August 2021- March 2022 MIGRATORY BIRD HUNTING GUIDE Includes season dates for woodcock, snipe, rails, and crows Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Katie S. Dykes, Commissioner Bureau of Natural Resources Rick Jacobson, Chief Wildlife Division Jenny Dickson, Director Table of Contents This guide provides a summary of the most pertinent laws and regulations concerning the hunting of migratory birds. No attempt has been made to employ the exact wording of laws New for 2021-2022 .................................................................................................... 1 and regulations, nor to provide their complete listing. For legal purposes, the Regulations of Report Violations ...................................................................................................... 1 Connecticut State Agencies and the General Statutes of Connecticut should be consulted. September and Late Canada Goose Seasons ....................................................... 2 Statewide Youth Waterfowl Hunter Training Days ................................................. 2 PLEASE NOTE: Regulations related to hunting may be added or changed during the calendar year. Although we do our best to have the most up-to-date information in this guide, Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp ................................................. 2 be prepared for changes to occur. The best way to stay current is to check the DEEP website Federal Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp ......................................................... 4 often, especially before hunting seasons start, at https://portal.ct.gov/DEEPHunting; follow our Falconry Seasons ..................................................................................................... 4 Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CTFishandWildlife; and subscribe to our free electronic Hunter Ethics and Waterfowl Hunting in Urban Settings ..................................... 4 newsletter Wildlife Highlights (https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP-Wildlife-Highlights) and Connecticut Waterfowl Hunter Water Survival Tips .................................................................... 5 Wildlife magazine (https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP-CT-Wildlife-Magazine; $8.00 for 6 issues). Boating Safety Checklist ......................................................................................... 6 Loading the Boat and Under Power ........................................................................ 6 New for 2021-2022 Kayaking/Canoeing and Hunting ............................................................................ 6 The $13 Connecticut Duck Stamp is merged with the $4 Harvest Information Cold Water Boating .................................................................................................. 7 Program (HIP) permit into a single $17 Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp. ALL If You Fall in the Water ............................................................................................. 7 migratory bird hunters (including crow hunters), regardless of age, must purchase the Access Restrictions Due to Heightened Security ................................................. 7 Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp. Hunters under the age of 16 do not need to purchase a Federal Duck Stamp to hunt waterfowl. A 3-day, out-of-state (non- How Annual Waterfowl Regulations Are Set .......................................................... 7 resident) bird hunting license, which costs $35, allows out-of-state hunters to hunt Explaining Migrant Canada Goose Seasons ......................................................... 8 migratory and resident (non-migratory) game birds for 3 consecutive days. Depending Avian Influenza ......................................................................................................... 9 on what species are being hunted, out-of-state hunters still need to purchase a Open Waterfowl Seasons and Bag Limits ............................................................ 10 Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp and/or Connecticut Resident (non- Contaminants in Waterfowl ................................................................................... 12 migratory) Game Bird Conservation Stamp. Rail and Snipe Seasons ......................................................................................... 12 For the second straight year, no Continental breeding surveys were conducted. The Woodcock Season .................................................................................................. 12 Atlantic Flyway breeding waterfowl survey (AFBWS) was completed in 2021. The Crow Season ........................................................................................................... 12 data from the AFBWS are used to help set the seasons in the Atlantic Flyway. The Federal Regulations ............................................................................................... 13 general duck season in the Atlantic Flyway is now being set based on the collective Connecticut Regulations ....................................................................................... 15 status of 4 species (wood duck, ring-necked duck, American green-winged teal, and Local Regulations ................................................................................................... 15 common goldeneye). This is a vast departure from the way the general duck season State-owned or Controlled Waterfowl Hunting Areas ......................................... 18 has been set since 2000, which was based solely on the status of mallards breeding Report Waterfowl Bands ........................................................................................ 20 in the northeastern part of the Continent. This new approach has been in the works Don't Forget About HIP .......................................................................................... 20 since 2012 and will result in a season setting process that better accounts for all duck populations and the status of waterfowl habitat in the Atlantic Flyway. More Sunrise/Sunset and Tide Chart ............................................................................. 21 information can be found at https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Hunting/Migratory-Bird- Connecticut Migrant Goose Zones .........................................................back cover Guide/Multi-stock-Harvest-Management-in-the-Atlantic-Flyway. The mallard bag limit will remain at 2, with 1 hen in the daily bag. The Atlantic Connecticut Department of Flyway is working towards developing a harvest strategy for mallards, hopefully to be Energy and Environmental Protection in place for the 2022-2023 season. Until that is set in place, the mallard bag limit will Bureau of Natural Resources / Wildlife Division remain at 2. 79 Elm Street The Atlantic Population (AP) Canada goose season will remain at a 30-day season, Hartford, CT 06106-5127 but the bag limit will drop to 1. This affects the entire AP harvest area in the Atlantic https://portal.ct.gov/DEEPWildlife Report Violations The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please contact Barbara Viadella or Cenit Mirabal, DEEP Office of Diversity and Equity at 860-418-5910 or by email at [email protected] if you are Poaching is stealing! Shooting before or after hours, overbagging, requesting a communication aid or service, have limited proficiency in English, need some other type of accommodation, or if shooting out of season, and rallying birds are all unethical and illegal you wish to file an ADA or Title VI discrimination complaint. hunting behaviors. If you see violations, report them to DEEP's 24- Artwork and photographs used in this publication are copyrighted. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. hour hotline at 1-800-842-HELP (4357). All calls are confidential. Cover artwork 2022 Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp © Sophie Archer 1 Flyway. This is also the second straight year without a breeding survey and banding December 31, 2021, features a Canada goose, which was painted by Connecticut effort on this population. Junior Duck Stamp winner, Julia Phillips. The 2022 Migratory Bird Conservation Please remember that black duck hybrids are classified as black ducks. With the new Stamp, which features a wood duck, was painted by Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp change in the mallard bag limit, and to reduce any confusion in the field, this move winner, Sophie Archer, and will be valid from January 1, 2022, through December will reduce the chance of a mistake. 31, 2022. 2022 Duck Stamp Artist: Congratulations are extended to Sophie Archer, age 17, September and Late Canada Goose Seasons of Old Lyme, CT, whose acrylic painting of a drake wood duck in flight was selected as the "Best in Show" for the 2021 Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art Competition. No special permits are required for the special September and late Canada goose The painting also won first place in the 10th-12th grade age category. Sophie has seasons. The early season in the North Zone will begin on September 1 and run participated in the Junior Federal Duck Stamp competition from the age of six as a through September 30. In the South Zone, the season will begin on September 15 kindergartener. Her love of the arts runs in the family, her mother having graduated and end on September 30. The