Shooting Hours: one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Non-toxic Shot: Required

Season Zones: Most waterfowl seasons are set based on five waterfowl hunting zones that have been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

NOTE: (1) The following hunting season dates have been finalized. Be sure to check all regulations before going hunting; and (2) You must register with HIP to hunt any of these species.

  Youth Days are additional days for Junior Hunters only. Young hunters, 12 to 15 years of age, possessing a junior hunting license may hunt ducks, coots, mergansers, Canada geese, and brant on 2 special days in each zone. Daily bag limits for ducks are the maximum allowed during the regular duck season, and 2 per day for Canada geese. Young hunters must be accompanied by a licensed (including current HIP registration and duck stamp) adult hunter, but the adult may not shoot any birds unless the respective regular season is open. Note: A 2011-12 hunting license is needed to hunt on any Youth Day in September 2012.
  In the special sea duck area only.

TENTATIVE 2012-13 Waterfowl Bag Limits

The daily bag limit is the maximum number of birds of each species that any person may take or possess in the field during any one day. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit for all waterfowl species except snow geese. The possession limit is the maximum number of birds that any person may possess in total in the field, at home, in transit or in storage.

* The daily limit of 6 ducks includes all species of mergansers, and may include no harlequin ducks and no more than 4 mallards (no more than 2 of which may be hens), 1 black duck, 3 wood ducks, 2 pintail, 2 redheads, 2 scaup, 1 canvasback, 4 scoters or 2 hooded mergansers.

** The daily limit of 7 sea ducks (scoters, eiders and long-tailed ducks – formerly called oldsquaw) is in addition to the regular duck bag in coastal waters of the Long Island Zone only. No more than 4 scoters may be included in the daily bag of sea ducks. In all other areas, sea ducks are part of the regular duck bag limit.

# Cackling geese and white-fronted geese may be taken as part of the Canada goose daily and possession limits. Blue geese and Ross’ geese may be taken as part of the snow goose limits.

