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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 SMALL GAME HUNTING SEASON DATES AND LIMITS PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management's Division of Fish and Wildlife announces that Rhode Island's small game hunting season opens on October 19. Beginning on that date, all users of state management areas, and all hunters statewide, must wear at least 200 square inches of solid daylight-fluorescent orange material through the end of the season, February 28. The fluorescent orange has to be worn above the waist, and must be visible from all directions. Hunters during the shotgun deer season (December 7 through December 22) must wear a total of 500 square inches of fluorescent orange."This requirement is a vital part of the state's hunter safety effort, and has proven to reduce the incidence of hunting accidents," said Michael Lapisky, DEM Deputy Chief of Wildlife. Examples of fluorescent orange that meet the requirements are a hat covering 200 square inches or a combination hat and vest covering 500 square inches. State wildlife management areas are in good condition for the start of the hunting season, as a result of extensive food plot plantings and other land management activities designed to benefit wildlife habitat, according to Brian Tefft, principal wildlife biologist with DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife. Small Game Hunting The legal shooting hours for most small game, which includes partridge (ruffed grouse), pheasant, bobwhite, rabbits, hare, squirrel, and fox, are sunrise to sunset, except on October 19, when legal shooting hours begin at 7 a.m. There are also other exceptions. Hunting hours for coyotes, which have no closed season, are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. The raccoon season opens on October 1 at 6 p.m., with no restricted hours. Season end dates differ. For ruffed grouse, ring-necked pheasant and bobwhite quail, the end date is December 31; for rabbits, hare, squirrel and fox, February 28, 2003. The small game hunting season will be closed in Providence, Kent and Washington counties during some or all of the shotgun deer season, which runs from December 7 to December 22. Small game season resumes on state lands on December 16 and on private lands on December 23. Daily bag limits for small game are consistent with previous years: pheasant (2), bobwhite (3), ruffed grouse (1), rabbits (3), hare (1), and gray squirrel (5). There is no bag limit for fox or raccoon. Tefft says that the Division, under its pheasant stocking program, will release about 3,500 pheasants at major wildlife management areas from opening day through December. Pheasant stocking will occur at Arcadia, Great Swamp, Carolina, Durfee Hill, Black Hut, Buck Hill, Sapowet, Nicholas Farm and Big River Management Areas, and at the newly acquired Eight Rod Farm Management Area in Tiverton. In Tiverton, both Sapowet and Eight Rod Farm wildlife management areas are closed to Sunday hunting. Upland Migratory Bird Season Season and bag limits for Rhode Island migratory game birds are established following guidelines set by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The first segment of the mourning dove season opened on September 25 and will run until October 12, with shooting hours from noon to sunset. The dove season will reopen on October 19 and run until November 24 and again from January 1 to January 15, 2003, from sunrise to sunset, except on October 19 when it begins at 7 a.m. The daily bag limit for dove is 12 birds. Woodcock hunting opens on November 7 and closes on December 6, with a daily bag limit of three birds. The season for rails, already open, runs to November 15. The snipe season, also already open, runs to November 15. Federal law requires migratory bird hunters to use a shotgun capable of holding no more than three shells. Federal law also requires all hunters to carry a Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP) permit while hunting migratory game birds. HIP permits are available at all hunting license vendors in the state at no cost. Check Stations Open To assist DEM in gathering information on hunter effort and game harvested, all hunters using Arcadia, Great Swamp, Carolina and Durfee Hill Management areas on weekends through November 10 must check in and out of check stations at those management areas and record their harvest. Special permits are required to hunt the Burlingame North Camp area. Hunting licenses, as well as abstracts that summarize the hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits by species, are available at various license vendors throughout the state and at DEM's Licensing Office at DEM Headquarters, 235 Promenade Street in Providence. The abstract is also available on DEM's website, www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on Fish and Wildlife on the Regulations page. A resident hunting license is $9.50, with all money collected going into a special restricted account used specifically to fund the state's wildlife restoration program. These funds benefit both game and non-game species. Hunters are advised to check with local authorities before hunting in unfamiliar areas, as municipalities may impose additional restrictions on hunting within their boundaries. Hunters may contact the main office of DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife in Wakefield at 789-3094 or the Division's Great Swamp field office in West Kingston at 789-0281 for further information. -30- |
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