1501:31-7-06 Seasons and limits on ducks, brant, geese, mergansers, and coots.

 

 

 

1501:31-7-06               Seasons and limits on ducks, brant, geese, mergansers, and coots.

 

 

 

(A)  Throughout the state, it shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, kill, wound, take, or attempt to take or to possess any of the birds specified in this rule except as provided in this rule or other rules in the Administrative Code. For the purpose of this rule, the state will be divided into the north zone, south zone, and lake Erie Canada goose zone for the hunting of ducks, brant, mergansers, coots, and geese.

 

The boundary between the north and south zones will begin at the Ohio-Indiana state line on United States route 30 going east on United States 30 to state route 37, south on state route 37 to state route 95, east on state route 95 to Larue-Prospect road, east on Larue-Prospect road to state route 203, south on state route 203 to state route 739, east on state route 739 to state route 4, state route 4 north to state route 309, state route 309 east to United States 23, United States 23 north to state route 231, state route 231 north to United States 30, United States 30 east to state route 42. State route 42 north to state route 603, state route 603 south to United States 30, United States 30 east to state route 60, state route 60 south to state route 39/60 east to state route 39, state route 39 east to state route 241, state route 241 east to United States 30, United States 30 east to the Ohio-West Virginia state line. All lands and waters north of this boundary will be designated the north waterfowl zone, all lands and waters south of this boundary will be designated the south waterfowl zone.

 

The lake Erie Canada goose zone shall be all land and water north of the area bordered by interstate 80 from the Pennsylvania line to interstate 280 and interstate 75 to the Michigan line and south of United States route 6 from the Cuyahoga county line east to the Pennsylvania line.

 

(1)    It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt ducks, brant, geese, coots, and mergansers at any time except from one half hour before sunrise to sunset during the open season.

 

(2)    Coots, mergansers and ducks, except pintail and canvasback ducks may be hunted in the north zone from October 16, 200418, 2003 to November 28, 200429, 2003 and from December 18, 20047, 2003 to December January 2, 200523, 2003, pintail ducks may only be hunted from October 16, 200418, 2003 to November 14, 200416, 2003 and canvasback ducks from October November 15, 200431, 2003 to November 28, 2004 and December 18, 2004 to January 2, 200529, 2003; coots, mergansers and ducks except canvasback and pintail ducks may be hunted in the south zone from October 23, 200425, 2003 to November 7, 200416, 2003 and from December 18, 200413, 2003 to January 30, 200518, 2004; pintail and canvasback ducks may only be hunted from October December 18, 200425, 2003 to January 16, 2005.November 1, 2003 and December 13, 2003 to January 3, 2004 and canvasback ducks from December 13, 2003 to January 11, 2004.

 

 

(3)   Brant and geese may be taken in the north zone from October 16, 200418, 2003 to November 28, 200429, 2003 and from December 8, 20047, 2003 to January 2, 2005January 2, 2004. Brant and geese may be taken in the south zone from October 23, 200425, 2003 to November 17, 200416, 2003 and from December 18, 200413, 2003 to January 30, 200528, 2004. Brant and geese may be taken in the lake Erie Canada goose zone from October 16, 200418, 2003 to October 24, 200426, 2003 and from December 8, 20047, 2003 to January 2, 2005January 1, 2004.

(4)     It shall be lawful for properly licensed falconers to hunt ducks, coots and mergansers statewide from; September 1, 20042003 to September 16, 15, 20042003 and October 9, 200411, 2003 to October 10, 200412, 2003 and January 15, 200519, 2004 to February 13, 200516, 2004 and in the north and south zones whenever those zones are open to waterfowl hunting.

(B)   It shall be unlawful for any person to take or possess more than six ducks per day or possess at any time after the opening day more than twelve ducks, except as hereinafter expressly provided.

(1)   The daily bag limit of six ducks shall not include more of the following species than:

(a)   FourThree mallard ducks of which no more than one may be female;

(b)   Two wood ducks;

(c)   One black duck;

(d)  Two redhead duck;

(e)   One pintail duck;

(f)  Three mottled ducks;

(g)   Three scaup;

(h)   One canvasback duck.

(2)    The possession limit of twelve ducks after the opening day shall not include more of the following species than:

(a)   EightSix mallard ducks of which no more than two may be female;

(b)   Four wood ducks;

(c)   Two black ducks;

(d)  Four redhead ducks;

(e)   Two pintail ducks;

(f)  Six mottled ducks;

(g)   Six scaup;

(h)   Two canvasback ducks.

(C)    It shall be unlawful for any person in any one day to take more than ten brant or geese singly or in the aggregate. Provided further it shall be unlawful for any person to have more than twenty brant and geese, singly or in the aggregate, in possession at any time.

(1)   The daily bag limit on brant and geese, singly or in the aggregate, is ten but may not include, more than two Canada, two brant, two white-fronted geese, or ten snow, blue, or ross' geese, singly or in the aggregate, except in the lake Erie Canada goose zone, where the daily bag limit shall not include more than:

(a)   One Canada goose;

(b)   Two brant;

(c)   Two white-fronted geese;

(d)  Ten snow, blue, or ross' geese singly or in the aggregate.

