AGFC Waterfowl Report

AGFC Waterfowl Report

From the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

www.agfc.com Second Youth Duck Hunt Closes Seaon For better or worse for many Arkansas waterfowlers, the regular 60-day duck season has come to a close as of last Sunday. Youths ages 15 and under took advantage of the second of two statewide youth duck hunts on Saturday, Feb. 2.

The youthshad to be accompanied by a mentor at least age 21 (or, if they possess a Hunter Education card, that mentor may be 18-20). The mentor may call the ducks and help retrieve, but cannot carry a firearm or hunt. All WMAs were available to youth hunting The limits were the same for all ducks as they would have been for the just-concluded regular duck season. Refer to your Waterfowl Guide Book or visit www.agfc.com for more information, where to hunt and more. For the latest in habitat conditions at our WMAs that have been prepared for waterfowl hunting, click the button below.

Light Goose Conservation Order Runs through April

25

Other than a one-day halt for the statewide youth duck hunt Feb. 2, the 2019 Light Goose Conservation Order is now underway in Arkansas and will continue through April 25. The good news for goose hunters, too, is that observations over the weekend on the Grand Prairie noted an increased number of geese from the previous week. And, after a fairly tough year for many waterfowlers in the duck woods this season, many may want to extend their hunting seasons with this additional opportunity at geese and help conservation managers balance population levels.

The light goose conservation order isn’t a typical waterfowl season; it is a response to growing goose populations in which hunters can play a vital role.

“Snow geese have become so abundant on the landscape that wildlife managers have seen evidence of damage to their habitat, particularly their staging and breeding grounds in the sub-arctic tundra on the west side of Hudson Bay,” said Luke Naylor, waterfowl program coordinator. “The conservation order was established in 1999 to increase harvest and decrease survival of these birds to combat this damage.”

With the intent of the hunt being for hunters to harvest many geese per outing, quite a few regulations that normally apply to waterfowl hunting are relaxed. The most notable changes are zero bag limits, the ability for hunters to use shotguns that can hold more than three shells at a time and the ability to use electronic callers to help convince birds to come close enough for a shot. And, unlike duck season, hunters can continue hunting up to 30 minutes after sunset, “which adds 30 minutes at the end of the day and can occasionally add a few birds to your day’s hunt,” Naylor said.

Hunters do not need waterfowl stamps or Harvest Information Program registration to participate in the conservation order. All that’s required is a valid hunting license from any state and a special conservation order registration, which is free.

The registration is available at www.agfc.com or by phone at 800-364-GAME and appears on your license as Code SGR.

Steel shot or non-toxic shot still is required for snow goose hunting, as it is a conservation measure to protect birds such as eagles, hawks and vultures from ingesting lead shot and contracting lead poisoning.

Goose Hunt Planned to Benefit Charity

A new, friendly competition may be a great way to bring awareness to a conservation issue and help feed needy families in Arkansas this February. The first World Championship Snow Goose Conservation Hunt competition will take place Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 9-10, at Mack’s Prairie Wings in Stuttgart.

The competition enables teams of 10 hunters each to harvest as many snow geese as possible during the two days, with the chance to win thousands of dollars in hunting gear. All geese harvested will be donated to Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry to provide meals for needy families in The Natural State. All proceeds from the competition will be donated to Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl and AHFH.

Look to the skies and you’ll see there’s no shortage of snow geese in east Arkansas. Hundreds of thousands of these waterfowl migrate to and through Arkansas each year, playing havoc on winter wheat fields and other agricultural crops. Snow geese are so abundant, they actually are damaging their breeding grounds near the Arctic Circle. To combat this population explosion, in 1999 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened a special hunt to encourage hunters to take as many of the geese as possible.