One of the issues that hunters have to deal with each year is when do the various seasons open, and none are set with a more complicated process than migratory waterfowl. The initial phase of the process falls under the direction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Acting under the auspices of federal law that is established by international treaties with Canada, Mexico and other countries, with which we share migratory birds, the Service has ultimate responsibility for regulating migratory bird hunting nationwide.

Each year, through a regulatory process that begins in January and includes public consultation, the Service establishes the frameworks that govern all migratory bird hunting in the United States. Within the boundaries established by those frameworks, State wildlife commissions have the flexibility to determine season length, bag limits, and areas for migratory game bird hunting.

Each state has primary responsibility and authority over the hunting of wildlife that is resident within state boundaries. The best source of information regarding hunting seasons, areas open/closed to hunting, etc., is the agency for the state where you intend on hunting. State fish and wildlife agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manage hunting of migratory birds such as ducks and geese cooperatively. Migratory waterfowl hunters must possess both a state hunting license and a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Duck Stamp).

The purpose of annual hunting regulations is to keep harvests at levels compatible with a population's ability to maintain itself. The regulatory tools that exist to do this are framework regulations and special regulations. Framework regulations are the foundation of annual regulations and consist of the outside dates for opening and closing seasons, season length, daily bag and possession limits, and shooting hours. Although the earliest and latest dates within which states may hold hunting seasons are set by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, in practice most frameworks dates have been more restrictive; historically, dates close to October 1 through January 20. Under the Act, season lengths may not exceed 107 days. In practice, season lengths have fluctuated with bird abundance. Traditionally, season lengths have varied by flyway, with seasons being the longest in the Pacific Flyway and the shortest in the Atlantic Flyway, reflecting differences in the abundance of birds, number of hunters, and other factors.

The number of birds of a species or group that can be harvested in a day is defined as the daily bag limit. Traditionally, bag limits have been large for birds that are highly productive, very abundant, short-lived, or lightly hunted. Flyway differences exist, with daily bag limits being most liberal in the Pacific Flyway and most restrictive in the Atlantic Flyway, for the same reasons that the season lengths differ. Shooting hours limit the time of day when migratory birds may be harvested, and have rarely been changed except when hunting seasons have become very restrictive. Since 1918, one-half hour before sunrise to sunset has been the traditional shooting hours.

Special regulations consist of framework regulations that are applied on a small scale. These consist of split seasons, zones, and special seasons. States have been allowed to divide their hunting period for most species and groups of birds into two or sometimes three nonconsecutive segments in order to take advantage of species-specific peaks of abundance. Zoning is the establishment of independent seasons in two or more areas (zones) within a state for the purpose of providing more equitable distribution of harvest opportunity for hunters throughout the state. Generally, special seasons focus on those species considered to be more lightly utilized than others. Special seasons are usually, but not always, in addition to the regular season. Special seasons currently exist for some teal, wood duck, sea duck, and resident Canada goose populations.

There are a number of other regulatory tools. Closed seasons occur when a species' abundance is insufficient to withstand harvest. For example, canvasback seasons, which currently are open, have been closed in the recent past. Permits are effective regulatory mechanisms that allow hunters to take a limited number of birds of a certain species. Recent examples of the use of permits have been with some Canada goose populations and with tundra swans. Quotas are defined as predetermined apportionments of a limited resource. Recent examples of quotas have been with some Canada goose and sandhill crane populations.

If you hunt ducks, coots, geese, brant, swans, doves, woodcock, rails, snipe, sandhill cranes, band-tailed pigeons, or gallinules, you are required to participate in the HIP program.

The Harvest Information Program (HIP) is one of the tools used to measure migratory bird harvest rates and establish the following year's seasons. This voluntary program helps in developing more reliable estimates of the number of migratory birds harvested throughout the country.

When you sign up and provide the requested information, which is added to the bird surveys that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts to increase the reliability of their decision making process.

The US and Canada are divided into four Flyways; the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific. In the US, the Flyway Councils, consisting of representatives from state and provincial game-management agencies, recommend regulations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, not only for waterfowl but also for most migratory shore and upland game birds. Flyway technical committees consisting of state and provincial biologists advise the Councils. These technical committees evaluate species and population status, harvest, and hunter-participation data during the development of the Council regulations recommendations. The Service's Office of Migratory Bird Management (MBMO), with advice from biologists in the Service's Regional Offices, evaluates the Council recommendations, considering species status and biology, cumulative effects of regulations, and existing regulatory policy, and makes recommendations to the Service's Regulations Committee, which consists of members of the Service Directorate. The Service Regulations Committee considers both the Council and MBMO recommendations, and then forwards its recommendations for annual regulations to the Service Director. Once regulatory proposals are approved, they are published in the Federal Register for public comment. After the comment period, final regulations are developed, which are then signed by the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.

Following this process, state agencies act upon the parameters and set the seasons based upon their direct knowledge of local bird populations and state related issues. Finally, waterfowl season opens, closes, and the process starts all over again.