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, lake Erie marsh 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 be interstate 70 from the Ohio-Indiana line to the Ohio-West Virginia line. All lands and waters north of this boundary, exclusive of the lake Erie marsh zone, 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 marsh zone shall be all land and water within the boundaries of the area bordered by interstate 75 from the Ohio-Michigan line to interstate 280 to interstate 80 to the Erie-Lorain county line extending to a line measuring two-hundred yards from the shoreline into the waters of lake Erie and shall include the waters of Sandusky bay and Maumee bay.

 

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, to include the lake Erie marsh zone.

 

(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 may be hunted in the lake Erie marsh zone from

October 13, 2012 12, 2013 through October

28, 201227, 2013 and from

November  10,  20129,  2013  through  December

23,  201222,  2013;  coots,

mergansers and ducks may be hunted in the north zone from October 13, 2012October 19, 2013 through October 28, 2012November 3, 2013 and from

November  24,  201230,  2013  through  January

6,  201312,  2014;  coots,

mergansers and ducks may be hunted in the south zone from October 20,

201219,  2013  through

October  28,  2012November  3,  2013  and  from

December 8, 201214, 2013 through January 27, 201326, 2014.

(3)   Brant and geese may be taken in the north zone from October 13, 201219, 2013 through October 28, 2012November 3, 2013 and from November 24, 201230, 2013 through January 6, 201330, 2014 and from January 12, 2013 through January 29, 2013. Brant and geese may be taken in the south zone from

October 20, 201219, 2013 through November December 8, 2012November 30, 2013 through

11, 20123, 2013 and from January 31, 201330, 2014.

Brant and geese may be taken in the lake Erie Canada goose zone from

October  13,  201212,  2013  through  October

28,  201227,  2013  and  from

November 10, 20129, 2013 through January 10, 20139, 2014.

(4)      It shall be lawful for properly licensed falconers to hunt ducks, geese, mergansers and coots statewide from February 8, 20132014 through March 10, 20134, 2014 and in the lake Erie marsh, north and south zones whenever those zones are open to duck 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 second day more than twelve eighteen ducks, except as hereinafter expressly provided.

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

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

(b)   Three wood ducks;

(c)   One black duck;

(d)  Two redhead ducks;

(e)   Two pintail ducks;

(f)  One mottled duck;

(g)   Four Three scaup;

(h)   One Two canvasback.

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

(a)    Eight Twelve mallard ducks of which no more than two three may be female;

(b)   Six Nine wood ducks;

(c)   Two Three black ducks;

(d)  Four Six redhead ducks;

(e)   Four Six pintail ducks;

(f)  Two Three mottled ducks;

(g)   Eight Nine scaup;

(h)   Two Six canvasbacks.

(C)    It shall be unlawful for any person in any one day to take more than any of the following: three Canada geese; one brant; one white-fronted geese; or ten snow, blue, or Ross' geese singly or in the aggregate.

(D)   It shall be unlawful for any person after the opening second day to possess more than any of the following: six nine Canada geese; two three brant; two three white-fronted geese; or twenty thirty snow, blue, or Ross' geese singly or in the aggregate.

(E)   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 no more than two may be a hooded merganser, or possess after the opening second day more than ten fifteen mergansers singly or in the aggregate, except that not more than four six hooded mergansers may be included in the maximum possession limit.

(F)   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 forty-five coots at any time.

(G)   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.

(H)    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 hunters 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.

(I)   It shall be lawful for persons fifteen years of age or younger to hunt, take, and possess ducks, mergansers, geese and coots on September 29 and 30, 2012 in the lake Erie marsh zone and north zone. It shall be lawful for persons fifteen years of age or younger  to  hunt,  take,  and  possess  ducks,  mergansers,  geese  and  coots  on

November 23 and 24, 2012October 5 and 6, 2013 in the south zonestatewide. All persons fifteen years of age and younger must be accompanied by a non-hunting person eighteen years of age or older.

(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)    Provisions of this rule and rule 1501:31-7-02 of the Administrative Code shall not apply to employees of the division of wildlife or persons authorized by the chief of the division of wildlife while conducting activities as part of a management program for migratory game birds that has been approved by the chief of the division of wildlife.

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

Effective:                                                     11/24/2013

R.C. 119.032 review dates:                         08/19/2013 and 11/24/2018

CERTIFIED ELECTRONICALLY

Certification

10/24/2013

Date

Promulgated Under:                           119.03

Statutory Authority:                           1531.101

Rule Amplifies:                                  1531.101

Prior Effective Dates:                         8/25/76 (Temp.), 8/15/77(Temp.), 8/30/78 (Temp.),

8/31/79 (Temp.), 8/31/80 (Temp.), 8/31/81 (Temp.),

8/31/82 (Temp.), 8/30/83 (Temp.), 8/10/84 (Temp.),

8/9/85 (Temp.), 8/9/86, 8/9/87 (Temp.), 8/9/88 (Temp.), 8/9/89 (Temp.), 8/9/90 (Temp.), 8/11/91 (Temp.), 8/17/92 (Temp.), 8/15/93(Temp), 8/19/94 (Temp), 8/17/95 (Temp), 8/16/96 (Temp), 8/10/97(TEMP), 8/11/98 (Temp), 8/13/99, (Temp),

8/13/00 (Temp), 8/13/01(Temp), 8/15/01 (Emer),

11/30/01, 11/13/02, 11/27/03, 9/1/04 (Emer),

11/22/04, 8/31/05 (Emer), 11/18/2005, 11/27/2006,

7/1/2007, 9/1/2007 (Emer), 11/8/2007, 9/1/08 (Emer),

11/24/2008, 9/1/2009 (Emer), 9/1/2010 (Emer),

11/4/2010, 9/1/2011 (Emer), 11/10/2011, 11/12/2012