S-R Hunting Outlook 2015: Record duck counts spell good waterfowl hunting season

A record number of ducks counted on the northern breeding grounds should deliver plenty of action for waterfowlers this season in Washington and Idaho.

Hunting opportunities approved by the states will be similar to last year, but the 2015 drought has left some traditional wetland hunting areas short on water or high and dry.

Washington’s split statewide duck season will be open for 107 days, starting Oct. 17-21 and continuing Oct. 24-Jan. 31.

Washington’s youth hunting weekend is Saturday and Sunday. The hunt is open to youths up to age 16 who’ve passed their hunter education requirements weekend.

Idaho’s duck season in the Panhandle will run Oct. 17-Jan. 29 with exceptions for scaup. Goose hunting will open in North Idaho Oct. 17-Jan. 29 with some exceptions for light geese.  

Idaho’s youth waterfowl season is Oct. 3-4.

Idaho’s season will open a week later than the 2014-15 season in response to hunters who want to hunt as late into winter as possible to take advantage of flights coming out of the north.

Federal surveys estimate that 49.5 million ducks were on the northern breeding grounds this spring in Canada and the United States. That’s slightly more than last year’s record of 49.2 million ducks on the breeding grounds.

In Washington, limits for mallard, pintail, scaup, redhead, goldeneye, harlequin, scoter and long-tailed duck will remain the same as last season. But the commission raised the daily bag limit for canvasback from one to two per day because of increasing numbers throughout North America.

Goose hunting seasons will vary among management areas across the Washington, but most open mid-October and run through late January.