Minnesota Waterfowl Association's Blog
Fish and Wildlife Service proposes liberal season framework for 2016 December 16, 2015
It’s not even Christmas yet, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service already has proposed a liberal season framework for the 2016 season. The early announcement is the result of a new process the federal agency is using.
Not surprisingly, the federal agency is proposing another liberal season framework, which, in Minnesota, would mean 60 days and six ducks.
In the past, the framework-setting process hasn’t been complete until the middle of the summer, leaving little time for biologists and others to comment on the proposed rules, and little time for states to finalize their seasons and print regulations.
If all goes according to plan, the USFWS will finalize the 2016 regulations at the end of February, 2016, and the Minnesota DNR will finalize the season for the state shortly thereafter. We’ll have to wait and see whether the DNR continues to create a waterfowl regulations supplement, or whether the regs are now included in the larger hunting and trapping regulations booklet.
If you want to comment on the proposed 2016 frameworks, you can. Just follow this link and scroll down to Page 2 for instructions. http://www.fws.gov/home/feature/2015/pd ... s-2016.pdf