MY PERSONNAL JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE AS A WATERFOWLER
My journey in life as a waterfowler, a hobby that has encompassed who and what I am in this world,   began 48 years ago. Did I say 48 years? Man, am I getting old and getting old truly ain’t for sissies
My Grandfather, (Giuseppi Basilo Giordano) instructing from his wheelchair, when I was a youngster of 11 years, showed me how to shoot a brand new double barrel 410 shotgun. He had bought the gun to be passed down to all of his grandchildren as their first gun to use and learn how to hunt. When you master using a 410 shotgun at a young age such as that, to shoot waterfowl and squirrel, then graduating up to a 12 gauge is cake. It was an honor to be the first grandchild to use the gun and I soon became pretty handy with it, or so I thought, it in the back yard. Shooting cans and bottles as my Grand Dad tossed them out over the Marshyhope Creek became a snap. After two weekends of practice, squirrel season opened on Oct. 5th, 1965 and my first day that school was not in session so I could hunt was Oct. 7th. My Grand Dad pointed to the corner of the woods and said be there in the morning at day break and be ready to light ‘em up.
Sure enough, he was right. At day break, on that frosty morning, I was set up in the corner of the woods and the squirrels started moving. Ol’ Dead Eye took aim on the first furry bugger and pulled the trigger. Then I watched in total amazement as the squirrel scampered off. I am pretty sure that I heard him laughing too as he made his exit. In the next two hours I used up all 25 shells shooting at squirrels, only to come home empty handed. My Grand Dad said “I heard you shooting dead eye. How many did you get?” Ashamed and embarrassed I whispered to him in my softest voice, I missed. My Grand Dad, detecting that I was really depressed about the whole thing and concerned that I might be discouraged about hunting , said to me “Don’t be too hard on yourself, we all have to start somewhere. Just practice a little more. You’ll get the hang of it.”
The next weekend I didn’t get to go huntin’ but I did get to see my Grand Dad that Sunday. I talked to him and we schemed, while watching our favorite TV show “My Favorite Martian”, on how I could break the ice and get my first squirrel. I was ready for next weekend now. I couldn’t wait. That evening though tragedy struck my family. My beloved Grand Dad left me for “Greater Huntin’ Pastures in the Sky”. Grand Pop hadn’t seen me shoot my first furry or feathered thing before he passed but he gave me some good tools to work with. The main tool he shared with me is that hunting isn’t all about the killing. The peacefulness and beauty of your surroundings when hunting are certainly first and the harvest of game is only secondary. Now, I needed to get busy.
The days drug by, and days became weeks. Finally about two months later I went duck hunting for the first time with my Uncle Jerry. He knew what I needed. I needed to harvest something to prove to myself that I could be the hunter my grandfather wanted me to be.
At the ripe old age of 11, my uncle and I left the dock before light on a bitterly cold morning and headed for the blind about a mile or so down the river. When we arrived to the blind, He placed the dozen or so decoys to what he thought was perfection. That means he got then out before the ducks started flying. That’s perfection in his book. I wonder if the 12 pack my Uncle had the night before had anything to do with sleeping through the alarm and the rush job with the decoys. Nah couldn’t be. All of our decoys back in the day were cork with cedar plank bottoms painted jet black with a little tan on the cheeks of the wooden heads (None of That Plastic Junk Like We See on the Market Today). He then got me situated in the blind. With sunrise came the first duck in with a splash. He whispered “Shoot Him” as I raised my 410 double barrel Stevens Model 311A Savage Arms shotgun and took aim on one of the prettiest ducks I had ever seen in my life. A beautiful Canadian Black Duck. You don’t see these babies at the zoo getting fed by the tourists with bread crumbs. My shotgun roared, well maybe a pop since it is a 410, and as I rose my head in excitement, much to my amazement,  the Black Duck(They were Purebred Back Then), was belly up kicking those gorgeous deep orange feet. Our old Black Lab Queenie swam out and retrieved the gorgeous Black Duck to my Uncle standing on the bank.
Finally, I had become a hunter, a man, and I didn’t shoot my eye out in the process like my mom always said I would do with my trusty Daisy Air Rifle. I sat on the bench in the blind and stroked the Black Ducks feathers in total awe of the softness of his feathers and the beautiful purple hues in the wing spectrum. Hope my Grand Dad got to see that. I tallied up 4 ducks that year. I was happy with myself, I felt like pounding my chest to have accomplished such a feat. Not a lot of birds by any means, but a grand accomplishment for me at that age.
The following year, I went squirrel hunting again. I shot at 6 squirrels that year and never missed. I wanted my grand dad to see them so bad that I held every one of them up to the heavens to make sure that he got a good look at them. He did too.
In my third season as a “Veteran Waterfowler”, yeah right, I recall a fond moment with my uncle when 5 Green Wing Teal came in and touched down on the water in the same spot that I had shot my first duck two seasons ago. I had hunted two full seasons with my uncle and had learned to get busy with the gun when the birds came in, or my uncle would kill ‘em all with his humpback Belgium Browning 12 Gauge. I jumped up to shoot without hesitation. Good thing too. My uncle was already blasting away in his corner of the duck blind with his Browning when I took aim on my first bird. My uncle had three shots and my trusty double barrel 410 shotgun had two of course so they had to count. When the smoke cleared, 5 birds lay dead on the water. No cripples either. All stone dead except the usual kicking of feet in the air from the expiring birds floating on the water.
At the age of 14, my Dad, not a hunter, decided that he needed to take up hunting with my uncle and myself. He dove right in to the sport head first and learned all he could as quickly as he could; because he knew that it was important to me. He hunted with me until I got a drivers license and could get my own self to the marsh at those God awful hours of the morning and then he quit hunting. He always said that duck hunting required getting up way to early in the morning and normal, sane people just didn’t do things like that.
At the age of 55 now I think I get it. My Dad never really enjoyed hunting but he enjoyed being my Dad. So he took up hunting just to carry me around and hunt. What a father. And what a man.
Ever since those years of waterfowling, I have been addicted. As a young man I was addicted to the number of birds that I could kill. I needed bragging rights to feel good about myself and my abilities as a man. Then as I matured, it became obvious that I had missed the whole point of the hunt. The point was certainly to watch in awe as the birds came in with cupped wings, to hear the soft quack as they descended out of the golden sky and touch down gentle on the water. Look at that bird in the golden sunrise. What a masterpiece of nature. So many people live an entire life and never get to see such a beautiful sight. Wait a minute. What am I thinking? Shoot, Shoot. Oops, instincts kicked in again.
As the years have gone by I have raised and shown four sons, a nephew and a daughter the beauty and thrill of nature.  We all have shared special moments in the woods.  Memories that will be with us ‘till the end.  I still yearn for the days again in the near future that we get to have our own personal hunting, fishing and camping adventures again. I can’t wait to gather memories with the grandchildren.
At my stage in life now, I have become a professional outfitter, taking people on all sorts of hunting adventures for all sorts of creatures. Wild Boar, Black Bear, Bobcat, Whitetail, Turkey, Ducks and of course, my personal favorite, Snow and Canada Geese. Lord knows I don’t do it for the money. I just do it to see the look in that next 11 year olds eyes when he kills his first duck, or his first snow goose, or that 22 year olds eyes when he sees  his first flock of 5000 snow geese coming at us in the early morning golden sky landing in our decoy spread. Now that’s a sight to behold.
And let’s not forget the Old timer who has a Jack Nicholson “Bucket List” to fill before he breaths his last breath. In my opinion, those are the things that make a hunt as rewarding as it can ever be. On your next hunt, bring a camera and a family member . After all you haven’t really been on the hunt of a life time until you do it for someone else’s enjoyment in life and their memory of a lifetime.
PLEASE REMEMBER  “It’s not the Wild Meat but the Heart Beat, That’s Why We Do It.”

