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 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 12, 201318, 2014 through October 27, 2013November 2, 2014 and from November 9, 201315, 2014 through December 22, 201328, 2014; coots, mergansers and ducks may be hunted in the north zone from October October 19, 201325, 2014 through November 3, 20139, 2014 and from November 30, 201322, 2014 through January 12, 20144, 2015; coots, mergansers and ducks may be hunted in the south zone from October 19, 201325, 2014 through

November 3, 20139, 2014 and from December January 26, 201425, 2015.

14, 201313, 2014 through

(3)   Brant and geese may be taken in the north zone from October 19, 201325, 2014 through November 3, 20139, 2014 and, from November 30, 201322, 2014 through January 30, 20144, 2015 and from January 14, 2015 to January 31, 2015. Brant and geese may be taken in the south zone from October 19,

201325, 2014 through November

3, 20139, 2014 and

from November 30,

2013 December 11, 2014 through January 30, 201431, 2015. Brant and geese

may be taken in the lake Erie Canada goose marsh zone from October 12,

201318,  2014  through

October  27,  2013November  2,  2014  and  ,from

November 9, 201315, 2014 through January 9,December 28, 2014 and from January 14, 2015 through January 31, 2015.

(4)      It shall be lawful for properly licensed falconers to hunt ducks, geese, mergansers and coots statewide from February 8, 201421, 2015 through March 4, 20144, 2015 and statewide in whenever the lake Erie marsh, north andor south zones whenever those zones are open to duck goose 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 second day more than 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)   Three scaup;

(h)   TwoOne canvasback.

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

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

(b)   Nine wood ducks;

(c)   Three black ducks;

(d)  Six redhead ducks;

(e)   Six pintail ducks;

(f)  Three mottled ducks;

(g)   Nine scaup;

(h)   SixThree 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 second day to possess more than any of the following: nine Canada geese; three brant; three white-fronted geese; or 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 second day more than fifteen mergansers singly or in the aggregate, except that not more than 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 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 October 54 and 65, 2013 statewide. 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:                                                     08/28/2014

CERTIFIED ELECTRONICALLY

Certification

08/28/2014

Date

Promulgated Under:                           111.15

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),

11/4/10, 9/1/11 (Emer), 11/10/2011, 8/30/12 (Emer),

11/12/12, 9/1/13 (Emer), 11/24/13