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News Release RI Department of Environmental Management 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908 (401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
DEM ANNOUNCES WATERFOWL REGULATIONS FOR THE 2002-2003 SEASONS PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management's Division of Fish and Wildlife has established the 2002-2003 waterfowl hunting season regulations. The three-way split season for waterfowl begins on October 11. The hunting season for sea ducks opens on October 5 and that for snow geese opens on October 12.New this year is a restrictive 30-day season for pintail, with a one-bird daily limit as part of the total waterfowl six-bird daily bag. In addition, there will be no canvasback season. Rhode Island waterfowl hunting guides, which include bag limits and season dates, are available at license vendors, as are free migratory bird harvest information program (HIP) permits. Federal law requires all migratory bird hunters to carry a state-issued HIP permit. All waterfowl hunters age 16 and older are required to carry a valid federal migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp (duck stamp), available for purchase at post offices, and a Rhode Island waterfowl stamp, signed in ink across the face. The Rhode Island stamp may be purchased at license vendors. Waterfowl hunters are reminded that Rhode Island state law prohibits the discharge of firearms within 500 feet of occupied buildings; this prohibition covers all activities, including those conducted on land, along the shoreline, or in a watercraft. Season Dates Dates of the waterfowl hunting three-way split are Friday, October 11 through Monday October 14, November 27 through December 1, and December 7 through January 26. The special season for pintail will run from December 28 through January 26. The regular Canada Goose season has been extended to 60 days, split into two segments: one nine-day segment beginning November 23 and the second beginning on December 7. State goose hunting fields are available, in the South Shore Management Area in Matunuck, during the second segment, by special permit, which will be available after November 11. In addition to the regular goose season, there will be a 17-day experimental late resident Canada Goose season beginning on January 30, limited to restricted areas, and by special permit, which will be available from the Division after December 30. Hunters are reminded that they also need a special permit to hunt the Waterfowl Impoundment in the Great Swamp Management Area in West Kingston. The special permits can be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope labeled with the appropriate permit - SSMA Goose Permit, Late Goose Season, or, for the Great Swamp impoundment area, Waterfowl Permit - to the DEM Division of Fish and Wildlife, Box 218, West Kingston, RI 02892. Hunters must include their telephone number in their requests. For more information contact the Division of Fish and Wildlife Headquarters at 789-3094. The waterfowl regulations can also be found on the DEM website, www.dem.ri.gov by clicking on Fish and Wildlife regulations on the Publications page. -30- |
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