Brant Numbers High Enough to Clear Way for Skagit Hunt in Washington
OutdoorHub 01.09.12
Olympia, WA – Brant goose numbers in Skagit County are high enough to allow an eight-day hunt later this month, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
Brant hunting is scheduled Jan. 14, 15, 18, 21, 22, 25, 28 and 29 with a bag limit of two geese per day.
The hunting season was adopted by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in August, contingent on a count of at least 6,000 brant in Skagit County. A total of 6,704 brant were counted Friday morning during an aerial survey of Fidalgo, Padilla and Samish bays.
“Numbers of brant in Skagit County are down from last year’s count, but still high enough to provide hunting opportunities while sustaining the wintering population in the area,” said Don Kraege, waterfowl section manager for WDFW.
This year’s count in Skagit County is about 2,000 birds below the 10-year average, said Kraege. Last year, WDFW wildlife biologists counted about 8,500 brant in the county.
To participate in the Skagit County brant season, hunters must have a small game license, a migratory bird validation and a special migratory bird-hunting authorization with a brant harvest record card, which are available at WDFW license dealers. In addition, hunters also must have a federal migratory bird stamp.
After taking a brant, hunters are required to record their harvest information on the card immediately, and report their harvest to WDFW by Feb. 15.
Hunters who harvest a brant fitted with a colored leg band should report the leg band’s numbers and color by calling 1-800-327-BAND or at http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/bblretrv/ . The leg bands help biologists identify and track the birds.
More information on brant-hunting requirements is available in WDFW’s Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game Seasons hunting pamphlet at http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/ .
