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2009 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Schedule

2009 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Schedule [PDF] To view the PDF version of the Migratory Game Bird Hunting Schedule, you will need the free Adobe Reader. If you need assistance, view our PDF Help page, e-mail us or call us at (207) 287-8000. To receive an official copy of the 2009 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Schedule by mail, please send your request by email or call us at (207) 287-8000.

Roland D. Martin, Commissioner
Paul F. Jacques, Deputy Commissioner
R. Bradford Allen, Bird Group Leader
Kelsey Sullivan, Wildlife Biologist

Maine Waterfowl Council

F. James Gramlich, Wade
Walter "Dutch" Holland, Bath
Deane Richmond, Machias
John Mason, Bethel
Huck Wonson, Winterport
Michael Cray, Palmyra
Steve Hunt, Orland
Tom Duff, Brewer
Walter Purda, Yarmouth
Owen Grimes, Springvale
Churchill Barton, Auburn

Shooting Hours: Shooting hours on migratory game birds are from 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset daily. See Migratory Bird Hunter's Time and Tide Table.

Sea Duck Hunting Area Defined: All coastal waters and all waters of rivers and streams seaward from the first upstream bridge. In all other areas, sea ducks may be taken only during the regular duck season dates and are part of the regular duck bag limits.

Definition for North and South Zone Line: Maine-New Brunswick border in Baileyville, Maine west along Stony Brook to Route 9 in Baileyville. West along Route 9 to Route 15 in Bangor. West along Route 15 to I-95 in Bangor. Southwest along I-95 to Route 202 (Exit 109A) in Augusta. Southwest along Route 202 to Route 11 in Auburn. Southwest along Route 11 to Route 110 in Newfield. West along Route 110 to Maine-New Hampshire border.

Nontoxic Shot - Statewide: The use or possession of ammunition loaded with other than nontoxic shot while hunting wild ducks, geese, brant, rails, or coots is prohibited. Nontoxic shot means any shot type that does not cause sickness and death when ingested by these birds and is approved for use by the Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Steel, bismuth-tin, tungsten-iron (2 types), tungsten-matrix, tungsten-bronze (2 types), tungsten-polymer, tungsten-tin-bismuth, tungsten-tin-iron-nickel, and tungsten nickel-iron (HEVI) shot have been approved nontoxic by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

On National Wildlife Refuges which permit hunting of upland game, persons hunting upland species other than deer and turkey with a shotgun shall possess and use only nontoxic shot while in the field.

State and Federal law requires that persons 16 years of age or older shall have on his/her person: an unexpired Federal migratory bird hunting stamp (validated by his/her signature written across the face of the stamp in ink) and a valid State Migratory Waterfowl permit to hunt any migratory waterfowl (wild ducks, geese or brant). The State permit may be purchased for $7.50 from local license agents or from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State St., SHS #41, Augusta, ME 04333. (Note: The Migratory Waterfowl Stamp is not required to hunt woodcock, snipe, rails or crows). For more details, contact the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife at 287-8000.

All revenue from the sale of state waterfowl permits must be used exclusively for acquisition of waterfowl habitat and waterfowl management activities.

Selected Sections of Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Laws

The provisions of the following three paragraphs apply to the waters of the Kennebec River, known as Merrymeeting Bay, bounded as follows: From the high tension wires at Chop’s Point to the first dam on the Androscoggin River, to the first road bridge on the Muddy, Cathance, Abbagadassett, and Eastern rivers and the Richmond-Dresden bridge on the Kennebec River, being in the counties of Cumberland, Sagadahoc, and Lincoln.

No artificial cover which is termed stationary blind, or parts thereof, used for hunting purposes shall be left or allowed to remain in the waters of Merrymeeting Bay between one hour after legal shooting time and one hour before legal shooting time.

No duck decoys shall be allowed to remain in the waters of Merrymeeting Bay at any time during the period from one hour after legal shooting time until one hour before legal shooting time.

It is unlawful to hunt waterfowl on Haley Pond in the Town of Rangeley and Dallas Plt. in Franklin County.

No power boat may be operated in Merrymeeting Bay at a speed in excess of 10 miles per hour except within the confines of the buoyed channels.

