DEC Invites Hunter Input on Fall 2015 Waterfowl Seasons
Task Forces to Help Set Season Dates for Waterfowl Hunting in New York
Hunters are invited to submit recommendations to regional Waterfowl Hunter Task Forces for the dates of the fall 2015 duck hunting seasons by April 8, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. DEC evaluates the task force recommendations in setting waterfowl seasons, which must comply with federal rules.
“Input and feedback from New York’s hunters is important to DEC in many aspects of wildlife management,” Commissioner Joe Martens said. “This includes determining the most beneficial timing for sportsmen and women to hold the state’s waterfowl hunting season.”
New York is divided into five waterfowl hunting zones: Western, Southeastern, Northeastern, Lake Champlain and Long Island. DEC recently appointed task forces for each zone (except Lake Champlain) to solicit recommendations for the fall 2015 hunting seasons, including opening and closing dates, split seasons and a special hunting weekend for junior hunters (hunters ages 12-15). Each task force includes representatives from the New York State Conservation Council, established waterfowl hunting organizations and individual waterfowl hunters who provide input representing diverse points of view.
Waterfowl seasons in the Lake Champlain Zone will continue to be set by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Management Board, with input from DEC and waterfowl hunters in New York and Vermont. Although there is no formal task force for this zone, hunters can send their suggestions to any DEC season-setting team member.
The recommended dates must be within federal guidelines established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). For fall 2015, DEC expects the USFWS to allow a 60-day duck season, split into no more than two segments per zone, opening no earlier than Sept. 26, 2015 and closing no later than Jan. 31, 2016.
Waterfowl hunters can participate in the season-setting process by providing duck season suggestions to any task force member on or before April 8, 2015. Names and contact information for all task force members are listed in alphabetical order on DEC’s website.
Comments can be provided to DEC’s Bureau of Wildlife by mail, telephone or e-mail, with e-mail being the preferred method at SeasonWaterfowl@dec.ny.gov. The task forces will meet in April, and DEC plans to announce tentative duck hunting season dates in June.
Input on hunting seasons for other migratory game birds, including Canada geese, snow geese, brant and woodcock, may also be submitted to any member of DEC’s season-setting team (see list on the DEC website: www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42364.html. However, due to greater uncertainty about federal regulations for those species, decisions and tentative dates will probably not be known until summer.
Descriptions of New York State’s waterfowl hunting zones can be found on the DEC website and are listed in DEC’s Waterfowl Hunting Seasons and Regulations brochure. The final waterfowl hunting season dates will be posted on the DEC website and announced by news release in late August.
