PRESS RELEASE

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks

1505 Eastover Drive, Jackson, Mississippi 39211 – 601-432-2400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUGUST 20, 2009

Mississippi Waterfowl Late-Season Dates Set

Jackson- The Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks approved dates for the 2009-2010 waterfowl hunting seasons on August 18, 2009 at their monthly meeting.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released late-season frameworks in early August providing a “window” of dates from which states may select specific season dates.

Duck, merganser, and coot seasons will be November 27 - November 29, 2009; December 4 - December 6, 2009; and December 9, 2009 - January 31, 2010.  The duck daily bag limit will be a total of 6 ducks, including no more than 4 mallards (no more than 2 of which may be females), 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 scaup, 1 canvasback, 1 mottled duck, 1 black duck, and 1 pintail.  The merganser daily bag limit will be a total of 5 mergansers, only 2 of which may be hooded mergansers.  Coots will have a 15-bird daily bag limit.  The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit for ducks, mergansers, and coots.

Late-season Canada goose and brant seasons will occur from November 23, 2009 - January 31, 2010.  Canada geese will have a 3-bird daily bag limit and brant will have a daily bag limit of 2 birds.  The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit for Canada geese and brant.

Snow, blue, Ross’s, and white-fronted goose (white-fronted geese are known as “specklebellies” by many hunters) seasons will be from November 21, 2009 - January 31, 2010.  Snow, blue, and Ross’s geese will have a daily bag limit of 20 birds.  White-fronted geese will have a daily bag limit of 2 birds.  In addition to the regular hunting season, there will again be a conservation order for snow, blue, and Ross’s geese during the following dates:  October 1 - November 20, 2009; February 1- February 5, 2010; and February 8 - March 31, 20010 (only snow, blue, and Ross’s geese may be taken during the light goose conservation order).  The possession limit for white-fronted geese is 4 and there is no possession limit for snow, blue, and Ross’s geese. 

The youth waterfowl weekend will occur during the weekend of February 6 - February 7, 2010. 

For more information about the regulation setting process and waterfowl hunting opportunities, please visit the following website:  http://mdwfp.com/waterfowl.