Pheasant and quail, prairie chicken, late-migrating waterfowl seasons mark November openings
PRATT — The Kansas pheasant and quail seasons return to their traditional opening and closing dates this fall. Both seasons open on Saturday, Nov. 14, and run through Jan. 31, 2010. Prairie chicken season opens a week later — Nov. 21 through Jan. 31, 2010, in the Northwest and East units. In the Southwest Unit, prairie chicken season runs Nov. 21-Dec. 31. (The prairie chicken Southwest Unit is bordered by Highway K-96 on the north and U.S. 281 on the east.)

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) reminds all hunters to avoid standing crops. Some farmers have not yet harvested milo and other crops, even as late as mid-November. Hunters are asked to stay out of standing crop fields because most farmers do not want these fields disturbed until after harvest. Permission is required to hunt private land, whether it is posted or not.

The daily bag limit on pheasants is four roosters, and the daily bag on quail is eight birds. The daily bag limit on prairie chicken in the East and Northwest units is two, and the daily bag in the Southwest Unit is one. The possession limit on all three species is four times the daily bag limit.

While some waterfowl seasons have already opened, Kansans in portions of the state still look forward to waterfowl openers. Duck regulations and season dates for the fall and winter of 2009-2010 are as follow.

Bag limits, possession limits, shooting hours

Five ducks is the daily bag limit, which may include no more than two redheads, two scaup, three wood ducks, and one duck from the following group — one pintail, one canvasback, one hen mallard, one mottled duck (except for the first five days of the season, in any zone, when mottled ducks may not be taken). The daily bag limit for coots is 15, and a daily bag limit for mergansers is five, which may include no more than two hooded mergansers. The coot and merganser seasons will run concurrent with the regular duck seasons.

Possession limits for all species (ducks, coots, and mergansers) are double the daily bag. Shooting hours for all species are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Duck Season Dates

• High Plains Zone Youth — Oct. 3-4.
• High Plains Zone (West of U.S. 283) — first segment, Oct. 10-Jan. 5, 2010; second segment, Jan. 23-31, 2010.
• Early Zone Youth — Oct. 3-4.
• Early Zone — first segment, Oct. 10-Dec. 6; second segment, Dec. 19-Jan. 3, 2010.
• Late Zone Youth — Oct. 24-25.
• Late Zone — first segment, Oct. 31-Jan. 3, 2010; second segment, Jan. 23-31, 2010.

(For details on zone boundaries, see the 2009 Kansas Hunting and Furharvesting Regulations Summary, link below.)

During the youth seasons, youth must be 15 years old or younger and accompanied by an adult, who cannot hunt. The supervising adult must be at least 18 years old, and the adult does not have to have a hunting license or stamps required of waterfowl hunters.

For Canada geese, season segments are Oct. 31-Nov. 8 and Nov. 11-Feb. 14, with a daily bag limit of three. For white-fronted geese, the season segments are Oct. 31-Nov. 8; Nov. 11-Jan. 3, 2010; and Feb. 6-14, 2010, with a daily bag limit of two. The light goose season segments are Oct. 31-Nov. 8 and Nov. 11-Feb. 14, 2010, with a daily bag limit of 20. (Under a federal Light Goose Conservation Order, light geese may also be taken from Feb. 15-April 30, with no bag or possession limits.)

All waterfowl possession limits are twice the daily bag limit, except for light geese, which have no possession limit.

For falconers, federal frameworks allow no extended season in the High Plains Zone. In both the Early and Late zones, the season runs Feb. 24-March 10, 2010. Because of the 107-day hunting limit imposed by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty, and the increased length of the September teal season from nine to 16 days, there are seven fewer days left for falconers in the Early and Late zones, and none available in the High Plains Zone.

A valid Kansas hunting license is required of all residents ages 16 through 64. Nonresidents must purchase a $72.50 nonresident hunting license, except that those nonresidents younger than 16 may purchase a youth nonresident license for $37.50. Anyone born on or after July 1, 1957, must have completed a certified hunter education course, except that youth 15 and younger may hunt under direct adult supervision without hunter education certification. Youth 12 through 15 may hunt without adult supervision if they have completed a certified hunter education course.

For complete hunting regulation information, consult the 2009 Kansas Hunting and Furharvesting Regulations Summary, available wherever licenses are sold or online at www.kdwp.state.ks.us.
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