Ohio hunters will have a 60-day duck season with a six-duck bag limit for the 2002-2003 waterfowl hunting season. The Ohio Wildlife Council met last evening and approved seasons for waterfowl hunting this fall.
Other changes for hunters to note are that bag limits for mallards will be reduced from four ducks to three, no open season on canvasbacks and a limited 30-day season on pintails.
Waterfowl hunting seasons are set to open October 19 in Ohio's north zone and October 26 in the south zone. Young hunters will have their own special season statewide October 12 and 13.
The duck hunting season (except pintails and canvasbacks) in the north zone is October 19 through November 30, with a second split season opening December 7 through December 23. The north zone season for pintails opens October 19 and runs through November 17, only. Both zones will have a closed season on canvasbacks.
In the south zone, duck season (except pintails and canvasbacks) is open October 26 through November 17, with a second split season opening December 14 through January 19, 2003. The south zone season for pintails is October 26 through November 2, with a second split season opening December 14 through January 4, 2003.
The daily bag limit for ducks is six, which may not include more than three mallards (only one of which may be female), one black duck, one pintail, two wood ducks, two redheads or three scaup. The season is closed on canvasbacks. Possession limits after the first day are twice the daily bag limit.
In the Lake Erie Canada Goose Zone, the goose season is October 19 through October 27, with a second split season opening December 7 and running through January 1, 2003. The Lake Erie Canada Goose Zone applies only to Canada geese and brant. Hunters may harvest light geese (snows, blues, Ross' and white fronts) within the Lake Erie Canada Goose Zone during the dates of the open goose season for the remainder of the North Zone. The goose season for the remainder of the North Zone is October 19 through November 30, with a second split season December 7 through January 2, 2003. In the South Zone, goose season is October 26 through November 17 with a second split December 14 through January 29, 2003.
The daily bag limit for Canada geese is one in the Lake Erie Goose Zone, and two in the remainder of the state. Light geese (snows, blues, Ross') have a daily bag limit of 10, and white-fronted geese and brant have a daily bag limit of two. The possession limit for brant and geese is twice the daily bag limit after the first day.
The Special Late Canada Goose Season is January 11 through January 29, 2003. No special late season permits are required this year.
Areas open to the Special Late Canada Goose Season will include all of Fulton, Henry, Seneca and Huron counties; those portions of Lucas county west of I-80 and I-75 north to the Ohio/Michigan border; the portion of Summit county south of 1-80; the portion of Allen county north of U. S. Route 30; and the portion of Geauga county north of U. S. Route 6.
Falconry season for ducks, coots and mergansers in the north zone will be from September 7 through 15, October 12 through 13, October 19 through November 30, December 7 through December 23 and January 20 through February 24, 2003. South Zone falconry season is September 7 through September 15, October 12 through 13, October 26 through November 17, December 14 through December 19 and January 20 through February 24, 2003.
People planning to hunt waterfowl are required to answer several questions for the Harvest Information Program (HIP) survey when purchasing their hunting license. A state wetland habitat stamp endorsement and a valid and signed federal duck stamp are required in addition to a hunting license when hunting waterfowl. The 2002-2003 hunting licenses and wetland stamps are on sale now and remain valid through February 28, 2003.
Legal shooting hours for all waterfowl will be one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.
Copies of final approved waterfowl regulations (Publication 295, Waterfowl Hunting Regulations) will be available to hunters from all license vendors and at Division of Wildlife district offices in Akron, Athens, Columbus, Findlay, or Xenia, or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.