Montana Waterfowl Seasons Set
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 09.07.12
Montana’s Fish Wildlife & Parks Commission recently approved the state’s 2012-13 waterfowl seasons.
The main change from past seasons saw commissioners adopted a modest split in the goose season in Central Flyway that will provide an about a week of additional hunting.
Hunters, however, need to be aware that the Central Flyway goose season will be closed Jan. 7-8, 2013 and then reopen for an additional five days on Jan. 9, 2013.
Other changes include an increase in the scaup and white goose bag limits in the Pacific and Central flyways and dropping a season-length restriction on scaup in the Pacific Flyway.
Under federal guidelines, 105 days are available for general waterfowl hunting in the Pacific Flyway, while in the Central Flyway 97 days are available for ducks and coots and 105 days for geese.
The annual May breeding population survey in the traditional survey areas in Canada and the U.S. found a record 48.6 million breeding ducks in the population of 10 primary species, 43 percent above the long-term average. Mallards were up 15 percent from last year and 40 percent above the long-term average. Scaup numbers were up 21 percent from last year, and gadwalls remained 96 percent above the long-term average.
Here is run down the waterfowl seasons and bag limits for 2012-13:
Pacific Flyway
- Youth Waterfowl Season—Sept. 22-23
- General Waterfowl Season—Sept. 29-Jan. 11, 2013Swan (500 permits only) Season—Oct. 13-Dec. 1
Ducks: Daily limit of seven ducks or mergansers; possession limit is twice the daily limit. Daily bag limit can’t include more than: two hen mallards, two pintails, two redheads, and one canvasback.
Coots: 25 daily and in possession.
Geese: Dark–four daily; possession limit twice the daily limit. White–10 daily, possession limit is twice the daily limit.
- Falconry—Ducks, coots, and geese: Sept. 29-Jan 11, 2013
Central Flyway
- Youth Waterfowl Season—Sept. 22-23
- Duck and Coot Season—Sept. 29-Jan. 3, 2013
Ducks: Daily limit of six ducks or mergansers; possession limit is twice the daily limit. The daily bag limit can’t include more than five mallards, no more than two of which may be hens; two redheads; two hooded mergansers; three wood ducks; two pintails; and one canvasback.
Coots: 15 daily; possession limit is twice the daily limit.
- Goose Season—Sept. 29-Jan. 6, 2013; Jan.9-13, 2013
- Geese: Dark–five daily; possession limit is twice the daily limit. White–20 daily, possession limit is twice the daily limit.
- Tundra Swan (500 permits only)—Sept. 29-Jan. 3, 2013
- Falconry— Ducks and coots: Sept. 23-Jan. 3, 2013. Geese: Sept. 29-Jan. 6, 2013; Jan.9-13, 2013
For more information, visit FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov. Click “For Hunters“. For online information on the federal duck and wetland report, visit flyways.us.
