Bag Limit

The beginning of the fall hunting seasons is only a few weeks away and Maryland hunters will see some important changes this fall. There are three important issues hunters should be aware of as they get ready for the 2005-06 seasons. Changes of Region A for deer hunting - As most know, Maryland's deer management divided into regions. "Region A" is comprised of Allegany and Garrett counties while "Region B" is every other county in the state. Maryland DNR has made significant changes because of the huge drop in the deer population in Region A. The dates and bag limits for all three seasons - bow, muzzleloader and firearms - have been changed.

It might seem like fall and winter duck season are a long way off, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released some very important news earlier this week. The agency released its preliminary numbers on the success rate of U.S. and Canadian nesting areas in the prairie regions. The reports are generally very positive. Overall, the numbers are up by nearly 14 percent over last year. There is also a rise in the 10-year average for eight of 10 of the most important species.

Maryland has a long tradition as one of the top hunting states for waterfowls in the country. Hunters can begin preparing for the 2008-09 season with the announcement of official early-season dates. Dates for the late waterfowl seasons will be announced shortly. The early season for resident Canada geese will be run Sept. 1-15 in the eastern zone. The western zone's season, which includes Washington County, runs Sept. 1-25. The daily bag limit is eight geese per day. During the early resident Canada goose season, hunters may use shotguns capable of holding more than three shells, while legal shooting hours will be extended to one-half hour past sunset.

For most of my adult life, September has been a month that I lumped in with summer months and fishing. A time of transition for sure, but I didn't really start thinking about hunting until October. But times are changing and, as evidenced with the opening of the dove and resident goose season this past week, September can stake her claim as a very important month for bird hunters. Dove season traditionally has an early-September opening day, but the resident goose season is a result of an ever-expanding population of non-migratory birds, happening in many states around the country.

My first woodcock hunt occurred by accident. A high school friend and I were hunting rabbits in a creek-bottom pasture, and the beagles kept bumping up little birds that took off with a strange whirling sound. Since we did not know that the birds were gamebirds, and in season, we passed up on any shots. Later we ran into the landowner who asked if we had jumped any woodcock. "Those little guys move through every spring and fall," he said. "Some say they are a big deal to the bird hunters from the city - real gentlemen's bird hunting, they say. " A quick stop at the local library confirmed that our strange birds were indeed woodcock, and a check of the hunting regulation confirmed that they were in season.

Dove season is traditionally the first hunting season of the fall, and this year is no exception with opening day scheduled for Sept. 1. As has been the case for many years, the dove season in Maryland will feature several segments: Sept. 1-Oct. 15; Nov. 11-Dec. 10; and Dec. 24-Jan. 7, 2006. The bag limit will be 12 birds per day. Most of the shooting opportunities in the early portion of the dove season will be for resident birds - birds that have nested in our area and birds that never migrate.

BIG POOL - Hunters bagged 32 deer Tuesday and Wednesday in a special managed deer hunt at Fort Frederick State Park, officials said. "We were pleased with that," said Ranger Scott Forrest, the hunt coordinator. Hunting is normally not allowed in the 561-acre park, but officials have staged managed hunts for the past four years to trim a deer population that had gotten out of control. Wildlife experts say the number of deer per square mile should be about 20. But Forrest said the park had between 150 and 200 deer.

Pa. fall turkey season to begin By RICHARD BELISLE / Staff Writer, Waynesboro FAYETTEVILLE, Pa. - Pennsylvania's 2000 fall turkey hunting season at Michaux State Forest begins Saturday and runs for a week, ending Nov. 4, Mary Jo Casalena, the state's wild turkey biologist, said Thursday. The bag limit is one bird per hunter. Hens and toms can be taken during the week, she said. Michaux State Forest, which straddles parts of Franklin, Adams and Cumberland counties, and its surrounding areas represent Pennsylvania's Turkey Management Area 7B, Casalena said.

Region deer hunting laws easy to follow On Nov. 25 the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is estimating that some more than 80,000 hunters will take the field to participate in the opening of the firearms season for deer. Maryland offers a number of seasons, including bow and muzzleloader, but in terms of participation and total harvest, firearms season is the most important. The DNR says that 57 percent of the total harvest was taken in firearms season, followed by bow season with 21 percent and muzzleloader season with 22 percent.

Before there was a resident Canada goose season, mourning dove season in September was the first hunting season of the fall. It's still tied for the earliest opener and this year will be a split season in Maryland. The three segments run Sept. 1 to Oct. 13; Nov. 10-23 and Dec. 22 to Jan. 3, 2008. Shooting hours for the first segment are from noon until sunset, but move back to one-half hour before sunrise to sunset in the final two segments. The bag limit is 12 birds per day. A large number of resident birds that live and nest in this area and most of the shooting opportunities in the early portion of dove season will be for resident birds.