WATERFOWL SEASON UNDER WAY AS OVERALL DUCK POPULATION INCREASES

By John N. Felsher/SPECIAL TO THE COMMERCIAL

The first split of waterfowl season opened at 30 minutes before official sunrise on Saturday and ends Dec. 18. The season reopens Dec. 26 through Jan. 6, and again from Jan. 12 through Jan. 27.

A special youth hunt takes place Dec. 22-23 for sportsmen 15 years old and younger. Adults accompanying youths may call ducks and hunt other game in season, but they may not shoot at ducks. All other regular rules apply.

The daily bag limit may contain up to six ducks, but no more than four mallards including one hen. The bag may also contain no more than three mottled ducks, two wood ducks, two redheads, two scaup, two canvasbacks, one black duck or one pintail. People can also harvest up to 15 coots and five mergansers per day, but no more than two hooded mergansers.

On Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area near Stuttgart, people may shoot no more than four ducks per day, which can include no more than three mallards. With 33,832 acres of bottomlands, Bayou Meto contains some of the best waterfowl habitat in the state. The state floods about 13,000 acres of bottomlands each fall to create duck habitat.

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service surveys, the overall duck population increased by about 14 percent since 2006. The May survey estimated about 41.2 million ducks inhabited the breeding grounds in the northern United States and across Canada. Biologists credited abundant winter snowfall and rain in the northern prairies for creating good habitat conditions on the breeding grounds.

“Habitat is the core factor driving the health of duck populations and the size of the fall flight,” said Dr. Scott Yaich, Ducks Unlimited director of Conservation Operations. “When it’s wet, there is still enough breeding habitat to maintain duck populations at levels that can produce a good fall flight. However, that habitat is under siege on many fronts and is being lost at alarming rates in some places. It’s important to maintain our focus on restoring and protecting these habitats, so they can continue to produce ducks for future generations.”

Most important to Arkansas sportsmen, the mallard population increased by nearly 10 percent from 7.2 million to 8.032 million birds. Mallard populations remain about 7 percent above the long-term average.

Canvasback populations notched the highest percentage of increase, about 25 percent above the 2006 figures. For this reason, federal authorities doubled the daily bag limit from one to two for this season. The estimated population rose from about 691,000 in 2006 to 865,000 in 2007. Canvasback now number 53 percent above the long-term average.

Northern shovelers also made a significant rise in the past year, up from 3.68 million to 4.55 million, a rise of 24 percent. Spoonbills remain a whopping 106 percent above the long-term average.

Gadwalls jumped from 2.82 million to 3.35 million, an increase of 19 percent, coming in at 96 percent above the long-term average. Wigeons rose from 2.17 million in 2006 to 2.80 million in 2007, an increase of 29 percent and remain 7 percent above the long-term average.

Green-winged teal jumped by 13 percent, from 2.58 million in 2006 to 2.91 million in 2007. They remain 55 percent above the long-term average. Blue-winged teal increased by about 14 percent, up from 5.86 million in 2006 to 6.69 million in 2007. They remain 48 percent above the long-term average.

Among divers, redheads rose from 916,000 in 2006 to more than 1 million in 2007, an increase of 10 percent. Redheads remain 60 percent above the long-term average. Scaup, a species of concern for several years, rose 6 percent, from 3.24 million in 2006 to 3.45 million in 2007. However, they remain 33 percent below the long-term average.

Of the 10 most important species, only pintails dropped in population from 2006 to 2007. The USFWS survey estimated 3.38 million pintails in 2006, but only 3.33 million in 2007, a drop of 2 percent. Pintail numbers remain 19 percent below the long-term average.

Snow, blue and Ross goose seasons already opened Nov. 8 and run through Dec. 21. The season reopens Dec. 26 through Feb. 3 with a daily bag limit of 20 snow, blue and Ross geese. White-fronted, or specklebelly, goose season opened Saturday and runs through Dec. 18. It reopens from Dec. 26 through Feb. 3, with a daily bag limit of two. Canada goose season runs concurrent with the second split of specklebelly season with a daily bag limit of two.