Federal duck frameworks remain liberal in 2005-06

[webfoot]

Federal duck frameworks remain liberal in 2005-06

By Bobby Cleveland

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced as expected a continuation of liberal frameworks for the coming waterfowl seasons.

For Mississippi and other states in the Mississippi (River) Flyway, that means a 60-day season that must end by Jan. 29 (the last Sunday in January) and a 6-duck daily bag limit.

The next step in setting the season in Mississippi lies with the state wildlife commission, which is expected to select the 60 days at its August meeting.

Federal officials were confident that, despite a slight reduction in overall duck populations and a 9 percent drop in mallards found in the their spring survey, liberal frameworks were in order.

"We are very comfortable with the liberal frameworks," said Paul Schmidt, director of the federal agency's Office of Migratory Birds, in a national teleconference this morning. "We have increased confidence in our Adoptive Harvest Management (AHM) program. It has been extremely accurate, within five percent the last five years and even better the last two years, in predicting populations.

"I understand that there are hunters who question it. The technology is quite sophisticated. I can't really explain the computer program that we use."

Schmidt said several factors are plugged into the AHM computer program, including the spring population survey, the spring nesting pond habitat survey and the estimated harvest for the previous season.

This year, the pond count factored favorably for hunters.

"The May pond count was 5.4 million, which is 37 percent greater than last year and 12 percent over the long-term average," Schmidt said. "That was a key factor this year, offsetting the reduction in population.

"We are still close to the line between moderate and liberal frameworks, but not as close as last year."

A change to moderate frameworks would mean a 45-day season in Mississippi.

One significant change in regulations is that because of an increase in pintails, there will not be a shortened season on that species. The limit remains one, but they will be legal during the entire 60-day season. Canvasback will still be limited to a 30-day season. The canvasback limit will be one per day during that period.

The limit on scaup is reduced from three to two, but won't greatly affect Mississippi hunters. The mallard limit remains 4, of which two can be hens.

[Dutch Dog]

what a bunch of dip$hits.

[gator]

why?

gator