Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 21, 1995 TAG: 9508220028
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Plentiful rainfall in the Northern wetland breeding areas has boosted duck production for the second season in a row, after a string of years that offered little but bad news of drought and declining duck numbers.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reported that breeding ducks numbers are up 10 percent from last year, and the highest since 1980. Three species - canvasbacks, redheads and gadwalls - have reached historical highs.
But one wildlife biologist of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries urges Virginia hunters to view with caution the glowing reports coming from the North American prairie breeding grounds.
``The population was up last year, and we didn't see that many ducks,'' said Bob Ellis, the department's assistant wildlife chief.
For one thing, the weather last season wasn't always favorable, said Ellis. Also, you must remember that those prairie pothole wetlands where the positive reports are being generated aren't the source of all the ducks that wing into Virginia.
``The pothole region looks real good, but our Eastern populations still aren't doing that well,'' he said.
Federal officials are estimating there will be about 80 million birds in the fall flight, a boost from last year's 71 million.
With the extra ducks comes the potential for additional hunting days and a more generous bag limit. Virginia has been given a federal framework that offers a 50-day season and a daily limit of five ducks. Last year's season was 40 days, and the bag limit was three per day.
State officials are scheduled to meet Thursday to set waterfowl regulations. They have the option of choosing more restrictive hunting rules than offered by the feds.
``I think the number of days is probably going to be there, but whether or not we go with the five-per-day bag limit... We may go with something less,'' said Ellis.
The hearing is set for 10 a.m. at the Department of Environmental Quality, 4900 Cox Road on the west side of Richmond.
The outlook is good for home-grown wood ducks, which provide a large percentage of duck-hunting opportunities in the western end of the state.
``Wood duck nest box checks showed good numbers of nesting hens and average to good production this year,'' Ellis said.
Woodies still are expected to be restricted to two birds per day, even if a five-per-day duck limit is adopted, Ellis said. Special limits also are expected to apply to pintails, hen mallards and black ducks.
``On those species, you might be getting some extra days to hunt them, but you are not going to have extra birds in the bag,'' he said.
As reported earlier, no season is expected on migrant Canada geese, because of an alarming decline of this species in the Atlantic Flyway.
by CNB