Wildlife Commission Approved Waterfowl Season Dates

By Division of Wildlife

September 3, 2004

The Colorado Wildlife Commission gave final approval to waterfowl regulations for this fall and winter.

Season dates and bag-and-possession limits are similar to last season in most areas, with three duck seasons and two goose seasons in the Central Flyway and two each for ducks and geese in the Pacific Flyway.

In the Central Flyway, the duck seasons will run from Oct. 2-24; Oct. 30-Nov. 28; and Dec. 11-Jan. 23, 2005. The bag limit is six ducks, excluding mergansers. A hunter may possess any combination of subspecies in accordance with the following conditions: no more than five mallards, of which only two may be hens, one pintail, two redheads, one mottled duck, two wood ducks, three scaup, and one canvasback. No pintails or canvasback ducks may be taken after Nov. 14.

The duck seasons for the Pacific Flyway are from Oct. 2-17 and Nov. 4-Jan. 31, 2005. The bag limit is seven ducks, including mergansers, with no more than two hen mallards, one pintail, one canvasback, two redheads and four scaup. No pintail or canvasback ducks may be taken after Dec.17.

Along the northern Front Range, which includes Adams, Boulder, Clear Creek, Denver, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties, the dark goose seasons run from Oct. 2-10 and Nov. 20-Feb. 13, 2005. The light goose season along the northern Front Range will run from Nov. 20-Feb. 13. The daily bag limit is three dark or light geese singly or in the aggregate.

In most areas of the Central Flyway, the dark goose season will run from Nov. 20-Feb. 13, 2005, and the light goose season from Nov. 6-Feb. 20. The bag limit is three for dark geese and 20 for light geese.

In the Pacific Flyway, there will be an early dark goose season from Sept. 11-17, and regular dark and light geese seasons that run Oct. 2-8 and Nov. 4-Jan. 31, 2005, with a bag limit of three dark and light geese singly or in the aggregate in each season.

There will also be a special light goose season for all areas east of Interstate 25 for the entire month of March, with no bag or possession limit. Recorded or electronically amplified calls may be used during the season and a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp is not required during the special season. The season is in place due to an over abundance of light geese on their breeding grounds in northern Canada.

For other season dates, refer to the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s (DOW) waterfowl season brochure, which will be available at DOW offices and licensed agents prior to the opening of the seasons, or go to DOW Web site at www.wildlife.state.co.us.

The Commission also directed the DOW staff to continue the process of identifying game management units (GMUs) where limited licenses could be required. However, in response to a staff recommendation, the Commission elected to wait until 2006 to formally designate units now open to general season bull licenses as totally limited units.

The process is designed to allow individual citizens and groups to recommend GMUs that should become totally limited for elk hunting. Preliminary proposals were presented for GMUs 43 and 471 near Marble; GMU 551 southwest of Salida; units 54, 55 and 551 around Gunnison; units 80 and 81 in the San Luis Valley; and 75, 751, 77, 78 and 771 south and west of Wolf Creek Pass.

In May, the Commission directed the DOW to provide an opportunity for the public to recommend new limited elk units. All of the units that were nominated now offer over-the-counter regular season bull elk licenses.

Currently, approximately 17 percent of bull elk hunting in Colorado is limited, requiring hunters to apply for licenses if they wish to hunt in those units. The Commission has authorized an increase in limited hunting opportunity for bull elk to as high as 30 percent, with as many as three new areas being managed for limited bull hunting by 2006.

The delay for implementation until 2006 was requested because of the relatively tight deadline to gather public comments from all affected individuals and groups and to prepare new management plans for the areas prior by next November.

"It will be very difficult to complete this process on such a tight deadline during fall hunting seasons, which is our busiest time of the year," explained DOW Director Bruce McCloskey. "It will help the DOW staff and the public process if we wait to move units to totally limited licenses until 2006 at the earliest."

Groups and individuals with questions or comments on any of the proposed units are encouraged to contact the DOW. There will also be opportunities for public testimony at the Wildlife Commission meeting in Durango on Sept. 9-10, and in Glenwood Springs on Oct. 5.