- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing new frameworks for the 2025-26 migratory game bird hunting season, which includes regulations for duck hunting in Oregon as part of the Pacific Flyway.
- These frameworks will determine the season dates, shooting hours, and bag limits for duck hunting, specifically focusing on the status and demographics of western mallards.
- For the 2025-26 season, the Service plans to continue using adaptive harvest management (AHM) to set regulations, which allows for adjustments based on the population status of mallards and other species.
- The proposed regulations include a liberal regulatory alternative for the Pacific Flyway, which means a longer season and higher bag limits, based on current population estimates of western mallards.
- Public comments on these proposed frameworks are invited until May 27, 2025, allowing local stakeholders, including hunters and conservationists, to provide input.
- The final regulatory frameworks are expected to be published in the Federal Register in spring 2025, which will finalize the hunting regulations for the upcoming season.
- These changes are part of an ongoing effort to manage migratory game bird populations sustainably while providing recreational opportunities for hunters in Oregon and other states within the Pacific Flyway.
Proposed 2025-26 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations Impacting Multiple Flyways
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing frameworks for the 2025-26 migratory game bird hunting season, impacting states across the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Central Flyways, in addition to the Pacific Flyway.
- In the Atlantic Flyway, which includes states like Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia, regulations are based on the status and demographics of eastern ducks.
- The Mississippi Flyway, including states such as Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, sets regulations based on mid-continent mallards.
- The Central Flyway, covering Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming, also bases its regulations on mid-continent mallards.
- The proposed rule includes special provisions for early teal and wood duck seasons, zones and split seasons, and specific management strategies for species like black ducks, canvasbacks, pintails, scaup, and eastern mallards.
- Public comments on the proposed frameworks are invited until May 27, 2025, allowing stakeholders to provide input on the regulations.
- These regulations aim to balance recreational hunting opportunities with the conservation of migratory game bird populations, ensuring sustainable harvest levels.
To view the original document on the Federal Register, click here.