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2008-2009 Waterfowl Abstract
(legal size folding brochure) 2008-2009 Waterfowl Abstract (letter size four page document) |
News Release RI Department of Environmental Management 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908 (401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
DEM ANNOUNCES IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE 2008-2009 WATERFOWL HUNTING SEASON AND ABSTRACTS 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 licensed vendors. Hunters are also required to obtain the free migratory bird harvest information program (HIP) permits. Federal law requires all migratory bird hunters to carry a state-issued HIP permit. 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. Waterfowl Hunting Abstracts Due to the fiscal constraints, the Division of Fish and Wildlife will not be printing hard copies of the 2008-2009 waterfowl abstract. Therefore, Rhode Island waterfowl hunting abstracts, which include bag limits and season dates, will not be available at licensed vendors this year. The Division has developed an alternative distribution method for the abstract. The document is available for downloading from the DEM website, www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on Regulations from the homepage, then Fish & Wildlife, then 2008-2009 Waterfowl Abstract. Constituents who do not have access to a computer or printer are encouraged to visit their local library to view and print, if necessary, a copy of the abstract as hunters are responsible for being familiar with and abiding by regulations while hunting. Season Dates Dates of the waterfowl hunting three-way split are October 10 to October 13, November 26 to November 30, and December 6 to January 25, 2009. Recent changes include, but are not limited to, an increase in the wood duck season to a 3 bird bag limit and a closure of the canvasback season. In addition, the scaup season will consist of a 60-day season with the first 40 days containing a one-bird bag limit and the last 20 days containing a two-bird bag limit. In addition to the ongoing September resident goose season, the regular Canada goose season will encompass 60 days, split into two segments: one nine-day segment beginning on November 22, and a second segment beginning on December 6. State goose hunting fields are available in the South Shore Management Area at the Matunuck Hunter/Landowner Cooperative Area during the regular goose season by special permit, which will be available after October 1. There will also be a 17-day late resident Canada Goose season beginning on January 30, 2009, limited to restricted areas and by special permit, which will be available from the Division after October 1. The season for Brant has been increased to 60 days with dates coinciding with the regular goose season dates. 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 may only be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped, legal-size envelope labeled with the appropriate permit(s) - SSMA Goose Permit/Late Goose Season and/or Great Swamp Management Area - to: DEM, Division of Fish and Wildlife, 277 Great Neck Road, West Kingston, RI 02892. Hunters must include their telephone number in their requests. For more information, contact the Division of Fish and Wildlife Great Swamp field headquarters at 789-0964. The waterfowl regulations will available on the DEM website prior to the beginning of the season at www.dem.ri.gov by clicking on "Regulations" from the homepage, then "Fish & Wildlife", then "Hunting Regulations for 2008-2009 Waterfowl Season". To purchase a Collectible Waterfowl Stamp, contact the Division of Fish & Wildlife at the Oliver Stedman Government Center in Wakefield at 789-3094. Monies collected from the sale of state duck stamps and sets are used solely toward funding Rhode Island's waterfowl management programs. Those programs include habitat purchase and management, waterfowl banding, research and management needs. The funds are also used as match to obtain federal Pittman-Robinson funds for wildlife restoration programs. -30- |
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