Lots of good information on Nevada goose and swan hunting

If you are a waterfowl hunter, here is lots of information about hunting geese or swans in the State of Nevada:

GOOSE (Canada and White-Fronted)

Opens statewide on Saturday, Oct. 21, except for the Moapa Valley Portion of the Overton Wildlife Management Area.

This season will close on Jan. 28.

THere is a daily limit of 3 with a possession limit of 6.

GOOSE (Canada and White-Fronted)

Opens for the Moapa Valley Portion of the Overton Wildlife Management Area in Southern Nevada on Saturday, Nov. 4.

This season will close on Jan. 28.

Daily limit of 3 with a possession limit of 6.

GOOSE (Snow and Ross')

Opens statewide on Saturday, Oct. 21, except for the Moapa Valley Portion of the Overton Wildlife Management Area.

This season will close on Jan. 28.

Daily limit of 4 with a possession limit of 8.

GOOSE (Snow and Ross')

Opens for the Moapa Valley Portion of the Overton Wildlife Management Area on Saturday, Nov. 4.

This season will close on Jan. 28.

Daily limit of 4 with a possession limit of 8.

Special Note: The following area is closed to hunting for Snow and Ross' Geese: Ruby Valley within Elko and White Pine Counties.

SWAN

Hunters must possess a Nevada hunting license, Federal Migratory Game Bird Hunting Stamp, a Nevada Duck Stamp and a Swan tag

Opens on Saturday, Oct. 21 only in Churchill, Lyon and Pershing Counties.

This season will close on Jan. 7.

Successful hunters are required to have their tags and swans validated at selected sites within five days of harvesting a swan.

If a harvest of five Trumpeter Swans is reached, the swan season is closed for the remainder of the season.

SOME MISC. INFO.

The shooting hours are 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset.

These seasons are open to Non-Residents.

All waterfowl hunters are required to have Federal and state waterfowl hunting stamps.

A Nevada State Duck Stamp ($10) is required for any person 12-64 years old who hunts migratory birds, except mourning or white-winged dove, snipe, coot or moorhen.

A Federal Migratory Game Bird Hunting Stamp ($16 at NDOW) is required for any person 16 or older who hunts any migratory waterfowl.

Any person 12 years or older who plans to hunt any kind of migratory game bird, including ducks, geese, swans, rails, coot, doves, snipe, or gallinules in Nevada this year, is required to annually obtain a Harvest Information Program (HIP) validation number and write it on their hunting license before entering the field.

That number is free and is available by calling (866) 703-4605 or by going to Internet website www.ndowlicensing.com.

The HIP is a method by which NDOW and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USF&WS) are developing more reliable estimates of the number of all migratory birds harvested throughout the country. These estimates give biologists the information they need to make sound decisions concerning hunting seasons, bag limits, and population management.

Nontoxic shot is required in Nevada: A hunter of ducks, mergansers, geese, swans, coots, gallinules or snipe shall use nontoxic shot in muzzle loaders or in shells for a shotgun when hunting in this state.

Shotguns must be plugged to limit overall shot shell capacity to only three shells.

Head or fully feathered wing must remain attached, while in transit from the field, for ducks, mergansers, coots and Moorhens, snipe, geese and swans.

Report any bird bands by calling (800) 327-BAND. By reporting band numbers, you will be helping to manage our continental waterfowl resource.

Non-Game Birds such as shore birds, song birds, hawks, ravens, owls, etc., are protected by state and federal law, and as such must not be hunted, killed or possessed.

For all of the various laws and regulations concerning waterfowl, boating, and other use regulations on state and federal lands, see the Nevada Hunt Book which is available on the Internet, at license agents and NDOW offices.

SPECIAL NOTE

Be advised that at the Scripps Wildlife Management Area and at Washoe Lake State Park, both in Washoe Valley, during the waterfowl season, hunting is permitted only on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays and certain Holidays.

FINALLY

If you are successful in bagging any geese this season, remember who gave you all of this useful information.

I would love to have a nice roast goose dinner, without having to go out and freeze my butt off, trying to bag one in cold, rainy or snowy, nasty weather. I'm getting too old for that kind of misery!

For information, call the Nevada Department of Wildlife at 688-1500 during regular hours.

• Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you how many waterfowl hunters are in Nevada.

If he grins and says, "According to NDOW, there are roughly 4,000 waterfowl hunters in Nevada," he might have read the 2006 Waterfowl Forecast by Kim Toulouse of NDOW on their website.

• Don Quilici is the Outdoors editor for the Nevada Appeal.