We insist on it. Contact Joe Austin today at 410-603-1400 or 315-889-1790 ( Cell ) to book your next hunt.

 The snow geese have arrived in Delaware and Maryland for the 2011-2012 waterfowl season. The madness is about to begin. An expected 3.5 million greater snow geese will be wintering this year  on Delmarva in MD, DE, & VA.

Snow goose hunts are like nothing else in waterfowling on the Eastern Shore. Come join the madness. See white cyclones of thousands of snow geese within feet of your face as the small grain eating varmints settle in on the decoy spread to reek havock on the cropland.

Take pictures our shoot video if you wish. You want to record a memory of a lifetime for sure.  Who knows how many years the snow goose population explosion will last, but it is game on this year.

Maryland Black Bear Hunting Lottery is underway APPLY NOW! Go to http://blackbear.dnr.state.md.us/  Online applications for the Maryland Black Bear Lottery are being accepted until 11:59 p.m. (almost midnight) on Friday, September 2. 
To apply, a $15 nonrefundable application fee must be submitted via credit card, check, or money order. All payments must be received by 12 p.m. on Monday, September 5, 2010. Checks and money orders should be made payable to MDDNR Black Bear and mailed to MDDNR Black Bear, P.O. Box 360, Frostburg, MD 21532.
Only one application per person will be accepted. Duplicate applications will result in disqualification and forfeiture of all fees. Registrations will also be accepted by phone between August 22 and August 26 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 1-888-579-6768. Read what last year’s hunters had to say: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/BearHunt_Testimonials.asp  See photos from prior hunts: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/BearHunt_Photos.asp (Later this year, it could be you in one of those photos). For everything Maryland Black Bear, visit our online resource: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/BlackBearGuide.asp  The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is accepting applications to participate in this year’s lottery for black bear hunting permits through September 2. Applications issued will be valid for this year’s black bear hunting season, which will take place October 24 through October 29.
This year’s hunt will follow the same successful model we’ve used for the previous bear hunting seasons.
The application process will follow the Preference Point System for bear hunting permit applications that DNR implemented in 2007. Hunters who apply this year will receive one entry in the random drawing as well as one additional entry for each past consecutive year they have applied. Therefore, those hunters who applied unsuccessfully in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 will receive five entries in the drawing when they apply this year. The following rules also apply: Applicants must apply each year to retain preference points. If an applicant skips a year, all preference points will be forfeited. Once an applicant is selected to receive a bear hunting permit in the random drawing, all preference points will be forfeited. If an applicant is selected in the random drawing, but forfeits the permit, all preference points will be forfeited. Applicants will have the opportunity to purchase a preference point. This will allow those hunters who cannot hunt in 2010 the opportunity to retain their preference points for use in future drawings. DNR will issue 260 bear hunting permits with a quota of 55-80 bears and will close the hunt when the quota is reached. The opportunity to hunt black bears in Maryland remains limited to Garrett and Allegany counties.   

 Jill Kubatko

Publications Manager/Outreach Office of CommunicationsOffice: 410-260-8007

Cell: 443-924-0080jkubatko@dnr.state.md.us

WATERFOWL POPULATION EXPLODES – EXCELLENT NESTING CONDITIONS

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – June 30, 2011 – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its preliminary report today on breeding ducks and habitats, based on surveys conducted in May and early June. Total duck populations were estimated at 45.6 million breeding ducks on the surveyed area. This estimate represents an 11 percent increase over last year’s estimate of 40.9 million birds and is 35 percent above the 1955-2010 long-term average. This was only the fifth time in the survey’s history that the total duck population exceeded 40 million.

“The BEST waterfowl habitat conditions and breeding duck population levels since recors keeping began in 1955.

