Dove, Woody limits to increase

[JABIII]

70 days, 15 doves this year

Outdoors in Brief



Bobby Cleveland • bcleveland@clarionledger.com • June 28, 2008


File photo/The Clarion-Ledger Mississippi dover hunters, like Tyler Lack of Vicksburg, will get more hunting opportunities this fall and winter with a 70-day season with a 15-bird daily bag limit.


Squabbling over a longer dove season or a higher bag limit will not be necessary this summer.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officials confirmed Friday that Mississippi and other states in the Mississippi Flyway can have both a 70-day dove season and a 15-bird daily limit for the 2008-09 season.

The decision was made at a Thursday meeting of the federal agency's Service Regulatory Committee.

In past seasons, the state had to choose between 60-day/15-bird limit or 70-day/12-bird options. The shorter time frame usually cut days off the third and only true winter segment of the season when migratory birds have arrived form midwestern grain fields.

The 2008-09 season will have an inconvenient beginning, since the North American Migratory Bird Treaty prohibits opening prior to Sept. 1. This year, that is a Monday and is Labor Day.

That means that two of the three holiday weekend days will not be available. State officials will likely pick a Sept. 1 opening to salvage Labor Day when the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks meets in late July..


16 DAYS FOR TEAL

Federal officials also said that the early teal season would be unchanged from last year, meaning that Mississippi can have a 16-day September season for the early migrators.


3RD WOODY

While the USF&WS has not yet addressed late-season migratory bird issues, state officials are confident that a third wood duck will be added to the daily bag limit for the regular duck season.

That's big news for Mississippi duck hunters outside of the Delta.

"The word on the street from those close to the discussion is that language will be added to the frameworks to give more states a third wood duck option," said Larry Castle, chief of wildlife for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries ad Parks.

"The thinking is that more states will be given the same situation that Tennessee and Kentucky have had on an experimental basis, and that is a third wood duck."

[rp]

Can we move the Mississippi flyway to SC or should we just move the SC to the flyway. May be it will be easier to rename our flyway.