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 at U.S. Highway 33 going southeast to state route 127, south along SR 127 to SR 703, south along SR 703 to SR 219, east along SR 219 to SR 364, north along SR 364 to SR 703, east along SR 703 to SR 66, north along SR 66 to U.S. 33, east along U.S. 33 to SR 385, east along SR 385 to SR 117, south along SR 117 to SR 273, east along SR 273 to SR 31, south along SR 31 to SR 739, east along SR 739 to SR 4, north along SR 4 to SR 95, east along SR 95 to SR 13, southeast along SR 13 to SR 3, northeast along SR 3 to SR 60, north along SR 60 to U.S. 30, east along U.S. 30 to SR 3, south along SR 3 to SR 226, south along SR 226 to SR 514, southwest along SR 514 to SR 754, south along SR 754 to SR 39, east along SR 39 to SR 241, north along SR 241 to U.S. 30, east along U.S. 30 to SR 39, east along SR 39 to the Ohio-Pennsylvania 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 may be hunted in the north zone from October 18,

2008October 20, 2007 through December 7, 2008

December 9, 2007 and

from  December  20,  2008

December  22,  2007  through  December  28,

2008December 30, 2007; coots, mergansers and ducks may be hunted in the south zone from October 18, 2008 October 20, 2007 through November 2, 2008November 4, 2007 and from December 6, 2008December 15, 2007 through January 18, 2009January 27, 2008.

(3)   Brant and geese may be taken in the north zone from October 18, 2008October 20, 2007 through November 30, 2008December 2, 2007 and from December 17, 2008December 22, 2007 through January 11, 2009January 6, 2008. Brant and geese may be taken in the south zone from October 18, 2008October 20,

2007 through November 5, 2008November 4, 2007 and from December 6, 2008December 15, 2007 through January 25, 2009January 27, 2008. Brant and geese may be taken in the Lake Erie Canada goose zone from October 18, 2008October 20, 2007 through November 30, 2008November 4, 2007 and from December 3, 2008December 8, 2007 through December 28, 2008December 31, 2007..

(4)     It shall be lawful for properly licensed falconers to hunt ducks, coots and mergansers statewide from October 4, 2008 October 6, 2007 through October 5, 2008October 7, 2007 and January 13, 2009 2008 through February 10, 20092008 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)   Four mallard ducks of which no more than one may be female;

(b)   ThreeTwo wood ducks;

(c)   One black duck;

(d)  Two redhead ducks.

(e)   One pintail duck;

(f)  Three mottled ducks;

(g)   Two scaup during the period of November 18, 2008 through December 7, 2008 in the north zone and December 6, 2008 through December 25, 2008 in the south zone, otherwise the daily bag limit for scaup shall be one.;

(h) Two canvasback ducks.

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

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

(b)   SixFour wood ducks;

(c)   Two black ducks;

(d)  Four redhead ducks;

(e)   Two pintail ducks;

(f)  Six mottled ducks;

(g)   Four scaup.;

(h) Two canvasback ducks.

(C)It shall be unlawful for any person to take or attempt to take a canvasback duck.

(C)(D) 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.

(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.

(D)(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 two 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 four two hooded mergansers may be included in the maximum possession limit.

(E)(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 coots at any time.

(F)(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.

(G)(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 hunterspersons 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)(I) It shall be lawful for persons fifteen years of age or younger to hunt, take, and possess ducks, mergansers, geese and coots on October 4 and 5, 2008October 6 and 7, 2007. All persons fifteen years of age and younger must be accompanied by a non-hunting person eighteen years of age or older.

(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 12, 2008 through February 2, 2008 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:                                                     11/24/2008

R.C. 119.032 review dates:                         08/22/2008 and 11/01/2013

CERTIFIED ELECTRONICALLY

Certification

10/27/2008

Date

Promulgated Under:                           111.15

Statutory Authority:                           1531.101

Rule Amplifies:                                  1531.101

Prior Effective Dates:                         8/31/74 (TEMP.), 9/20/75 (TEMP.), 9/L0/76 (TEMP.),

2/5/77 (TEMP.), 9/22/77 (TEMP.), 9/16/78 (TEMP.),

9/L6/79 (TEMP.), 9/17/80(TEMP.), 9/16/80 (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, 10/8/04(EMER), 11/22/04, 10/1/05(EMER),

11/18/2005, 11/27/2006, 7/1/2007, 9/1/2007(EMER),

11/8/2008