Daily duck limit reduced by two
Many North Idaho waterfowlers apparently were surprised and disappointed when Fish and Game commissioners set a state-wide duck bag limit at five a day, a reduction of two from limits the last few years.
Washington duck hunters will be permitted to shoot seven ducks a day.
On the other hand, Idaho Fish and Game commissioners authorized an uninterrupted 60-day season on pintails and canvasbacks. Washington hunters can kill those two species, but not from Oct. 23 through Dec. 6.
Idaho’s September 25-26 youth hunt is open to licensed hunters 15 years old or younger.
The Idaho Fish and Game Department had informed hunters that numbers of migrant ducks out of southern Alberta and western Montana would be down considerably from flights of the past few seasons.
Most of the ducks that southern Idaho waterfowlers shoot late each fall and early winter come from southern Canadian potholes and most of those potholes dried up before the nesting season. Some of the birds originate in western Montana.
Ducks that migrate into North Idaho come from both Alberta and British Columbia, which reported better nesting success this year. Consequently, there should be enough migrant ducks in the Panhandle for good shooting.
The waterfowl season for both ducks and geese throughout Idaho this year will be Oct. 2 -Jan. 14. The goose limit is four a day. Plenty of geese are expected to be moving throughout Idaho.
The decision by the Idaho Fish and Game commissioners to cut the duck limit to two a day apparently drew complaints from some of the state’s waterfowlers. Department officials won’t say how many have complained and some have been reluctant to comment on the commissioners’ decision.
The region’s most popular duck hunting areas include the lakes along the lower Coeur d’Alene River, Lake Coeur d’Alene, bays of Lake Pend Oreille and the Kootenai wildlife refuge.
Mallards are the most popular duck species at the lakes adjacent to the lower Coeur d’Alene River. Hunters also will shoot fair numbers of wood ducks and wigeon.
Most North Idaho hunters give up on duck hunting after the first few days of the season and then resume hunting when the “northerns” start migrating into the Panhandle. Hunting can be good on many lakes until snow covers food.
Waterfowl hunting usually isn’t important in the Clearwater region during the early part of each season. However, when migrant ducks and geese move into the area late each fall, hunting can be productive. Goose hunting can be especially productive on the Snake River and in the fields adjacent to the river.