Texas Waterfowl Seasons Finalized with No Changes

Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.texas.gov

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HOUSTON — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopted waterfowl regulations for 2008-09 with no changes, but hinted next year’s process could see significant alterations.

Texas waterfowl hunters will once again have the Hunter’s Choice bag limit and a 74-day season in the North and South Duck Zones, and 89 days in the High Plains Mallard Management Unit.

This season will mark the third and final offering of the experimental Hunter’s Choice, which allows hunters to shoot five ducks daily, but only one in the aggregate of certain species. In the aggregate category, that one bird could be either a pintail, or a canvasback, or a "dusky duck" (mottled, black duck or Mexican-like duck) or a hen mallard.

Texas waterfowl hunting seasons for 2008-09 are as follows:

(Shooting Hours: one-half hour before sunrise to sunset)

Ducks

Duck Daily Bag Limit: The daily bag limit shall be 5 ducks with the following species and sex restrictions — 2 scaup, 2 redhead, 2 wood duck; only 1 from the following aggregate bag: 1 hen mallard, or 1 pintail, or 1 canvasback, or 1 dusky duck (mottled duck, Mexican-like duck, black duck and their hybrids), all other ducks not listed — 5. Merganser Daily Bag Limit: 5 in the aggregate, to include no more than 2 hooded mergansers. Possession Limit: Twice the daily bag limit.

High Plains Mallard Management Unit

Youth — Oct. 18-19, 2008

Regular Gun — Oct. 25-26, 2008; Oct. 31, 2008-Jan. 25, 2009

No extended falconry season in the HPMMU

North Zone

Youth — Oct. 25-26, 2008

Regular Gun — Nov. 1-30, 2008; Dec. 13, 2008-Jan. 25, 2009

Extended Falconry Season- Jan. 26-Feb. 9, 2009

South Zone

Youth — Oct. 25-26, 2008

Regular Gun — Nov. 1-30, 2008; Dec. 13, 2008-Jan. 25, 2009

Extended Falconry Season- Jan. 26-Feb. 9, 2009

Goose Season and Bag Limit Including The Light Goose Conservation Order

Possession Limit: Twice the daily bag limit for dark geese, no possession limit for light geese.

Western Goose Zone

Western Zone Daily Bag Limit: Light geese — 20 in the aggregate; Dark geese — 4 Canada and 1 white-fronted goose.

Light and Dark Geese — Nov. 8, 2008-Feb. 8, 2009

Light Geese (Conservation Order) — Feb. 9, 2009-March 29, 2009

Eastern Goose Zone

Eastern Zone Daily Bag Limit: Light geese — 20 in the aggregate; Dark geese — 3 Canada geese and 2 white-fronted geese.

Light geese and Canada geese — Nov. 1, 2008-Jan. 25, 2009.

White-fronted geese — Nov. 1, 2008-Jan. 11, 2009;

Light geese (Conservation Order) — Jan. 26-Mar. 29, 2009

Sandhill Crane

Zone A — Nov. 8, 2008-Feb. 8, 2009 — Bag Limits: 3 daily, 6 in possession

Zone B — Nov. 28, 2008-Feb. 8, 2009 — Bag Limits: 3 daily, 6 in possession

Zone C — Dec. 20, 2008-Jan. 25, 2009 — Bag Limits: 2 daily, 4 in possession