Goose season gets underway this week
Waterfowl hunting season in Mississippi opens the day after Thanksgiving weekend.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks officials project a solid duck season because of the spring's breeding population estimation. But fall and winter weather, and wetland habitat conditions on the wintering grounds play a major role in duck migrations that could impact success for Mississippi's duck hunters.
"Breeding populations were strong again in 2015," MDWFP Waterfowl Program Leader Houston Havens said. "Even with breeding duck populations at record numbers, Mississippi hunters are reminded that many factors contribute to whether or not these birds show up here in mass".
The hunting seasons for ducks, mergansers, and coots will be Nov. 27-29, Dec. 4 - 6, and Dec. 9 - Jan. 31.
The duck daily bag limit is a total of six ducks, which may include four mallards (no more than 2 of which may be females), three wood ducks, three scaup, two redheads, two pintail, two canvasback, one mottled duck, and one black duck. The merganser daily bag limit is five, only two of which may be hooded mergansers. Coots have a 15-bird daily bag limit. The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit for ducks, mergansers, and coots.
Late-season Canada, snow, blue, Ross's, white-fronted and brant goose seasons will last until Jan. 31. Brant are small, dark geese that have large wings, short necks and small heads and bills. The snipe season last until Feb. 28. The daily bag limit is eight snipe with a possession limit of 24 birds. Snipe are slender-billed birds with dark brown to black coloration on their backs, yellow stripes running neck to tail and a yellowish dusting on their feather fringes. Canada geese will have a three-bird daily limit, and brant have a daily limit of one bird. The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit for Canada geese and brant. Snow, blue, and Ross's geese will have a daily bag limit of 20 birds during the regular hunting season. White-fronted geese will have a daily bag limit of three birds. The possession limit for white-fronted geese is nine, No possession limit for snow, blue or Ross's geese.
Shooting hours for all migratory game birds are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset, except during the Light Goose Conservation order, which allows hunting light geese until 30 minutes after sunset.
All waterfowl hunters 16 and older are required to purchase state and federal duck stamps. The federal duck stamp must be signed in ink across the face. The state stamp may be in electronic form (paper), or the actual stamp. The actual stamp must be signed in ink across the face. Both stamps and a valid Mississippi hunting license must be n your possession while hunting.
Mississippi and Louisiana residents may hunt waterfowl on either side of state-line waters with a valid hunting license and duck stamp from their home state and a federal duck stamp, provided
the season is open in both states.
This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Goose season gets underway this week ."