Pennsylvania Game News - October 2011 - 43

tractant is prohibited. Jacobs noted that in accordance with federal regulations shooting hours for waterfowl and migratory game birds close at sunset. The only exceptions are during the September Canada goose season (Sept. 1-24) and the Snow Goose Conservation Seasons, in which the USFWS has permitted states to extend the hunting hours to one-half hour after sunset. Regulations posted on PGC website The annual waterfowl and migratory game bird brochure, and a synopsis of federal migratory game bird and waterfowl regulations has been posted on the Game Commission website. To view the information, go to the Game Commission’s website, put your cursor on “Hunt/Trap” in the menu bar at the top of the page, click on “Hunting,” scroll down and click on “Waterfowl Hunting and Conservation,” and then scroll down and click on “Federal Waterfowl Hunting Regulations Synopsis” in the “Waterfowl Hunting Regulations” section. This year, to improve efficiency and reduce printing and postage costs, the agency did not mass-produce brochures for distribution to U.S. Post Offices. Additional information can be found on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website (www.fws.gov/hunting/whatres.html), where a complete version of the federal regulations (50 CFR Part 20) is posted. When state law differs from the federal law, hunters must comply with the more restrictive law. Waterfowl hunters cautioned about eating mergansers To minimize potential health impacts, hunters are encouraged to not eat mergansers, especially those taken in the Lake Erie and northwestern
OCTOBER 2011

RepoRt banded biRds
Waterfowl hunters are encouraged to report banded ducks, geese and doves they harvest online at www.reportband.gov, or by using the toll-free number (1-800-327-BAND). Hunters will be asked where, when and what species of migratory birds were taken, in addition to the band number. “Each year, nearly 380,000 ducks and geese and 30,000 mourning doves are banded across the United States and Canada. Information provided by hunters who take any of these banded birds is essential in our efforts to properly manage our migratory game bird populations and hunting opportunities,” Jacobs said. “By reporting the recovery of a leg-band, hunters also can learn interesting details about the particular bird they harvested.”

Pennsylvania hunting zones. “Studies conducted two decades ago on Pennsylvania and New York mergansers, especially common and red-breasted mergansers in the Lake Erie region, concluded they may have varying levels of contaminants, including PCBs,” said Dr. Walter Cottrell, Game Commission wildlife veterinarian. “Mergansers consume fish and other aquatic organisms that may cause a concentration of contaminants in body tissue. As such, health officials have issued similar consumption advisories for certain species of fish found in these same waters. “For this reason, hunters are cautioned to not consume any mergansers. Other waterfowl should be skinned and the fat removed before cooking. Stuffing should be discarded after cooking and should not be consumed.” The Game Commission will be conducting a research project over the next two years to obtain additional information on contaminant levels in Lake Erie waterfowl, and the potential
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http://www.reportband.gov http://www.reportband.gov http://www.fws.gov/hunting/whatres.html http://www.fws.gov/hunting/whatres.html

Pennsylvania Game News - October 2011

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