OUTDOORS * By Steve Sanoski

Mississippi waterfowl hunters will be allowed to hunt 60 days with a six duck daily bag limit for the 2008-09 season following a vote by the Mississippi Flyway Council on July 24 in which the council adopted the “liberal regulatory alternative” for the season.

“The bag limits on wood ducks, scaup and canvasbacks may change from last year, but we will not know for sure until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a chance to meet and discuss recommendations from the four flyways,” said Ed Penny, Waterfowl Program Coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

The canvasback season may be closed this year because May surveys indicated a relatively low breeding population. As part of a new harvest strategy adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, scaup may have a reduced bag limit or shorter season length. The new harvest strategy was adopted in response to a long-term decline in scaup populations.

“We remain hopeful the wood duck bag limit will be increased from two birds to three birds per day. This potential bag limit increase would mean a lot to many Mississippi waterfowl hunters who do not get the opportunity to harvest many species other than wood ducks,” said Kevin Brunke, MDWFP Mississippi Flyway Council Technical Section Representative.

Waterfowl hutning seasons are set through a process called “Adaptive Harvest Management.” Through this process, waterfowl seasons are deemed manageable by either a liberal, moderate or restrictive framework from one year to the next, based on mallard populations and the number of ponds and breeding grounds. A moderate framework calls for a 45 day season with a six duck bag limit, and a restrictive calls for a 30 day season with a three duck limit.

The MDWFP Commission will officially set the season dates and bag limits within the allowable U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service frameworks during either its August or September meeting.

Dove season opens in area on Sept. 1

Dates for the early 2008-09 migratory game bird season were approved by the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks on July 23.

“The biggest changes this year involve our dove seasons. Hunters statewide will enjoy a 70-day season with a 15-bird daily bag limit,” said Ed Penny, MDWFP Migratory Game Bird Program Coordinator.

For the North Dove Zone