It is unlawful to shoot, or shoot at, or near, any wildfowl decoy of another person, with a rifle, pistol, or shotgun with a ball, slug, or buckshot. “Near” means the area encompassed by the set of decoys and including the area 50 yards away from the outer perimeter of the set of decoys.

It is unlawful to hunt with firearms during the open season on deer (except when hunting waterfowl from a boat or blind or in conjunction with waterfowl decoys) unless wearing 2 articles of hunter orange clothing that are in good and serviceable condition and visible from all sides. One article must be a solid colored hunter orange hat and the other must be a minimum of 50% hunter orange in color and cover a major portion of the torso.

It is unlawful for any person to willfully interfere with the lawful hunting or trapping of any wild animal or wild bird, including the willful disturbance of wild animals or wild birds with intent to interfere with their lawful taking.

It is unlawful to hunt on Sunday.

Barrow's Goldeneye - The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wishes to continue the lawful hunting of Common Goldeneyes while ensuring adequate protection of the Barrow's Goldeneye, a Threatened Species under the Maine Endangered Species Act. Barrow's and Common Goldeneyes look very similar.

Our goal is to reduce the unintentional take of Barrow's in Maine by improving duck hunter's ability to distinguish Barrow's from Common Goldeneyes. Further, we desire to alert waterfowl hunters that Barrow's are known to congregate in certain areas. Information on this will be mailed to every waterfowl hunter in Maine. Despite our efforts, we suspect that a few Barrow's Goldeneyes may be unintentionally shot. In these cases, hunters are required to surrender to the Department any that are taken incidentally to legal waterfowl hunting activities. There will be no penalty for reporting this to the Department. To accomplish this we ask that you contact your local game warden.

Duck Stamp Contest

Your 2009 Maine duck stamp, featuring a pair of mallards, was designed by Georgette Kanach of Gray. A panel of judges selected it from among 12 paintings by Maine resident artists in the 25th duck stamp art contest conducted by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Proceeds from the sale of the annual duck stamps and permits are used to help finance waterfowl management programs or to acquire waterfowl habitat.

Migratory Game Bird Regulations

In accordance with the Revised Statutes of 1964, Title 12, Sections 10104 and 11855, the following regulations have been adopted, governing the lawful hunting and possession of migratory game birds. For the purpose of this section, migratory game birds include and are limited to species in the following families:

• Anatidae (wild ducks, geese, and brant);
• Rallidae (rails, coots, moorhens and gallinules); and
• Scolopacidae (woodcock and snipe). Except as expressly provided in the regulations, it shall be unlawful to hunt, capture, kill, take, possess, transport, buy or sell any migratory game bird or part thereof.

1. Hunting Methods
   
   It shall be lawful to hunt migratory game birds by the aid of dogs, artificial decoys, manually or mouth-operated bird calls, with hand-held bow and arrow, or by the practice of falconry, or with shotgun (not larger than No.10 gauge and incapable of holding more than three shells) fired from the shoulder. Every other method is unlawful.
   
   It shall be lawful to hunt migratory game birds from floating craft (except a sink box), including those capable of being propelled by motor, sail and wind, or both, only when:
   • the motor of such craft has been completely shut off and/or the sails furled, as the case may be; and
   • the progress or motion of the craft in the water has ceased and the craft is drifting, beached, moored, resting at anchor, or is being propelled solely by paddle, oars, or pole.
   It shall be lawful to use a motor or sail on a craft as a means of retrieving or picking up dead or injured birds.
2. Transportation
   
   Any person, without a permit, may transport lawfully killed and possessed migratory game birds into, within, or out of any State, or export such birds to a foreign country during and after the open seasons in the State where taken, subject to the conditions and restrictions specified in this part.
   
   If such birds are dressed, one fully feathered wing must remain attached to each bird so as to permit species identification while being transported between the place where taken and the personal abode of the possessor or between the place where taken and a commercial preservation facility.
   
