinton, then north and east along U.S. Highway 77 to its junction
with U.S. Highway 87 in Victoria, then south and east along U.S.
Highway 87 to its junction with State Highway 35 at Port Lavaca, then
north and east along State Highway 35 to the south end of the Lavaca
Bay Causeway, then south and east along the shore of Lavaca Bay to its
junction with the Port Lavaca Ship Channel, then south and east along
the Lavaca Bay Ship Channel to the Gulf of Mexico, and then south and
west along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico to the Kleberg-Nueces County
line.
Wyoming
Regular Season Open Area--Campbell, Converse, Crook, Goshen,
Laramie, Niobrara, Platte, and Weston Counties.
Riverton-Boysen Unit--Portions of Fremont County.
Park and Big Horn County Unit--All of Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park
and Washakie Counties.
Pacific Flyway
Arizona
Special Season Area--Game Management Units 28, 30A, 30B, 31, and
32.
Idaho
Area 1--All of Bear Lake County and all of Caribou County except
that portion downstream from the dam at Alexander Reservoir south of
U.S. Highway 30, and that portion lying within the Grays Lake Basin.
Area 2--All of Teton County except that portion lying west of state
Highway 33 and south of Packsaddle Road (West 400 North) and north of
the North Cedron Road (West 600 South) and east of the west bank of the
Teton River.
Area 3--All of Fremont County except the Chester Wetlands Wildlife
Management Area.
Area 4--All of Jefferson County.
Area 5--All of Bannock County east of Interstate 15 and south of
U.S. Highway 30; and Franklin County west of U.S. Highway 91 from the
Utah State line north to the junction of State Highway 34 in Preston
and everything west of state Highway 34 north to the Franklin County-
Caribou County line.
Montana
Zone 1 (Warm Springs Portion of Deer Lodge County)--Those portions
of Deer Lodge County lying within the following described boundary:
Beginning at the intersection of I-90 and Highway 273, then westerly
along Highway 273 to the junction of Highway 1, then southeast along
said highway to Highway 275 at Opportunity, then east along said
highway to East Side County road, then north along said road to Perkins
Lake, then west on said lane to I-90, then north on said interstate to
the junction of Highway 273, the point of beginning. Except for
sections 13 and 24, T5N, R10W; and Warm Springs Pond number 3.
Zone 2 (Ovando-Helmville Area)--That portion of the Pacific Flyway,
located in Powell County lying within the following described boundary:
beginning at the junction of State Routes
[[Page 43289]]
141 and 200, then west along Route 200 to its intersection with the
Blackfoot River at Russell Gates Fishing Access Site (Powell--Missoula
County line), then southeast along said river to its intersection with
the Ovando--Helmville Road (County Road 104) at Cedar Meadows Fishing
Access Site, then south and east along said road to its junction with
State Route 141, then north along said route to its junction with State
Route 200, the point of beginning.
Zone 3 (Dillon/Twin Bridges/Cardwell Areas)--That portion of
Beaverhead, Madison and Jefferson counties lying within the following
described boundaries: Beginning at Dillon, then northerly along US Hwy
91 to its intersection with the Big Hole River at Brown's Bridge north
of Glen, then southeasterly and northeasterly along the Big Hole River
to High Road, then east along High Road to State Highway 41, then east
along said highway to the Beaverhead River, then north along said river
to the Jefferson River and north along the Jefferson River to the
Ironrod Bridge, then northeasterly along State Highway 41 to the
junction with State Highway 55, then northeasterly along said highway
to the junction with I-90, then east along I-90 to Cardwell and Route
359 then south along Route 359 to the Parrot Hill/Cedar Hill Road then
southwesterly along said road and the Cemetery Hill Road to the Parrot
Ditch road to the Point of Rocks Road to Carney Lane to the Bench Road
to the Waterloo Road and Bayers Lanes, to State Highway 41, then east
along State Highway 41 to the Beaverhead River, then south along the
Beaverhead River to the mouth of the Ruby River, then southeasterly
along the Ruby River to the East Bench Road, then southwesterly along
the East Bench Road to the East Bench Canal, then southwesterly along
said canal to the Sweetwater Road, then west along Sweetwater Road to
Dillon, the point of beginning, plus the remainder of Madison County
and all of Gallatin County.
Zone 4 (Broadwater County)--All of Broadwater County.
Utah
Cache County--All of Cache County.
East Box Elder County--That portion of Box Elder County beginning
on the Utah-Idaho State line at the Box Elder-Cache County line; west
on the State line to the Pocatello Valley County Road; south on the
Pocatello Valley County Road to I-15; southeast on I-15 to SR-83; south
on SR-83 to Lamp Junction; west and south on the Promontory Point
County Road to the tip of Promontory Point; south from Promontory Point
to the Box Elder-Weber County line; east on the Box Elder-Weber County
line to the Box Elder-Cache County line; north on the Box Elder-Cache
County line to the Utah-Idaho State line.
Rich County--All of Rich County.
Uintah County--All of Uintah County.
Wyoming
Area 1 (Bear River)--All of the Bear River and Ham's Fork River
drainages in Lincoln County.
Area 2 (Salt River Area)--All of the Salt River drainage in Lincoln
County south of the McCoy Creek Road.
Area 3 (Eden Valley Area)--All lands within the Bureau of
Reclamation's Eden Project in Sweetwater County.
Area 5 (Uintah County Area)--All of Uinta County.
All Migratory Game Birds in Alaska
North Zone--State Game Management Units 11-13 and 17-26.
Gulf Coast Zone--State Game Management Units 5-7, 9, 14-16, and 10
(Unimak Island only).
Southeast Zone--State Game Management Units 1-4.
Pribilof and Aleutian Islands Zone--State Game Management Unit 10
(except Unimak Island).
Kodiak Zone--State Game Management Unit 8.
All Migratory Game Birds in the Virgin Islands
Ruth Cay Closure Area--The island of Ruth Cay, just south of St.
Croix.
All Migratory Game Birds in Puerto Rico
Municipality of Culebra Closure Area--All of the municipality of
Culebra.
Desecheo Island Closure Area--All of Desecheo Island.
Mona Island Closure Area--All of Mona Island.
El Verde Closure Area--Those areas of the municipalities of Rio
Grande and Loiza delineated as follows: (1) All lands between Routes
956 on the west and 186 on the east, from Route 3 on the north to the
juncture of Routes 956 and 186 (Km 13.2) in the south; (2) all lands
between Routes 186 and 966 from the juncture of 186 and 966 on the
north, to the Caribbean National Forest Boundary on the south; (3) all
lands lying west of Route 186 for 1 kilometer from the juncture of
Routes 186 and 956 south to Km 6 on Route 186; (4) all lands within Km
14 and Km 6 on the west and the Caribbean National Forest Boundary on
the east; and (5) all lands within the Caribbean National Forest
Boundary whether private or public.
Cidra Municipality and adjacent areas--All of Cidra Municipality
and portions of Aguas Buenas, Caguas, Cayey, and Comerio Municipalities
as encompassed within the following boundary: Beginning on Highway 172
as it leaves the municipality of Cidra on the west edge, north to
Highway 156, east on Highway 156 to Highway 1, south on Highway 1 to
Highway 765, south on Highway 765 to Highway 763, south on Highway 763
to the Rio Guavate, west along Rio Guavate to Highway 1, southwest on
Highway 1 to Highway 14, west on Highway 14 to Highway 729, north on
Highway 729 to Cidra Municipality boundary to the point of the
beginning.
[[Page 43290]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP21JY15.001
[FR Doc. 2015-17718 Filed 7-20-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P