Duck rules should satisfy most

As surely as teal take wing at the first hint of frost, duck hunters hereabouts will fire more shotgun shells this fall. The reason being that, come opening day of Maine’s regular waterfowl season, the daily limit on ducks will be six, with no more than four of any one species; possession limit will be 12, with no more than eight of any one species. Personally, I can’t imagine any members of the camouflage clan not being satisfied with the daily limit and 60-day season, which were among the 2006 migratory bird-hunting regulations recently adopted by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Here I’m reminded that Elmer Crowell, the famous Cape Cod decoy carver, gave up the gun when the Federal Migratory Bird Act of 1918 imposed a daily limit of 20 ducks. Crowell, who at the time was more sought after as a guide than a decoy carver, allowed that it wasn’t worth setting a rig of decoys to shoot only 20 ducks. I often wonder what the old gunner’s reaction would be if he knew the decoys he whittled and painted so artfully were now bringing hundreds of thousands of dollars at auctions.

Of course there are exceptions to the six-duck limit. Without further ado, then, draw a bead on the season dates, bag limits, legal shooting times and the like, which you’re pressed to know if your pump or auto-loader is plugged to hold only three shells.

Duck seasons, not including mergansers: North Zone: Oct. 2-Dec. 9. South Zone (split season): Oct. 2-28, Nov. 13-Dec. 23. The aforementioned daily limit applies, with the following exceptions. Harlequin ducks: no open season. Black ducks, pintails, canvasbacks, mottled ducks, and fulvous tree ducks: daily limit, 1; possession limit, 2. Hen mallards, wood ducks, redhead ducks, and scaup: daily limit, 2; possession limit, 4. Blue-winged and green-winged teal, singly or in the aggregate: daily limit, 4; possession limit, 8.

Last spring, the DIF&W’s bird-group leader, Brad Allen, and I were grousing about the cool, wet weather and how it could affect production in bird factories. Allowing that Brad, formerly the “head guide” of the department’s game bird and waterfowl program – that position is now held by Mike Schummer – has collars on an English setter and a Labrador retriever, our conversation eventually centered on hunting. So it was that Brad fired a shot that nearly caused me to spill my coffee: “The feds are thinking about a 30-day season on black ducks.” For the uninitiated, Maine’s waterfowl seasons are adopted from frameworks set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

As it turned out, the consensus of waterfowl biologists throughout the Atlantic Flyway states was that current data didn’t support a radical decision to restrict black duck hunting. Therefore, the plan was moved to the back burner. For the time being, at least. You can bet, however, that like a flock of ringnecks roaring across the decoys and then swinging around for a second look, the USFWS will make another pass at a 30-day black duck season. To say it will bring a full-choke charge of opposition from hunters would be understatement. In spite of the daily limit of one black duck, the wild and wary fowl are the reason why many Atlantic Flyway gunners sign duck stamps.

Mergansers and American coots: Same season as ducks. Mergansers: daily limit, 5 in the aggregate; possession limit, 10, with the following exceptions: Hooded mergansers: daily limit, 2; possession limit, 4; American coot: daily limit, 5; possession limit, 10.

You’ve no doubt heard it said that because mergansers feed voraciously on fish, including precious Atlantic salmon parr and smolts, there should be no restrictions on shooting the ducks. Keep in mind, however, that loons, kingfishers, cormorants, and ospreys are also fish eaters. Collectively, mergansers, a.k.a. sheldrakes, are considered unfit for eating. Yet, it can be said that hooded mergansers are decent table fare. The reason being that “hoodies” eat substantial amounts of aquatic vegetation.

Canada geese: Special early season: Sept. 5-25. Daily limit, 4; possession limit, 8. Regular goose season: North Zone: Oct. 2-Dec. 9. South Zone (split season): Oct. 2-28; Nov. 13-Dec. 23. Daily limit, 2; possession limit, 4.

One of the nice things about goose hunting is that, unlike ducks, which begin trafficking at dawn, the majestic Canadas usually don’t fly until after sunup. Accordingly, it isn’t necessary to spread goose decoys before song light. Unless, that is, you enjoy watching Mother Nature’s nightshift depart as the dayshift arrives. Or maybe you like breathing the musky smell of frost-struck corn stubble while sipping coffee and sharing a doughnut with a retriever that’s reason enough to pay the price of Hevi-Shot. Or is it that you like the warmth of anticipation in waiting and listening for the first magical notes of goose music, and the excitement of feeling the earth move to make room for a new day.

