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Wing-shooters face tweaks
First proposals from state officials shift beginnings of seasons slightly

May 25, 2008

By SHANNON TOMPKINS

Unless federal officials make unanticipated changes in regulatory frameworks governing hunting of migratory game birds, Texas wing-shooters this autumn likely will operate under seasons and bag limits similar to those of this past year.

Texas wildlife managers this past week issued their initial proposals for 2008-09 season dates and bag limits for doves, ducks, geese, sandhill cranes and other migratory game birds.

Except for a trio of relatively minor changes — moving a week of dove season in the Special White-Winged Dove Area; opening and closing the Zone A (West Texas) sandhill crane season a week later than this past year; delaying by a week the opening of the Light Goose Conservation Season in the West Goose Zone — the
package of migratory bird regulations recommended by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department staff mirror those of a year ago.

Federal regulatory frameworks within which states must set their migratory game bird rules will not be decided until this summer.

Feedback mandatory

But to meet administrative deadlines, Texas officials have to make their best guess what those frameworks will be, and put proposed regulations out there for the mandatory public comment period.

Federal frameworks for early-season migratory game birds (doves, September teal-only season) will be announced in July, with frameworks for late-season (duck, geese) regulations coming in early August.

Vernon Bevill, program director for small game and habitat assessment for TPWD's wildlife division, said he does not anticipate any major changes in those federal frameworks.

Frameworks for late-season duck hunting have been the most volatile of the lot, with season length and bag limits annually decided under a convoluted and sometimes controversial matrix of data including spring population surveys, harvest figures from this past season, habitat conditions and management strategies focused on some individual duck species.

The crucial federal guidelines won't be decided for a couple of months, but Bevill said he predicts no substantial changes in duck frameworks under which Texas will have to operate.

Under the proposals, the regular dove season would open Sept. 1 in the state's North and Central zones and Sept. 20 in the South Dove Zone.

The North Zone would have a 60-day dove season (closing Oct. 30) with a 15-dove daily bag limit.

Central and South zones would have a 70-day dove season with a 12-dove daily limit.

In the Special White-winged Dove Area of the South Zone, the early white-winged dove season would run Sept. 6-7 and 13-14.

The bag limit in that area during the four-day season would remain 12 doves, no more than four of which could be mourning doves.

Dove season trimmed

TPWD is proposing to trim a week off the end of the first of the two-part regular dove season in the South Zone (ending the first season Nov. 2) and add that week to the later "winter" dove season.

The move is aimed at increasing opportunity for dove hunters in parts of the Special White-winged Dove Area, where good concentrations of mourning doves can be found during winter.

In the Special White-winged Dove Area of the South Zone, the "winter" dove season would run Dec. 26-Jan. 16 and Dec. 26-Jan. 20 in the remainder of the South Zone.

In the Central Dove Zone, the first season would end Oct. 30, with the winter season running Dec. 26-Jan. 4.

If the estimated breeding population of blue-winged teal is 4.7 million or more and federal frameworks allow Texas to have a 16-day, teal-only season, that season would run Sept. 13-28.

If the blue-wing population is below 4.7 million and a nine-day teal season is allowed, TPWD proposes to run it Sept. 20-28.

TPWD's proposals for the regular duck season, assuming the feds adopt the liberal frameworks package, would set concurrent, 74-day duck seasons for the state's North and South duck zones.

Duck season in those two zones would run Nov. 1-30 and Dec. 13-Jan. 25. Youth-only duck season would be Oct. 25-26.

A 91-day duck season in the High Plains Mallard Management Area (western third of the state) would run Oct. 25-26 and Oct. 31-Jan. 25. Youth-only duck season in the High Plains would be Oct. 18-19.

Last call for federal rules

Texas again will use the Hunter's Choice duck bag limit; this will be the third and final year of a federally approved three-year trial for the Hunter's Choice bag limit.

Under Hunter's Choice, the daily duck bag limit would be five ducks, to include no more than two wood ducks, two redheads, two scaup and no more than one of the following ducks — canvasback, pintail, mallard hen, mottled or Mexican-like.

TPWD proposes 2008-09 goose seasons and bag limits mirroring those of this past year. In the East Goose Zone, "light" (snow, blue, Ross) goose season would run Nov. 1-Jan. 25 (20-goose daily limit); Canada goose season, Nov. 1-Jan. 25 (three Canadas per day) and whitefront season would run Nov. 1-Jan. 11 (two per day).

The late-season Light Goose Conservation Season would begin Jan. 26 in the East Goose Zone but be delayed until Feb. 9 in the West Goose Zone.

The delay in opening of the Light Goose Conservation Season in the West Goose Zone would be to allow the Zone A sandhill crane season to run a week later than in past years.

The Zone A (west) sandhill season is proposed for Nov. 8-Feb. 8. Zone B (north-central) sandhill season is proposed for Nov. 28-Feb. 8, and Zone C (mid- and lower coast and prairies) is proposed for Dec. 20-Jan.25.