LINCOLN, Neb. -- The Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioners set 2005 waterfowl, crow and falconry seasons and addressed a variety of other issues at an August 31 meeting in Kearney.

Nebraskas 2005 waterfowl, crow and falconry seasons will be:

Ducks

Low Plains Early: Oct. 1- Dec. 11 and Dec. 17-18

Low Plains Late: Oct. 15 - 16 and Oct. 22 - Jan. 1, 2006

High Plains: Oct. 1 - Dec. 11, and Dec. 17 - Jan. 9, 2006

Daily Bag Limit: All areas - Conventional system – six ducks. Total may include no more than: five mallards of which two can be females, two scaup (greater and lesser combined), two wood ducks, two redheads, and, one mottled duck.

Possession Limit: Twice the daily bag.

Early Teal Season: Sept. 10-18; Daily Bag Limit: 4; Possession Limit 8

Early Canada Goose: Sept. 10-19; Daily Bag Limit: 5: Possession Limit 10

Youth Hunt Season: Sept. 24-25; Bag and Possession Limits: same as regular duck season

Pintail and Canvasback Season:

Low Plains Early and High Plains: Oct. 1 – Nov. 8

Low Plains Late: Oct. 15 - 16 and Oct. 22 - Nov. 27

Bag and Possession Limits – one pintail per day during the pintail season; one canvasback per day during the canvasback season

Possession Limit – twice the daily bag

Mergansers:

Low Plains Early: Oct. 1- Dec. 11 and Dec. 17-18

Low Plains Late: Oct. 15 - 16 and Oct. 22 - Jan. 1, 2006

High Plains: Oct. 1 - Dec. 11, and Dec. 17 - Jan. 9, 2006

Daily Bag Limit – daily bag is five mergansers, only one of which may be a hooded merganser

Possession Limit – twice the daily bag

Coots

Season: Concurrent with duck season dates.

Daily Bag Limit: 15. Possession Limit: Twice the daily bag

Dark Geese

East Unit: Oct. 1-2 and Oct. 22 - Jan 22, 2006.

North Central Unit: Oct.1 – Jan. 3, 2006

Platte River Unit: Oct. 29 - Jan. 31, 2006

Panhandle Unit: Nov. 12 – Jan. 31, 2006

Niobrara Unit: Oct. 29 - Jan. 31, 2006

Daily Bag Limit: All units - three geese. Possession Limit: Twice the daily bag.

White-fronted Geese

Statewide: Oct. 1 - Dec. 11

Daily Bag Limit: Two geese. Possession Limit: Twice the daily bag.

Light Geese – Regular Season

Statewide: Oct. 1 – Jan. 13, 2006

Daily Bag Limit: 20 geese. Possession Limit: None.

Light Geese – Conservation Action

Zone 1: Feb. 1 – Apr. 16, 2006

Zone 2: Feb. 1 – Apr. 16, 2006

Zone 3: Feb. 1 – Apr. 16, 2006

Daily Bag Limit: None. Possession Limit: None.

Crows

Statewide: Oct. 1 - Nov. 15 and Jan. 20, 2006 - Apr. 6, 2006

Special Public Health Hazard Order: Nov. 16 - Jan. 19, 2006

Daily Bag Limit: None. Possession Limit: None.

Falconry

Statewide: Concurrent with duck season dates within zones and management units.

Daily Bag Limit: Three ducks. Possession Limit: Twice the daily bag.

In other action the Commissioners:

-- set October 28 as the date for a public hearing to add to, delete from, update, clarify, re-paginate and amend existing regulations to meet current statutory language;

- set October 28 as the date for a public hearing to amend administration regulations to establish new permit offerings and set new permit fees as established by Legislative Bills 121 and 162 as amended and approved by the First Session of the Ninety-Ninth Legislature;

– set October 28 as the date for a public hearing to amend fishing regulations;

- set October 28 as the date for a public hearing to amend wildlife regulations for the 2006 spring turkey hunting season;

- set October 28 as the date for a public hearing to amend parks regulations pertaining to the maximum number of days permitted for camping at Mormon Island and Windmill state recreation areas and the reservation of campsites; regulations governing the sale of duplicate annual permits by designated vendors; and regulations governing the size and configuration of permitted improvements in private cabin areas;

- approved a recommendation to establish lodging/golf package fees at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park to allow golfers to stay in rooms at Peter Kiewit Lodge at Eugene T. Mahoney Stat Park and play golf at Quarry Oaks and Iron Horse golf courses near Ashland, during the period starting the Tuesday after Labor Day and ending on May 15 of each year;

- approved Nebraskas Natural Legacy Project, the purpose of which is to develop and implement a blueprint for conserving Nebraskas flora, fauna and natural habitats through the proactive, voluntary conservation actions of partners, communities and individuals;

- approved a staff recommendation to enter into an interagency agreement for services between the Commission and the Nebraska Department of Justice to facilitate effective enforcement of the state game and parks laws and associated matters;

– approved a new boundary in the Dark Goose Niobrara Unit that is intended to allow additional hunting opportunity in that unit. The new addition to the Niobrara Unit is that portion south and west of a line from the Niobrara River and Nebraska Highway 137, south along Nebraska Highway 137 to U.S. Highway 20 (at Newport), west along U.S. Highway 20 to Norden Road, north along Norden Road to the Niobrara River, west along the Niobrara River to the Cherry County line, north along the Cherry County line to the state line;

– approved rewording to reflect statutory changes, that it is unlawful for any resident 16 years of age or older and all nonresidents, regardless of age, to hunt migratory waterfowl without possessing a valid small game hunting permit, a habitat stamp, a Nebraska migratory waterfowl stamp, and Federal migratory bird hunting stamp. The requirement for the Nebraska migratory waterfowl stamp shall begin January 1, 2006;

– made it illegal for any person 16 years of age or older to hunt migratory waterfowl with a raptor without possessing a valid small game hunting permit, a habitat stamp, a Nebraska migratory waterfowl stamp, and a federal-migratory bird hunting stamp. The requirement for the Nebraska migratory waterfowl stamp will begin January 1, 2006;

– approved the addition of genets to the list of animals that may be imported into the state, and defined wildlife exhibits which are exempted from importation restrictions as being an American Zoological Association-accredited facility, any facility operated by a city, village, state or federal agency, a wildlife exhibit licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture prior to January 1, 2006, or possessed by a circus licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture.

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