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. 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, 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 15, 2011 through October 30, 2011 and from November 12, 2011 through December 25, 2011; cootsCoots, mergansers and ducks may be hunted in the north zone from October 15, 201116, 2010 through October November 30, 201114, 2010 and from November 19, 201120, 2010 through

 

 

January 1, 2012December 19, 2010; coots, mergansers and ducks may be hunted in the south zone from October 22, 201116, 2010 through November October 6, 201131, 2010 and from December 17, 201111, 2010 through January 29, 201223, 2011.

(3)   Brant and geese may be taken in the north zone from October 15, 201116, 2010 through October November 30, 201128, 2010 and from November 19, 2011 through Dthrough January 1, 2012 and from January 9, 2012 through January 22, 201216, 2011. Brant and geese may be taken in the south zone from October 22, 2011 16, 2010 through November 20, 2011 7, 2010 and from December 17, 201111, 2010 through January 29, 201230, 2011. Brant and geese may be taken in the lake Erie Canada goose zone from October 15, 201116, 2010 through October November 30, 201114, 2010 and from November 12, 201120, 2010 through January 8, 20122, 2011.

(4)   It shall be lawful for properly licensed falconers to hunt ducks, mergansers and ducksand coots statewide from February 45, 20122011 through March 34, 20122011 and geese from February 45, 20122011 through February 18, 20122011 and in the Lake Erie Marsh, north and south zones and the lake Erie Canada goose zone 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)   Three wood ducks;

(c)   One black duck;

(d)  Two redhead ducks;

(e)   Two pintail ducks;

(f)  One mottled duck;

(g)   Two scaup;

(h)   One canvasback.

(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)   Six wood ducks;

(c)   Two black ducks;

(d)  Four redhead ducks;

(e)   Four pintail ducks;

(f)  Two mottled ducks;

(g)   Four scaup;

(h)   Two canvasbacks.

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

(D)   It shall be unlawful for any person after the opening day to possess more than any of the following: four Canada geese; two brant; four two white-fronted geese; or twenty 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 day more than ten mergansers singly or in the aggregate, except that not more than four 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 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 October 1 2 and 23, 20112010. 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:                                                     11/10/2011

R.C. 119.032 review dates:                         08/25/2011 and 10/31/2016

CERTIFIED ELECTRONICALLY

Certification

10/31/2011

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),

11/8/2007, 9/1/08 (Emer), 11/24/2008, 9/1/2009

(Emer), 9/1/2010 (Emer), 11/4/2010