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Brant Goose Numbers Strong Enough For Skagit, Wa Hunt

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

OLYMPIA, WA --(AmmoLand.com)- Brant goose numbers in Skagit County are high enough to allow an eight-day hunt later this month, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Brant hunting is scheduled Jan. 16, 17, 20, 23, 24, 27, 30 and 31 with a bag limit of two geese per day.

The hunting season was adopted after 6,002 brant were counted Thursday during an aerial survey of Fidalgo, Padilla and Samish bays, said Don Kraege, waterfowl section manager for WDFW. At least 6,000 brant must be counted in Skagit County before hunting is allowed.

“Numbers of brant wintering in Skagit County are down this year, but expected harvest rates during the eight-day season are still within our management objectives,” said Kraege.

Last year, WDFW wildlife biologists counted about 16,200 brant – the largest count in 14 years. About 9,200 brant, which is slightly above the long-term average, were counted during aerial surveys in 2008 and about 6,100 the previous year.

“The drop in the number of birds in Skagit County from last year is likely the result of a shift in winter distribution,” Kraege said. “Significant numbers of brant have been seen elsewhere in northern Puget Sound, including nearby Whatcom County, where we counted an additional 4,000 birds during the aerial survey.”

To participate in the Skagit County brant season, hunters must have prior written authorization and a harvest information card from WDFW. After taking a brant, hunters are required to record their harvest information immediately, and report their harvest to WDFW by Feb. 15. Hunters who fail to report by Feb. 15 will be ineligible to hunt brant in the 2010-2011 season.

Hunters who harvest a brant implanted with a radio transmitter should call Kraege at (360) 902-2522. WDFW biologists would like to retrieve the transmitters, which are used to track the migration pattern of the birds.

Hunters who harvest a brant fitted with a colored leg band should also report the leg band’s numbers and color to WDFW. Birds fitted with metal leg bands can be reported by calling 1-800-327-BAND or at http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl . The leg bands help biologists identify and track the birds.

More information on brant-hunting requirements is available in WDFW’s Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game Seasons hunting pamphlet at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/water.htm .

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DU Migration Map Tops More Than 1.5 Million Page Views
Opening Day site built for waterfowl hunters, by waterfowl hunters.

Ducks Unlimited Migration Map

Ducks Unlimited

MEMPHIS, Tenn –-(AmmoLand.com)- Ducks Unlimited members and waterfowl hunters throughout the U.S. are utilizing DU’s Migration Map in unprecedented numbers.

Surpassing more than 1.5 million page views within the site’s first two months is allowing waterfowl hunters to utilize the migration map to improve their success in the field.

“We have created the ‘ultimate waterfowl hunter’s resource’ with Opening Day-First Flight,” says Anthony Jones, director of internet services for DU.

“The migration map is only successful when hunters post detailed reports of the migration they are personally witnessing while they are in the field. Our numbers are showing that not only are visitors utilizing the map, but the feedback we are getting shows that hunters are using the site’s many aspects as tools within every flyway.”

Opening Day
First Flight offers constantly changing articles, video, gear features and several interactive maps for waterfowl hunters to utilize throughout the season. It offers everything from state agency sites to get licenses to detailed weather maps in conjunction with the Zip Code they plan to waterfowl hunt; it’s the most comprehensive waterfowl hunting site on the web.

“We have continually built interactive applications for the site and the Migration Map,” Jones says. “With the video contest, member photo application and the constantly updated content, it’s not surprising that we have been able to reach 1.5 million page views in the first two months.”

Opening Day-First Flight site and DU’s Migration Map went live Sept. 1, 2009, and will be live until Jan. 31, 2010. Understanding that waterfowl hunters are the foundation of wetland conservation in North America, DU has worked to help improve waterfowl populations since its inception in 1937. The Opening Day-First Flight site is a testament to the passion waterfowl hunters embody and their commitment to the resource. Visit openingday.ducks.org for the experience.

About:
Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved nearly 13 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever.

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