The Michigan 2011-2012 waterfowl seasons are now posted.
The article and link is found below.
Dates announced for Michigan waterfowl season
Michigan waterfowl hunters will have a 60-day season again this year along with a six duck bag. The regulations were approved by the Natural Resources Commission on Thursday.
"The federal framework for this year’s rules are the same as last year," said Barb Avers, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources waterfowl program specialist, referring to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which annually establishes a federal framework for state rules based on waterfowl population assessments.
"One change this year is that there will be three opening days for ducks," Avers said. "Last year the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula opened the same day. This year they will each have their own opener followed by the one in southern Michigan."
The decision to have three openers was based on feedback from hunters and members of the Citizens Waterfowl Advisory Committee, who said they would like an earlier opener in the U.P. The season will open there Sept. 24, while the middle zone (northern Lower Peninsula) will open Oct. 1 and the South Zone will open Oct. 8.
"The extra week in September affords more opportunities in the U.P. so what we did was split off two days so people can hunt Thanksgiving weekend," Avers said.
Hunters will have a similar season as last year in the northern Lower Peninsula. It ends just after Thanksgiving weekend and reopen for two additional days in December.
Southern Michigan hunters also will see a change. The last two days of the season will be in December rather than January. The season will run from Oct. 8-Dec. 4 and reopen the following weekend for two days.
"CWAC and the DNR supported the move," Avers said. "We heard from hunters that they would prefer more days in December. January was such a gamble from year to year. No one knew if there would be open water."
Goose seasons were set to overlap as much as possible with duck seasons, Avers said. The middle zone season is split into three segments. The first opens with the duck season and runs until Nov. 8. Then the season reopens for four days to allow hunting over Thanksgiving, and reopens for two days in December.
The south zone goose season is split into two segments so hunters can hunt over Thanksgiving as well on through Dec. 4.
"We got a number of comments from people last year from people who said they want to hunt over Thanksgiving, that it is a traditional time to hunt," Avers said.
Another change West Michigan hunters will appreciate is that the managed hunt at the Allegan Goose Management Unit was split into three segments. The season there will be Nov. 12-20, Dec. 10-20 and Dec. 31-Jan. 14.
"At Allegan we have hunters who wanted more mild days to hunt and die-hard hunters who wanted it as late as possible. So we structured the season to provide all types of hunters," Avers said.
2011-12 WATERFOWL SEASON DATES
DUCKS
North Zone
6 ducks, which may include no more than 4 mallards (no more than 1 of which may be a female), 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 scaup, 2 pintails, 1 black duck, and 1 canvasback.
GEESE
Early season
North Zone
North zone
Saginaw County GMU
Dates announced for Michigan waterfowl season | MLive.com
The article and link is found below.
Dates announced for Michigan waterfowl season
Michigan waterfowl hunters will have a 60-day season again this year along with a six duck bag. The regulations were approved by the Natural Resources Commission on Thursday.
"The federal framework for this year’s rules are the same as last year," said Barb Avers, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources waterfowl program specialist, referring to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which annually establishes a federal framework for state rules based on waterfowl population assessments.
"One change this year is that there will be three opening days for ducks," Avers said. "Last year the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula opened the same day. This year they will each have their own opener followed by the one in southern Michigan."
The decision to have three openers was based on feedback from hunters and members of the Citizens Waterfowl Advisory Committee, who said they would like an earlier opener in the U.P. The season will open there Sept. 24, while the middle zone (northern Lower Peninsula) will open Oct. 1 and the South Zone will open Oct. 8.
"The extra week in September affords more opportunities in the U.P. so what we did was split off two days so people can hunt Thanksgiving weekend," Avers said.
Hunters will have a similar season as last year in the northern Lower Peninsula. It ends just after Thanksgiving weekend and reopen for two additional days in December.
Southern Michigan hunters also will see a change. The last two days of the season will be in December rather than January. The season will run from Oct. 8-Dec. 4 and reopen the following weekend for two days.
"CWAC and the DNR supported the move," Avers said. "We heard from hunters that they would prefer more days in December. January was such a gamble from year to year. No one knew if there would be open water."
Goose seasons were set to overlap as much as possible with duck seasons, Avers said. The middle zone season is split into three segments. The first opens with the duck season and runs until Nov. 8. Then the season reopens for four days to allow hunting over Thanksgiving, and reopens for two days in December.
The south zone goose season is split into two segments so hunters can hunt over Thanksgiving as well on through Dec. 4.
"We got a number of comments from people last year from people who said they want to hunt over Thanksgiving, that it is a traditional time to hunt," Avers said.
Another change West Michigan hunters will appreciate is that the managed hunt at the Allegan Goose Management Unit was split into three segments. The season there will be Nov. 12-20, Dec. 10-20 and Dec. 31-Jan. 14.
"At Allegan we have hunters who wanted more mild days to hunt and die-hard hunters who wanted it as late as possible. So we structured the season to provide all types of hunters," Avers said.
2011-12 WATERFOWL SEASON DATES
DUCKS
North Zone
- Sept. 24-Nov. 18, Nov. 24-27
- Oct. 1-Nov. 27, Dec. 3-4
- Oct. 8-Dec. 4, Dec. 10-11
6 ducks, which may include no more than 4 mallards (no more than 1 of which may be a female), 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 scaup, 2 pintails, 1 black duck, and 1 canvasback.
GEESE
Early season
North Zone
- Sept. 1-10
- Daily bag limit: 5
- Sept. 1-15
- Daily bag limit: 5
- Sept. 1-10
- Daily bag limit: 5
North zone
- Sept. 17-Oct. 31
- Daily bag limit: 2
- Oct. 1-Nov. 8, Nov. 24-27, Dec. 3-4
- Daily bag limit: 2
- Oct. 8-Nov. 19Nov. 24-Dec. 4
- Daily bag limit: 2
Saginaw County GMU
- Oct. 8-Nov. 10, Nov. 24-Dec. 4, Dec. 31-Jan. 29, 2012
- Daily bag limit: 2
- Oct. 8-Nov. 10, Nov. 24-Dec. 4, Dec. 31-Jan. 29, 2012
- Daily bag limit: 2
- Nov. 12-30, Dec. 10-20, Dec. 31-Jan. 14, 2012
- Daily bag limit: 2
- Oct. 11-Nov. 11, Dec. 1-13
- Daily bag limit: 2
- Dec. 31-Jan. 29, 2012
- Daily bag limit: 5
- Same dates as regular and late goose seasons in respective zones and GMUs
- Daily bag limit for snow, blue, and Ross’ geese: 20
- Daily bag limit for white-fronted geese and brant: 1
Dates announced for Michigan waterfowl season | MLive.com
