DNR Announces Canada Goose Hunting Dates At Wye Island N.R.M.A.

ANNAPOLIS - The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) State Park Service today announced the dates for waterfowl hunting for migratory AP (Atlantic Population) Canada Geese at Wye Island Natural Resources Management Area (N.R.M.A.). As in the past, all hunts will be by permit only.

This year’s dates for migratory AP Canada Goose hunts are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from December 16, 2006 through January 27, 2007. Saturday, December 23, 2006, is excluded. All goose hunting permits will be issued through a lottery drawing. Goose hunting applications must be received at Wye Island by the close of business, 4:30 p.m., on October 27, 2006. Permits will be selected by random drawing on November 1, 2006, at 2 p.m. Results of the drawing will not be given out over the telephone. Successful applicants will be notified by mail.

NEW THIS YEAR – Anyone selected will be required to have a DNR MANAGED HUNT PERMIT (MHP). A MHP costs $35.00 and is valid statewide where DNR charges for public hunting access.

To receive an application for a permit, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Wye Island N.R.M.A., 632 Wye Island Road, Queenstown, MD 21658. Applications can also be downloaded from the DNR website at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/wyenrmapermit.html. There can only one application per hunter. Multiple and incomplete applications will be disqualified.

Complete the application and mail it along with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Wye Island N.R.M.A., 632 Wye Island Road, Queenstown, MD 21658.

Hunting hours will be one half-hour before sunrise until 1 p.m. The check-in station will open at 5:30 a.m. Check-in is required by 6:30 a.m. After 6:30 a.m., the pit will be re-assigned by lottery. The goose pit will be assigned at the check-in station and hunters must only hunt from their assigned pit. Hunters must check-out at the check-in station by 2 p.m.

All Canada Geese harvested at Wye Island will be considered part of the daily and season bag limit. Consult the Guide to Hunting and Trapping in Maryland 2006-07 for details. Hunting parties are limited to four (4) hunters maximum.

DNR reminds hunters to drive and park in designated areas only. These areas will be posted. Your hunt permit must be displayed on the vehicle’s dashboard in open view and is valid for one day only. Remember that weather and ground conditions may prohibit vehicular access, so hunters will have to be prepared to walk and haul all gear to the blind/pit. Hand drawn carts, wheelbarrows and skid sleds are permissible. Each hunter will be limited to 15 shotgun shells of the non-toxic shot type only. Refer to Maryland Hunters’ Guide for pertinent laws and regulations.

Wye Island NRMA has two handicapped accessible waterfowl blinds that were donated to DNR through a Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout projects. These blinds meet specifications for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and will provide service to persons with mobility impairments. To utilize these blinds you must apply for a permit. For more information about hunting opportunities for persons with mobility impairments see DNR’s website at www.dnr.state.md.us/accessforall.

For more information about hunting in Maryland, visit DNR Online at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/index.asp.

For more information contact:
Dave Davis
Wye Island NRMA
632 Wye Island Road
Queenstown, MD 21658
410-827-7577