Snow geese: Oct. 2-Jan. 31, 2007. Daily limit, 15; no possession limit. Brant: Oct. 2 – Oct. 28. Daily limit, 2; possession limit, 4.

Time was when the chances of bagging a snow goose in this neck of the woods were about equal to that of drawing a bead on a fulvous tree duck. Nowadays, however, it’s not uncommon for Atlantic Flyway gunners to see “snows” flying with Canada geese. Waterfowl biologists explain that the burgeoning populations – millions, no less – of snow geese, common to the Mississippi Flyway, are degrading their northern nesting grounds. Consequently, the geese are migrating eastward in search of suitable habitat.

Special Falconry Season: In addition to the regular migratory bird season on ducks, mergansers, and American coots: North Zone: Dec. 8-Jan. 31, 2007. South Zone: Jan. 6-Feb. 28. Falconry season daily bag and possession limits for all permitted migratory game birds shall not exceed three and six birds, respectively, singly or in the aggregate.

Back along I spent some time with veteran falconer Scott Keniston of Winterport. I didn’t get to see his hawks hunt ducks, but I saw one of them, a goshawk, I think, pick a pigeon out of the air and pursue squirrels and rabbits through alder thickets. Simply put, the hawk’s eyesight, speed, and maneuverability were amazing. Considering that falconers must capture, raise, and train their hawks, you can believe there’s more to that sport than meets the eye.

Sea Ducks: Scoters, eiders, and old squaws: Oct. 2-Jan. 31, 2007. Daily limit, 7; possession limit, 14, with the following exceptions: Scoter, commonly referred to as coots: Daily limit, 4; possession limit, 8. Common Eider: Daily limit, 5; possession limit, 10.

Mention sea-duck hunting and I think of Al Mitchell and the morning we hunkered on an ice-glazed ledge and squinted into a cutting wind that whistled the temperature down to 30 below. From that you can ascertain that dyed-in-the-wool sea duck hunters can be described with two words: dedication and denial.

Woodcock: Oct. 2 -28 and Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Daily limit, 3; possession limit 6.

According to Brad Allen, suggestions and discussions about opening the woodcock season a week or so later and extending it into November are ongoing. There are, however, many variables to consider. Among them, geography, confusion regarding the opening of grouse and woodcock seasons, conflicts with deer hunters and, understandably, declining woodcock populations. Personally, I’m not averse to an adjustment in the woodcock season. On the other hand, though, I will support whatever it takes to protect the grand and elusive game bird that whistles with its wings.

It’s obvious that, owing to loss of habitat, the eastern woodcock population will never be restored to what it was in the mid-1900s, when abandoned farmlands were producing prime covers. Like Atlantic salmon, the woodcock’s nature and habitat requirements make it a fragile resource – and the habitats of both species are being degraded and destroyed continuously.

Youth Waterfowl Hunt: Sept. 23. Daily bag limits are the same as those of the regular duck season, including one black duck. Special regulations apply to “Youth Day” hunters and accompanying adults.

Legal shooting time throughout Maine’s migratory bird-hunting seasons is from a half-hour before sunrise to sunset.

Great sport, duck hunting, and a grand American tradition. Think about sleeping in your long underwear so you won’t have to shiver into it at 3 a.m., when the wind is whining in the eaves and sleet is hissing at the windows … Think about your retriever pacing the house all night because he saw you arranging your gunning gear that evening … Think about setting decoys in the coldest and darkest hour before dawn, spacing them carefully, you think, only to see three of the phony flock snuggled together after you’re hunkered in the blind … Think about a rude nor’easter spitting snow in your face, the silky sound of wings in the wind, and a burly Lab charging and churning toward a black or a mallard or a whistler floating feet up.

So there you have it, Sport, the dates and regulations for the forthcoming waterfowl season. As the saying goes, read ’em and weep. But with a 60-day season and a daily limit of six ducks, you have to agree there’s no need for crying towels.

Tom Hennessey’s columns and artwork can be accessed on the BDN Internet page at www.bangornews.com. Tom’s e-mail address is: thennessey@bangordailynews.net; Web site address is: www.tomhennessey.com.