   Any package or container in which such birds are transported shall have the name and address of the shipper and of the consignee and an accurate statement of the numbers and kinds of birds contained therein clearly and conspicuously marked on the outside thereof.
3. Possession for the Purpose of Processing, Transportation, or Storage
   
   No hunter who legally takes and possesses any migratory game birds shall place or leave any such birds in the custody of any other person for picking, cleaning, processing, shipping, transportation, or storage (including temporary storage) unless such birds have a tag attached signed by the hunter stating his address, the total number and kinds of birds, and the date such birds were killed.
   
   No person may receive or have in custody any migratory game birds belonging to another person unless such birds are tagged as provided above.
   
   No hunter who legally takes and possesses any migratory game birds shall place or leave such birds at any place for storage (including temporary storage) other than at his personal abode unless such birds are tagged as provided above. Legally possessed migratory game birds being transported in any vehicle as the personal baggage of the possessor shall not be deemed to be in storage or temporary storage.
   
   Any commercial picking establishment or cold-storage or locker plant receiving, possessing, or having in custody any migratory game birds shall maintain accurate records showing the numbers and kinds of such birds, the dates received and disposed of, and the names and addresses of the persons from whom such birds were received and to whom such birds were delivered. The records required to be maintained shall be retained by the person or persons responsible for their preparation and maintenance for a period of 1 year following the close of the open season on migratory game birds prescribed for the State in which such picking establishment or cold-storage or locker plant is located.
4. Termination of Possession
   
   For the purposes of this part, the possession of birds legally taken by any hunter shall be deemed to have ceased when such birds have been delivered by him to another person as a gift; or have been delivered by him to a post office, a common carrier, or a commercial cold-storage or locker plant for transportation by the postal service or a common carrier to some person other than the hunter.
5. Wounded Live Migratory Game Birds
   
   Every migratory game bird wounded by hunting and reduced to possession by the hunter shall be immediately killed and become a part of the daily bag limit.
6. Possession of Plumage
   
   Any person, without a permit, may possess and transport for his own use the plumage and skins of lawfully taken migratory game birds.
7. Wanton Waste of Migratory Game Birds
   
   No person shall kill or cripple any migratory game bird pursuant to this regulation without any visible means to retrieve and without making a reasonable effort to retrieve the bird and include it in his daily bag limit. The shooting of crippled waterfowl from a motorboat under power will be permitted on those coastal waters and all waters of rivers and streams lying seaward from the first upstream bridge.
8. Open Seasons, Limits, and Other Provisions
   
   Migratory game birds may be taken only in accordance with the open seasons, the daily bag limits, possession limits, and within the shooting hours as stated herein.No person may take in any one day more than the daily bag limit or aggregate daily bag limit, whichever applies. No person may possess more birds lawfully taken than the possession limit or the aggregate possession limit, whichever applies. No person on the opening day of the season may possess any migratory game birds in excess of the daily bag limit or aggregate daily bag limit, whichever applies, and no person may possess any freshly killed migratory game birds during the closed season.

Summary of Federal Regulations

Notice: The material below is only a summary of Federal rules. Each hunter should also consult the actual Federal regulations, which may be found in Title 50, code of Federal Regulations, Part 20.

Restrictions: No person shall take migratory game birds:

