Season dates

[hawkeye123]

Been hunting in Ga 50 yrs..never have seen a season start on a Sun..last year was 12-12 for 2nd split..this year should be 12-11 says 12-12 Sunday. Everything I've seen in regs says 12-12

 

[across the river]

They sent a survey out a couple of years ago and people overwhelming voted to have the season run through Jan.31, but wanted to keep the Thanksgiving week opening split. That means unless the feds change the season from 60 days (or DNR goes back), you will have the 9 days from the weekend before thanksgiving through Thanksgiving weekend, and then Dec12-Jan. 31 every year. Last year was the first year they did that and just by coincidence the 12th was a Saturday. The opener of the second split and last day will be the same dates each year now, so they will fall on different days of the week each year.

 

[WaterwackerSiah]

Are they allowed to stagger it per weekends? Imagine if they opened first week of November and had breaks during the weekdays. Lots of woodies and some local mallards around during this time. Even whistling ducks now.
Could spread out the duck season and allow hunters and the ducks to have a break each week. Would happily forgo a few weekdays early December in exchange for guaranteed weekends November-January.

 

[across the river]

Are they allowed to stagger it per weekends? Imagine if they opened first week of November and had breaks during the weekdays. Lots of woodies and some local mallards around during this time. Even whistling ducks now.
Could spread out the duck season and allow hunters and the ducks to have a break each week. Would happily forgo a few weekdays early December in exchange for guaranteed weekends November-January.

No. The feds set waterfowl rules for each flyaway and the states have to set their state seasons within those rules. They give states 60 days, and two splits (sometimes three in certain cases) but the states have to set the dates in that framework. People in Georgia wanted the season to run to Jan. 31, which is as late as it could go, and keep Thanksgiving week. There is no way to do that other than how they are doing it, since they cannot have more than two or three splits. Even if you did three splits, with each of the first two being a two day season(Sat/Sun), you would start the third split Dec. 7, which would at most only gain one full weekend, but in a lot of cases would gain only one or even no Sat/Sun days. You would then loose Thanksgiving day and that Friday, so many people would actually loose a free day going that route.

 

[WOODIE13]

Just be glad you have a teal season

 

[hawkeye123]

Thanks Across the River..You had the best post I've ever read on the guy that was arguing that growing grains for waterfowl was the same as baiting! I knew about the 60 day Fed mandate..just didn't add the days up. So first ever hunting season starts on a Sun. Some states you can't even hunt on Sundays

 

[across the river]

Thanks Across the River..You had the best post I've ever read on the guy that was arguing that growing grains for waterfowl was the same as baiting! I knew about the 60 day Fed mandate..just didn't add the days up. So first ever hunting season starts on a Sun. Some states you can't even hunt on Sundays

I have no issue with it. They sent out a survey and I voted to extend it as
late as possible with a bunch of other people. A lot of times you don’t even get a good push until late in the season, so no need to give away up to six days in January, for a few extra in December. Hey be thankful, the guys in those states that can’ t hunt Sunday just loose those days.

 

[WOODIE13]

They actually don't, it's all added in to the mix, but January 31st is the cut off unless it's for youth and vet hunts.

We had some counties in WV where Sunday hunting was allowed by county vote, 15 out of 55 counties, we lost around week for duck season because of that for the other counties and only on private land, didn't count public waters.

We just need the weather bottom line

 

[across the river]

They actually don't, it's all added in to the mix, but January 31st is the cut off unless it's for youth and vet hunts.

We had some counties in WV where Sunday hunting was allowed by county vote, 15 out of 55 counties, we lost around week for duck season because of that for the other counties and only on private land, didn't count public waters.

We just need the weather bottom line

The feds offered compensation days for states that were grandfathered in and had banned Sunday hunting altogether across the state prior to 1990 something to make sure they still got the total days in. It still ran consecutive days you just excluding the Sundays. If the rule applied to just public land, or in your case just specific counties, then those days are indeed lost. I think most states allow it now. I know at one time NC, Mass, and Maryland had Sunday restrictions, but I think NC allows it now, even on some public and Maryland as well. Hunted Mass years ago and had to buy a license to hunt RhodeIsland to hunt the Sunday.

 

[WOODIE13]

I'm just talking about here, but now WV Sunday hunting is statewide, sucked for 5 years though.

We had season go out @ 25th of January at a time, same in VA when I was stationed there