Georgia’s 2013 Dates and Season Regulations for Waterfowl Approved

Make your plans!  Waterfowl hunting season dates and regulations have been approved for the 2013-2014 season by the Board of Natural Resources.

“This year several changes have occurred with the USFWS waterfowl regulatory frameworks,” said Greg Balkcom, state waterfowl biologist for the Wildlife Resources Division. “In Georgia, we have seized this chance to maximize opportunity for our waterfowl hunters

The upcoming 60-day season includes these noteworthy changes:

• the daily bag limit for scaup decrease from four to two
• the daily bag limit for canvasback increase from one to two based on this year’s population data
• the addition of 16 days of goose hunting opportunity in mid-October
• the bag limit for teal increase from four to six during September teal season
• the possession limit for waterfowl increase to three times the daily bag limit, allowing hunters on multi-day trips to bring home more birds than in years past.

Some need-to-know dates and details for waterfowl season are the September Canada goose season (Sept. 7-29) and the September teal season (Sept. 14-29), with the teal bag limit increasing to six birds.  An additional two weeks of Canada goose hunting was added Oct. 12-27, 2013.  Hunting season for ducks is Nov. 23 – Dec. 1, 2013 and Dec. 7 – Jan. 26, 2014.  A complete summary of migratory bird hunting season dates and bag limits is online at www.georgiawildlife.com/hunting/waterfowl .

Youth Waterfowl Days are Nov. 16-17, 2013.  On these two days, youth age 15 or younger may hunt specific migratory birds, such as ducks, Canada geese and mergansers, as long as they are accompanied by an adult of at least 18 years of age (only the youth may hunt).

In order to hunt waterfowl, hunters must have a hunting license, federal duck stamp, Georgia waterfowl conservation license and a HIP permit.  If hunting on a wildlife management area (WMA), a WMA license is required.  Hunters may purchase licenses online at www.georgiawildlife.com/licenses-permits-passes, by phone at 1-800-366-2661 or at more than 800 license agent locations (list of agents available online).

State license fees help support wildlife conservation in Georgia. The state receives federal funds from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program, based on a number of factors, including the number of paid sporting licenses. In Georgia, these funds are approximately $14 million a year and have helped restore habitat and improve wildlife populations, among other conservation efforts.

For more information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/hunting/waterfowl.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is comprised of six divisions which carryout DNR’s mission to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources. As one of six divisions within DNR, the Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) is charged with conserving, enhancing and promoting Georgia’s wildlife resources, including game and nongame animals, fish and protected plants. WRD is comprised of four sections – Game Management, Fisheries Management, Law Enforcement and Nongame Conservation, which regulate hunting, fishing and boat operation, protect nongame and endangered wildlife, provide conservation education and enforce laws for the protection and use of Georgia’s natural resources.