FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2000

COLUMBUS, OH – A special statewide youth hunt and a late goose hunting period were approved along with season dates and bag limits for this year's fall waterfowl season by the Ohio Wildlife Council on Wednesday, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

While the 60-day split season and bag limit for ducks remains the same as last year, this year’s open hunting dates in the North Zone will extend later into December to offer improved hunting opportunities. Duck and goose hunting seasons open statewide October 21. A special late goose hunting season will be open in certain areas of the state January 13 through February 1.

The Wildlife Council approved a special youth season whereby persons age 17 and under may take waterfowl statewide October 14-15.

Ducks, mergansers, and coots may be hunted in the North Zone October 21 through November 26 and December 8-30. The duck season dates in the South and Ohio River zones are October 21-31 and December 4 through January 21.

A daily limit of six ducks may be taken, but may not include more than four mallards (no more than one may be a hen mallard), three scaup, three mottled ducks, two wood ducks, two redheads, one black duck, one pintail or one canvasback. A daily limit of five mergansers may be taken with no more than one hooded merganser. There is a daily bag limit of 15 coots.

Geese and brant may be hunted in the Lake Erie Zone October 21 through November 4 and December 16-30. Open goose hunting season dates for the remainder of the North Zone are October 21 through November 26 and December 8 through January 9. Geese and brant seasons in the South and Ohio River zones will be open October 21-31 and December 4 through January 31.

The daily bag limits allow hunters to take two Canada geese, except in the Lake Erie Zone where one Canada goose may be taken daily during the open season, two white-fronted geese, two brant, and up to 10 light geese that includes the Snow, Blue and Ross’ goose, either singly or in combination. These waterfowl bag limits are unchanged from last year. The extended falconry season for ducks, coots, and mergansers statewide will be February 2-4.

Waterfowl possession limits after the first day of the season are twice the daily bag limits.

The special late Canada goose hunting season will be open January 13 through February 1 in Allen, Auglaize, Delaware, Fulton, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Licking, Seneca, Stark and Union counties, and in portions of Ashtabula, Erie, Geauga, Lake, Lucas, Sandusky, Summit and Wood counties with a daily bag limit of two geese. The Mercer Canada goose mandatory reporting zone in Auglaize County is closed during this special late season.

The January 13-February 1 Canada goose season is open for portions of Lucas County, west of I-280 and I-75 north to the Ohio/Michigan state line. In Wood County, the late season will be open in areas west of I-280 and south of I-80. Also included are those portions of Sandusky, Erie and Summit counties south of I-80, and those portions of Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga counties north of U.S. Route 6.

Hunters are required to obtain a free special late season goose hunting permit when hunting geese during the special late season. Applications for this permit can be made September 1 through December 29 by sending a postcard with the hunter’s name, address, phone number, and Social Security number to the Crane Creek Wildlife Research Station, 13229 West State Route 2, Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449. Persons also may request an application in person at the Crane Creek office, call Crane Creek at (419) 898-0960, or toll-free at 1-800-WILDLIFE.

Beginning January 2, late season goose hunting permits may be obtained on a walk-in basis from ODNR Division of Wildlife district offices located in Akron, Athens, Columbus, Findlay, Xenia, and the Fountain Square administrative headquarters in Columbus.

Waterfowl hunters must have a valid Ohio hunting license, a HIP registration, a signed federal duck stamp, and an Ohio wetlands habitat stamp endorsement to hunt waterfowl. Legal hunting hours during these fall and winter waterfowl seasons are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Only nontoxic shot may be used to take waterfowl. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved the use of six types of nontoxic shot that may be used to take waterfowl. These include tungsten-matrix, tungsten-iron, tungsten-polymer, tin, bismuth, and steel shot.

Special waterfowl hunting regulations apply for all Canada geese taken within the Crane Creek/Ottawa mandatory reporting zone in Lucas and Ottawa counties, and the Mosquito Creek mandatory reporting zone in Ashtabula and Trumbull counties. Special waterfowl regulations also are in effect on the Big Island, Delaware, Killbuck Marsh, and Shenango wildlife areas.

The Division of Wildlife provides a digest of waterfowl season dates and regulations in Publication 295. This free publication may be obtained by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.

NORTH ZONE: October 21 through November 26, and December 8-30.

OHIO RIVER & SOUTH ZONES: October 21-31, and December 4 through January 21.

Daily bag limit is six ducks and five mergansers with species restrictions, and 15 coots.

LAKE ERIE ZONE: October 21 through November 4, and December 16-30.

REMAINDER NORTH ZONE: October 21 through November 26, and December 8 through January 9.

OHIO RIVER & SOUTH ZONES: October 21-31, and December 4 through January 31.

Daily bag limit is two Canada geese and two brant, except in the Lake Erie Zone where the limit is one Canada goose and two brant. Legal waterfowl hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Sunday hunting is permitted.

A statewide youth waterfowl hunting season for persons age 15 and under is open October 14-15 with the same guidelines as the regular waterfowl season.

A special late Canada goose season in selected areas of the state is open January 13 through February 1.

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For Further Information Contact:
John Wisse, ODNR Division of Wildlife
(614) 265-6539
-or-
Steve Barry, ODNR Division of Wildlife
(419) 898-0960