The 12th annual Grand Gulf Bass Club fishing tournament to benefit Area 10 Special Olympics will be Aug. 23, at Lake Chotard Landing Resort. Those who would like to participate can register on the morning of the event. The tournament kicks off at 6 a.m., and all lines must be up by 2 p.m. The cost is $100 per boat, with a maximum of two anglers per boat.

“It’s a great event, and a big success each year,” said Sandy Hearn, an Area 10 Special Olympics volunteer and coach. “Last year we had about 50 teams participate, and I expect we’ll have as many this year and maybe more.”

A total of eight hourly weigh-ins will take place during the tournament, with a $150 top prize for the largest bass each hour, $100 for second place and $50 for third. The largest bass of the day will reel in $1,000, with second place receiving $500, third place $250 and fourth place $125. A 2008 Suzuki King Quad 400 4-wheeler and trailer will be raffled. Special Olympics participants are invited to angle in their own tournament from shore at no entry fee. For more information call Lake Chotard Landing Resort at 601-279-4282.

Wood duck limits expanded this season

Wood duck hunters will be allowed to bag an extra duck a day during the upcoming 2008-09 waterfowl hunting season. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided Aug. 1 to allow the increase from a two to three wood duck bag limit, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks Commission will officially set the season dates this month or next.

“The wood duck bag limit increase will greatly benefit Mississippi’s waterfowl hunters, particularly those hunting in areas outside the Mississippi Delta,” said Houston Havens, Migratory Game Bird biologist with the MDWFP.

Discussions about increasing the wood duck bag limit have been ongoing for several years. Ed Penny, MDWFP Migratory Game Bird Program Coordinator, said years of banding wood ducks and analyzing the data the project produced has finally convinced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the bag limit can be increased without depleting wood duck populations. “We are excited about this new opportunity for our waterfowl hunters, and we will remain committed to ur ongoing banding efforts to better understand and manage our wood duck population,” said Penny. Updates on waterfowl regulations and dates for the upcoming season are available online at www.mdwfp.com.

MDWFP tickets total 2,575 in May and June

Conservation officers with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks issued 2,575 tickets during May and June, and of those 504 were given to Mississippi residents who were hunting or fishing without a license. With dove season set to start Sept. 1 and an estimated 27,086 licenses set to expire this month, the MDWFP is urging hunters to make sure their license is valid.

“People know they must have a license, and checking licenses is something we place a high emphasis on,” said Don Brazil, MDWFP Director of Law Enforcement, Wildlife and Fisheries. “Not only is it the law, but license sales help fund the agency and its programs. Buying a license is just another way for sportsmen and women to support outdoor recreation in Mississippi.”

A new law went into effect June 1 regarding hunting or fishing without a license. It calls for a $500 fine plus the license fee. If someone issued a ticket for hunting or fishing without a license purchases one before they face sentencing, the fine can be reduced to $100.

Licenses can be purchased directly from an agent, by phone at 1-800-GO-HUNT or online at www.mdwfp.com.