Duck Season Reopened, Goose October 27

Duck hunting reopened Saturday, October 20, but goose hunters have to hold their fire until October 27. The season splits were arranged to allow as many weekend days of hunting as possible while starting early in order to take advantage of locally reared waterfowl and keeping the seasons open late enough to give more opportunity to hunt late northern flights. The federal season framework permits fewer days for goose hunting, so the goose hunting split is longer. There is no split in the Fort Hall area. Duck hunting will now remain open until January 20 everywhere except the Fort Hall area (Area 1) where it will end January 18. Goose hunting also ends January 20 except in the Fort Hall area where it will end January 11. Waterfowl hunters are anticipating low numbers of birds from southwest Alberta, an important source of Idaho ducks, because of severe drought there. Waterfowl that overflew the dried up prairies for better-watered parklands further north apparently had a better nesting season. Favorable weather patterns, not a feature of the last two waterfowl seasons in Idaho, could still bring a fair number of ducks. Geese tend to nest and feed where drought has not been so much a problem, so Idaho goose hunters may do about as well this season as they have in the last several years.