Habitat conditions across the U.S. and Canadian prairies and parklands were considered excellent. Further north, wetland conditions in most boreal regions of Alaska and northern Canada were good to very good at the time of the survey. During the survey and into early summer, many regions important to breeding ducks continued to receive significant snow melt and further precipitation, which could increase later breeding efforts and ensure brood survival. If these wet conditions continue, prospects going into the winter and possibly into spring 2012 will be favorable as well.

In addition to extensive grassland cover, one of the most important elements in duck breeding success is the amount of water present in portions of prairie and parkland Canada and the north-central United States. Total pond counts for the United States and Canada combined showed 8.1 million ponds, a 22 percent increase from last year’s estimate and 62 percent above the long-term average. This was the second time in the survey’s history that ponds exceeded 8 million.

Of the 10 species traditionally reported, eight were similar to or increased in number from 2010. Two species (scaup and American wigeon) remained below their long-term average. Northern shovelers, blue-winged teal and northern pintails were bright spots on this year’s survey. Northern shovelers and bluewings reached record highs (4.6 and 8.9 million, respectively), and northern pintail numbers surpassed 4 million for the first time since 1980. Scaup numbers were similar to 2010 and remain below their long-term averages. Only three species—scaup, northern pintail and American wigeon—remain below North American Waterfowl Management Plan population goals.

As good as the news is this week, waterfowl and prairie habitats continue to face significant long-term threats. Grassland habitat is under siege on many fronts and is being lost at alarming rates. Key public policies such as the Farm Bill and North American Wetlands Conservation Act will need to continue to focus on conservation for the good news to carry into the future. That’s our challenge in years to come.”

Nesting cover across the Prairie Pothole Region continues to decline, particularly on the U.S. side of the border. During the survey, observers noted many large tracts of former Conservation Reserve Program grasslands that had been converted to cropland since last year or were in the process of being plowed. Expiring CRP contracts and high commodity prices driven by biofuel demands and other economic factors are pushing these conversions. North Dakota alone has lost 22% of its CRP acres since 2007. Experts project that another 387,000 acres will be lost in 2010-2011 and more than 1 million acres will be lost in 2012-13. The continued loss of critical nesting cover will negatively impact the future of breeding ducks.

As always, fall weather and habitat conditions along migration routes will have a big impact on migration chronology and local hunting success.

In light of a very favorable breeding ground report, it’s still quite a while before we can put out the decoys. We will have to monitor how broods fare this summer and what impact summer flooding has on many migration and wintering areas before we get better insight into what to expect this fall.”

The FWS spring surveys provide the scientific basis for many management programs across the continent including the setting of hunting regulations. The four Flyway Councils will meet in late July to recommend and adopt the season structure and bag limits for 2011-12. Individual states will make their specific selections within a federal framework of season length, bag limit, and outside dates. Hunters should check their state’s rules for final dates.

Guided Canada goose Hunts

Tentative 2011-12 Canada Goose Seasons

Goose Hunting Area Boundary Descriptions

Shooting Hours: one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Bag Limits: The daily bag limit is the maximum number of birds that any person may take or possess in the field during any one day. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit for all waterfowl species except snow geese. The possession limit is the maximum number of birds that any person may possess in total in the field, at home, in transit, or in storage. See table below for specific bag limits for each Goose Hunting Area.

Non-toxic shot: Required

Other: You must register with HIP to hunt geese.

^a These season dates will not be finalized until federal regulations have been adopted in late summer. Be sure to check the final regulations before going hunting.
^b See map (above) and boundary descriptions (below) before going afield.
^c September season in Western Long Island will be closed to allow extension of the regular season in this area only.
^d The Special Late Season is open only in a small portion (north shore) of the Central Long Island Area (see description below).
^e Cackling geese and white-fronted geese may be taken as part of the Canada goose daily and possession limits.

TENTATIVE Special Late Canada Goose Season

DEC offers a special Late Canada Goose Hunting Season. The Late Canada Goose Hunting Area is that area of the Central Long Island Goose Hunting Area (see Regular Goose Season map) lying north of State Route 25A and west of a continuous line extending northward from State Route 25A along Randall Road (near Shoreham) to North Country Road, then east to Sound Road, then north to Long Island Sound, and then due north to the New York-Connecticut boundary.

Season Dates: February 5 – February 15

Bag Limit: 5 geese per day, 10 in possession.

Shooting Hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Non-toxic Shot: Required

Other: All migratory bird hunters must register with HIP.

New York State Goose Hunting Area Descriptions

NOTE: Change to Northeast-Hudson Valley boundary in the Washington-Saratoga Co. area!

