Sept. 1 marks opener for mourning dove, early teal, and early goose hunting seasons
In 2014, the mourning dove hunting season will run from Sept. 1 to Nov. 29.
New in 2014, 20 days have been added to the end of the current 70-day dove
hunting season.
Dove hunters are encouraged to check out the Fields & Forest Lands
Interactive Gamebird Hunting
Tool<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/fflight.html> - a new resource available
for 2014. FFLIGHT helps hunters of all types locate young aspen and alder
habitat, pheasant-stocked public hunting grounds, and managed dove fields.
FFLIGHT also allows users to print maps and find GPS coordinates to assist
in navigation and provides measuring tools to help estimate acreage and
walking distance. Mobile users can use FFLIGHT on-the-go to find habitat
suitable for the species they wish to pursue. For more information
regarding mourning dove hunting and the FFLIGHT tool, visit dnr.wi.gov and
search keyword "dove<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/dove.html>."
Canada goose hunting in Wisconsin will begin with an Early September season
from Sept. 1-15, with a daily bag limit of five geese. Shooting hours for
this early season will begin one-half hour before sunrise. Goose hunters
will be required to slit or punch their goose permit and report their
harvest using 1-800-99-GOOSE (46673) within 48 hours of harvest.
The early Canada goose season, with a more liberal bag limit than the
regular season, is allowed by federal rules due to the growth of local giant
Canada goose populations. The season is held prior to the return of
migratory Canada geese. The 2014 Wisconsin breeding Canada goose population
estimate of 126,000 was similar to 2013 and the average spanning the last
decade. Wisconsin's resident breeding Canada goose population may be
stabilizing at 120,000 after a long term increase.
The department will also offer an experimental early teal-only duck hunting
season in 2014 that will run from Sept. 1-7, with a daily bag limit of six
teal. Opening day shooting hours for the teal season will be 9 a.m. to 7
p.m. For the remainder of the season, shooting hours will be sunrise to 7
p.m. Please view this informational
document<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/documents/tealseason.pdf> for further
details. Hunters will not be required to purchase any additional licenses or
permits, other than those required for hunting ducks in the regular
waterfowl season.
The department will be required to monitor and report hunter performance
throughout the experimental three-year period - this will help determine the
success of an early teal season.
While the early teal season is offered statewide, there are some state owned
properties that have special limitations in regards to waterfowl hunting.
For example, Mead Wildlife Area does not allow waterfowl hunting prior to
the regular duck season, and Lake Mills Wildlife Area (Zeloski Marsh) has
shooting hour restrictions. Please check to see if the areas you hunt have
any additional requirements or limitations.
A duck identification tool<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/waterfowl.html> and
waterfowl identification
guide<http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/duckdist/index.htm> [exit
DNR] is available to help hunters prepare for the early teal season.
Waterfowl hunters are reminded to carefully identify all birds before
shooting during early Canada goose and teal seasons. Both wild swans and
whooping cranes are protected species in Wisconsin and illegal to shoot.
Young trumpeter and tundra swans (or cygnets) are grayish and may be easily
mistaken for a Canada goose or snow goose.
The best way to distinguish each species is through call identification.
Observers have described the trumpeter's call as resonant, deep, loud, and
trumpet-like. The snow goose has a high-pitched, quavering call. More tips
and photos to help identify swans are available through Identifying Swans
[PDF].<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/documents/swancomparison.pdf>
To view questions answered by DNR wildlife experts during a recent waterfowl
hunting chat, visit dnr.wi.gov and search keyword
"expert<http://dnr.wi.gov/chat/expert.html>." On the right side of the page
near the bottom, under the completed events list, select the "hunting
waterfowl" chat.
For more information: Kent Van Horn, DNR migratory game bird ecologist,
608-266-8841