Lincoln Co. Conservation agent offers reminders for waterfowl hunters in MDC’s St. Louis region

1/1

News from the region

Saint Louis

By

Dan Zarlenga

Published Date

10/28/2024

Body

St. LOUIS, Mo.-Autumn is unmistakably here, and for many hunters, that signals waterfowl seasons are upon us. The Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) St. Louis Region contains both the Missouri and Mississippi River bottoms. These are North America's largest rivers; plus, the region lies right in the middle of the Mississippi Flyway one of the country's busiest bird migration corridors. So, all that makes for plenty of opportunities to hunt waterfowl.

"With cool north winds and the weather beginning to change you may start to notice large groups of ducks and geese flying overhead," said Lincoln County Conservation Agent, Cpl. Nick Bommarito. "The fall migration has begun, and duck and goose seasons are approaching," Bommarito said.

With that in mind, Cpl. Bommarito offered some tips and reminders to help hunters get the most from their waterfowl hunting experiences.

"There are two heavily managed waterfowl hunting areas in the region: Marais Temps Claire in St. Charles County, and BK Leach in Lincoln County," said Agent Bommarito. "Both conservation areas have a morning draw to allocate hunting positions."

Morning draw times and procedures for these areas, and all intensively managed wetland areas throughout the state, can be found at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZFj. Draw times shift as the season progresses, so hunters should always check to see the most current times.

There are also several other conservation areas in the St. Louis region that can provide non managed waterfowl hunting opportunities such as Prairie Slough., Cuivre Island, and Upper Mississippi River conservation areas. These areas offer less structured, more opportunistic hunting experiences.

"Before hunting on any conservation area, do your research to see if there are any special area regulations," Cpl. Bommarito reminded hunters.

There are three separate duck hunting zones in the state. The St. Louis Region is split by two of these, the North Zone, and Middle Zone. A full map of the zone boundaries can be found in MDC's 2024- 2025 Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest, or online at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4zM.

"One new change for the 2024- 2025 waterfowl season is that Electronic Federal Waterfowl Stamps will be valid for the entire season," said Agent Bommarito.

The waterfowl season dates are as follows:

Ducks and Coots:

North Zone:

Nov. 2 - Dec. 31

Middle Zone:

Nov. 2- 10, and Nov. 16 - Jan. 5, 2025

South Zone:

Nov. 28 - Dec. 1, and Dec. 7 - Jan. 31, 2025

Geese:

Statewide:

Nov. 11 - Feb. 6, 2025

Cpl. Bommarito suggested waterfowl hunters should also familiarize themselves with these regulations:

• Permits required to duck and goose hunt in Missouri are a Small Game Hunting Permit, a Migratory Bird Hunting Permit, and a Federal Waterfowl Stamp. If hunters intend to use a physical Federal Waterfowl Stamp, they must sign the face of the stamp.
• Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.
• Possession and use of lead shot are prohibited.
• Shotguns must be 10 gauge or smaller and cannot be capable of holding more than three shells.
• The head or one fully feathered wing must remain attached to all waterfowl while being transported from the field to one's home.
• Daily limits for ducks include a total of 6 ducks with species restrictions of 4 mallards (no more than 2 hens), 3 wood ducks, 2 black ducks, 2 canvasbacks, 2 hooded mergansers, 2 redheads, 2 scaup during the first 45 days of season and 1 scaup during the last 15 days of season, 1 mottled duck, and 1 pintail.
• The daily limit for coots is 15.
• Daily limits for geese include 20 light geese, 3 Canada geese and brant combined, and 2 white-fronted geese.

Full regulations can be found in MDC's 2024-2025 Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest, available at MDC offices statewide, or where hunting permits are sold. Hunters can also download a pdf version on MDC's website at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4p6.

"Fall and winter can be a special time of year for hunters and waterfowl hunting can be a great way to enjoy the outdoors during this time," said Cpl. Bommarito. "And as always, the most important thing with hunting is to be safe and have fun."