For descriptions of these areas based on road boundaries, rather than Wildlife Management Units, see Road Boundary Descriptions of New York State Goose Hunting Areas

1. The Lake Champlain Goose Hunting Area is the same as the Lake Champlain Zone.
2. The Northeast Goose Hunting Area is the same as the Northeastern Waterfowl Hunting Zone: That area north of a continuous line extending from Lake Ontario east along the north shore of the Salmon River to Interstate 81, south along Interstate Route 81 to Route 31, east along Route 31 to Route 13, north along Route 13 to Route 49, east along Route 49 to Route 365 to Route 28, east along Route 28 to Route 29, east along Route 29 to Route 22, north along Route 22 to Route 153, east along Route 153 to the New York – Vermont boundary, exclusive of the Lake Champlain Zone.
3. The East Central Goose Hunting Area consists of the following WMUs: 4A, 4F, 6P, 6R, 6S, 7M, and 7P. The East Central Goose Hunting Area also includes those parts of WMUs 7F and 7J lying south of Route 31 and east of Route 81.
4. The South Goose Hunting Area consists of the following WMUs: 3A, 3C, 3H, 3K, 3N, 3P, 3R, 4G, 4H, 4O, 4P, 4R, 4W, 7R, 7S, 8M, 8N, 8P, 8T, 8W, 8X, 8Y, 9A, 9C, 9F, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9M, 9N, 9P, 9R, 9S, 9T, 9W, 9X, and 9Y. The South Goose Hunting Area also includes: that part of WMU 8G lying south and west of a continuous line extending along the New York State Thruway from Crittenden-Murrays Corners Road (near the Erie-Genesee County line) to Exit 48 in Batavia, then south along State Route 98 to State Route 20; that part of WMU 3G lying in Putnam County; and that part of WMU 3S lying north of Interstate Route 95.
5. The West Central Goose Hunting Area consists of the following WMUs: 7A, 7H, 8A, 8C, 8F, 8H, 8J, 8R, and 8S. The West Central Goose Hunting Area also includes: that part of WMU 6K lying west of a continuous line extending along the north shore of the Salmon River from US Route 11 to Interstate Route 81, then south along Route 81 to Route 49; those parts of WMUs 7F and 7J lying west of Interstate Route 81; and that part of WMU 8G lying north and east of a continuous line extending along the New York State Thruway from Crittenden-Murrays Corners Road (near the Erie-Genesee County line) to Exit 48 in Batavia, then south along Route 98 to Route 20.
6. The Hudson Valley Goose Hunting Area consists of the following WMUs: 3F, 3J, 3M, 4B, 4C, 4J, 4K, 4L, 4S, 4T, 4U, 4Y, 4Z, and 5R; that part of WMU 5S lying south of a continuous line extending east along Route 29 to Route 22, north along Route 22 to Route 153, then east along Route 153 to the New York – Vermont boundary; and that part of WMU 3G lying in Dutchess County.
7. The Western Long Island Goose Hunting Area is that area of Westchester County and its tidal waters southeast of Interstate Route 95 and that area of Nassau and Suffolk Counties lying west of a line extending from the New York-Connecticut boundary due south to the northernmost end of the Sunken Meadow State Parkway, south along the Sunken Meadow State Parkway, the Sagtikos State Parkway, and the Robert Moses State Parkway to its southernmost end, then due south to international waters.
8. The Central Long Island Goose Hunting Area is that area of Suffolk County lying between the Western and Eastern Long Island Goose Hunting Areas, as defined above and below.
9. The Eastern Long Island Goose Hunting Area is that area of Suffolk County lying east of a continuous line extending due south from the New York-Connecticut boundary to the northernmost end of Roanoke Avenue in the Town of Riverhead, south on Roanoke Avenue (which becomes County Route 73) to State Route 25, west on Route 25 to Peconic Avenue, south on Peconic Avenue to County Route (CR) 104 (Riverleigh Avenue), south on CR 104 to CR 31 (Old Riverhead Road), south on CR 31 to Oak Street, south on Oak Street to Potunk Lane, then west on Stevens Lane, then south on Jessup Avenue (in Westhampton Beach) to Dune Road (CR 89), then due south to international waters.
10. The Special Late Canada Goose Hunting Area is that portion of the Central Long Island Goose Hunting Area lying north of State Route 25A and west of a continuous line extending northward from State Route 25A along Randall Road (near Shoreham) to North Country Road, then east to Sound Road, then north to Long Island Sound, and then due north to the New York-Connecticut boundary.