(2)    The possession limit for brant and geese, singly or in the aggregate is twenty, but shall not include more than four Canada, four brant, four white-fronted, or twenty snow, blue, or ross' geese singly or in the aggregate, except in the lake Erie Canada goose zone, where the possession limit shall not include more than:

(a)   Two Canada geese;

(b)   Four brant;

(c)   Four white-fronted geese; and

(d)  Twenty snow, blue, or ross' geese singly or in the aggregate.

(D)   In addition to the daily bag and maximum possession limit on other ducks, it shall be unlawful for any person to take more than five mergansers in any one day of which one may be a hooded merganser, or possess after the opening day more than ten mergansers singly or in the aggregate, except that not more than two hooded mergansers may be included in the maximum possession limit.

(E)   It shall be unlawful for any person to take more than fifteen coots in any one day or possess after the opening day more than thirty coots at any time.

(F)   It shall be unlawful for any person to possess more than the daily limit of migratory game birds, or the aggregate daily bag limit, whichever applies, at or between the place where taken and one's principal or ordinary home or dwelling place, one's temporary or transient place of lodging, a migratory bird preservation facility, or a post office or common carrier facility.

(G)    The following regulations in this paragraph are applicable to the Ottawa national wildlife refuge in Ottawa and Lucas counties:

(1)    It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt on the Ottawa national wildlife refuge without first obtaining a permit issued by the division of wildlife.

(2)    It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt on the Ottawa national wildlife refuge without first checking into the division of wildlife checking station provided for such area.

(3)    It shall be unlawful for any person to take any wild animal other than what is listed on the controlled hunt rules while hunting on the Ottawa national wildlife refuge.

(4)    It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt on the Ottawa national wildlife refuge during the controlled waterfowl hunt at any time other than one half hour before sunrise to twelve noon daily on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and

Saturday.

(5)    It shall be unlawful for any person to be in a division blind on the Ottawa national wildlife refuge any time after one p.m. each day.

(6)    It shall be unlawful for any person having a permit to hunt on the Ottawa national wildlife refuge to fail to check back through the division of wildlife checking station from which the permit was obtained by two p.m. on the day they hunt.

(7)    It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt or shoot on the Ottawa national wildlife refuge except from within seventy-five yards of his assigned blind, except when permitted by authorized division personnel.

(8)   It shall be unlawful for more than two persons to occupy a division of wildlife blind on the Ottawa national wildlife refuge.

(9)   It shall be unlawful for any person to possess more than twenty-five shells while hunting on the Ottawa national wildlife refuge.

(10)    It shall be unlawful for any person to participate in hunting on the Ottawa national wildlife refuge more than one time during a season.

(H)    It shall be lawful for persons fifteen years of age or younger to hunt, take, and possess ducks, mergansers, geese and coots on October 9 and 10, 200411 and 12, 2003. All persons fifteen years of age and younger must be accompanied by a non-hunting person eighteen years of age or older. Provided further, it shall be unlawful for any person accompanying a hunter fifteen years of age or younger to hunt or take migratory waterfowl on October 11 and 12, 2003.

(I)    It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess geese in the north zone except as provided in section (A)(3) and from January 16, 200517, 2004 through February 4, 20055, 2004 in the following areas;

All of Fulton, Henry, Seneca, Huron counties, the portion of Allen county north of United States route 30; the portion of Lucas county west of interstate 280 and interstate 75 north to the Ohio Michigan border; the portion of Summit county south of interstate 80, and the portion of Geauga county north of United States route 6.

(J)     It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt migratory waterfowl including ducks, brant, geese, coots or mergansers on or over a baited area where a person knows or

reasonably  should  know  that  the  area  is  or  has  been  baited.  A  baited  area  is considered to be baited for ten days after complete removal of any bait.

(K)   It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt ducks, geese and brant without possessing a current valid federal migratory bird stamp that is validated by the person's signature written on the stamp in ink.

(L)   All definitions set forth in rule 1501:31-1-02 of the Administrative Code shall apply to this rule.

Effective:                                11/22/2004 R.C. 119.032 review dates:                           11/13/2007

CERTIFIED ELECTRONICALLY

Certification

10/15/2004

Date

Promulgated Under:   119.03

Statutory Authority:   1531.08

Rule Amplifies:           1531.08

Prior Effective Dates: 8/31/74 (Temp), 9/20/75

(Temp), 9/10/76 (Temp), 2/5/77 (Temp), 9/22/77 (Temp), 9/16/78 (Temp), 9/16/79 (Temp), 9/17/80 (Temp), 9/16/81 (Temp), 9/16/82 (Temp), 9/20/83 (Temp), 9/20/84 (Temp), 9/19/85 (Temp), 12/12/85 (Temp), 9/20/86 (Temp), 9/20/87 (Temp), 9/25/88 (Temp), 9/26/89 (Temp), 9/26/90 (Temp), 9/30/91 (Temp), 9/30/92 (Temp), 10/11/92 (Temp), 9/29/93 (Temp), 10/1/94 (Temp), 9/30/95 (Temp), 9/20/96 (Temp), 9/20/97 (Temp), 9/20/98 (Temp), 9/28/99 (Temp), 10/4/00 (Temp), 10/1/01 (Temp), 11/30/01,

11/13/02, 10/18/03