• While possessing shot (either in shot shells or as loose shot for muzzle loading) other than steel shot or such shot approved as nontoxic while taking Anatidae (ducks, geese, and brant), coots and any species that make up aggregate bag limits during concurrent seasons.
• With a trap, snare, net, crossbow, rifle, pistol, swivel gun, shotgun larger than 10-guage, punt gun, battery gun, machine gun, fishhook, poison, drug, explosive, or stupefying substance.
• With a shotgun capable of holding more than three shells, unless it is plugged with a one-piece filler which is incapable of removal without disassembling the gun.
• From a sink box (a low floating device, having a depression affording the hunter a means of concealment beneath the surface of the water).
• From or with the aid or use of a car or other motor-driven land conveyance, or any aircraft, except that paraplegics and single or double amputees of the legs may take from any stationary motor vehicle or stationary motor-driven land conveyance. “Paraplegic” means an individual afflicted with paralysis of the lower half of the body with involvement of both legs, usually due to disease of or injury to the spinal cord.
• By the use or aid of live decoys. All live, tame or captive ducks and geese shall be removed for a period of 10 consecutive days prior to hunting, and confined within an enclosure which substantially reduces the audibility of their calls and totally conceals such tame birds from the sight of migratory waterfowl.
• Using records or tapes of migratory bird calls or sounds, or electrically amplified imitations of bird calls.
• By means or aid of any motor driven land, water, or air conveyance, or any sailboat used for the purpose of or resulting in the concentrating, driving, rallying, or stirring up of any migratory bird.
• By the aid of baiting or on or over any baited area, where a person knows or reasonably should know that the area is or has been baited. However, nothing in this paragraph prohibits the taking of migratory game birds on or over the following lands or areas that are not otherwise baited areas: a) standing crops or flooded standing crops; standing, flooded, or manipulated natural vegetation; flooded harvested croplands; or lands or areas where seeds or grains have been scattered safely as a result of a normal agricultural planting, harvesting, post-harvest manipulation or normal soil stabilization practice; b) from a blind or other place of concealment camouflaged with natural vegetation; c) from a blind or other place of concealment camouflaged with vegetation from agricultural crops, as long as such camouflaging does not result in the exposing, depositing, distributing or scattering of grain or other feed.
• A person must also retain the bird in his actual custody, at the place where taken or between that place and either (a) his automobile or principle means of land transportation; or (b) his personal abode or temporary or transient place of lodging.

Field Possession Limit.

No person shall possess more than one daily bag limit while in the field or while returning from the field to one’s car, hunting camp, home, etc.

Importation.

For information regarding the importation of migratory birds killed in another country hunters should consult 50 CFR 20.61 through 20.66. One fully-feathered wing must remain attached to all migratory game birds being transported between the port of entry and one’s home or to a migratory bird preservation facility. No person shall import migratory game birds killed in any foreign country, except Canada, unless such birds are dressed (except as required in 20.63), drawn, and the head and feet are removed. No person shall import migratory game birds belonging to another person.

Dual Violation.

Violation of State migratory bird regulations is also a violation of Federal regulations.

Caution: More restrictive regulations may apply to National Wildlife Refuges open to public hunting.

For additional information on Federal refuge regulations, contact:

• Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge (Baring & Edmunds Units) RR #1, Box 202, Baring, Maine, 04694 - telephone (207) 454-7161
• Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge P.O. Box 279, Milbridge, Maine 04658 - telephone (207) 546-2124
• Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, 1168 Main Street, Old Town, ME 04468 - telephone (207) 236-6970
• Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, 321 Port Road, Wells, Maine 04090, telephone (207) 646-9226
• Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 240, Errol, NH 03579 - telephone (603) 482-3415

Youth Waterfowl Hunt - September 26, 2009

A one-day hunt providing opportunity for junior hunters takes place on September 26. The daily limits are as specified in this pamphlet for ducks and geese (regular season). Special regulations apply to youth and accompanying adult: Youth must be 10 years of age or older and under 16 years of age, possess a junior hunting license (no stamps required) and be accompanied by a parent or guardian or person at least 18 years of age approved by a parent or guardian who either holds a valid Maine hunting license or has successfully completed a hunter safety course. Legal shooting hours are from 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset.

Harvest Information Program (H.I.P.)

Note: If you plan to hunt woodcock, ducks, geese, snipe, rails, or coots, you are required to indicate on your license your intention of doing so at the time you purchase your license. (Complimentary and lifetime license holders are exempt from this requirement). The information will be used by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in the Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (H.I.P).

Featured Links

• ALERT Waterfowl Hunters!
• Maine's Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (H.I.P.)
• Maine Migratory Waterfowl Stamp
• U.S.G.S. Bird Banding Laboratory
• Waterfowl Identification

Numbers you may need

• To reach a Game Warden 24-hours a day, please contact the dispatch center nearest you.
• Gray
  1-800-228-0857
• Augusta
  1-800-452-4664
• Orono
  1-800-432-7381
• Houlton
  1-800-924-2261
• Dover-Foxcroft
  1-800-432-7372

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• Help stop wildlife violations
  OPERATION GAME THIEF 1-800-ALERT US or
  1-800-253-7887

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• Band Recovery Reports
  Anyone finding a band or recovering one while hunting should call 1-800-327-BAND or 1-800-327-2263

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• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  E. Orland (207) 469-6842

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