MISSOURI WATERFOWL SEASONS ESTABLISHED

KANSAS CITY -- There will be duck hunting seasons in Missouri.

Dale Humburg, a waterfowl biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, says North America's "duck factory" was dry in May, but heavy rains during June saved the day for ducks.

"Aerial surveys in July showed that mo more ponds were recorded in the northern prairie regions since 1983," said Humburg. "And the more ponds, the more places for waterfowl."

U.S. and Missouri waterfowl biologists are expressing cautious optimism about the future of ducks, which has been dismal over the past two or three years.

Waterfowl hunting seasons including ducks were established by the Missouri Conservation Commission during its late August meeting, held at Kansas City.

Missouri hunters will be permitted to begin hunting ducks Nov. 2 and continue hunting through Dec. 29 in some parts of the state.

The 1991-1992 regulations divide the state into three zones for the first time. Due to the change in zones and goose seasons, duck and goose season opening dates will not be the same in the Middle Goose, Southern Goose and Swan Lake zones, or in the new Schell-Osage Zone.

Duck season will run from Nov. 2 through Dec. 1 in the north zone; from Nov. 9 through Dec. 8 in the middle zone; and from Nov. 30 through Dec. 29 in the south zone.

The bag limit in all three zones is three ducks daily, including not more than two wood ducks, one black duck, one redhead, one hooded merganser, one pintail and two mallards (no more than one female mallard). The entire season is closed for canvasback ducks.

The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit. Shooting hours are from half an hour before sunrise to sunset.

Coot season will run concurrently with duck season in each zone, with a daily limit of 15 and a possession limit of 30.

This year's goose seasons, including the new Schell-Osage zone, are as follows:

Blue and snow geese--80 days. North Goose and Swan Lake Zones, Nov. 2 through Jan. 20; Middle Goose, South Goose and Schell-Osage Zones, Nov. 16 through Feb. 3.

White-fronted geese--70 days. North Goose and Swan Lake Zones, Nov. 2 through Jan. 10; Middle Goose, South Goose and Schell-Osage Zones, Nov. 16 through Jan. 24.

~Canada Geese--50 days. The season in the North Goose and Swan Lake Zones will be split into two parts, Nov. 2 through Nov. 10 and Nov. 23 through Jan. 2. The season at Swan Lake will be closed before Jan. 2 if the quota of 10,000 geese is reached. Hunters there will be limited to 10 shells per day for goose hunting. Schell-Osage Zone, Nov. 16 through Jan. 4. The season in the Middle and South Goose Zones will run from Dec. 2 through Jan. 20.

The aggregate daily bag and possession limits for geese are seven and 14, respectively, including no more than two whitefronted geese daily (four in possession) and two Canada geese daily (four in possession).

Information about zone boundaries is contained in the 1991 Waterfowl Hunting Digest, which will be available Oct. 1. Copies of this publication are available from: Waterfowl Digest, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, Mo., 65102-0180.