Waterfowl hunting season kicked off Friday morning on the Kenai Peninsula and in several other areas of the state. Jason Schamber, the statewide waterfowl program coordinator for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Anchorage.
"All duck species that occur here are in season, so mallards, pintails, scaup, widgeons, canvas backs. Also, in this area there are also geese available, so, Canada geese, and maybe white-front, but they tend to migrate early," Schamber said. "And snow geese, some falls will come through Southcentral, but they mostly occur at the end of spring. And also sandhill cranes and snipe."
Schamber says there are no new regulations for hunters to be aware of since last season, except reporting of recovered leg-bands is now done online. Also, this year is the first open season for Emperor Geese in three decades, but they do not frequent the Kenai Peninsula.
Game Management Unit 15, the western Kenai Peninsula is mostly wide open, except for within a quarter-mile of the Moose River between the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and the Sterling Highway.
The bag and possession limits vary greatly between species of waterfowl, from 2 per day and six in possession for sandhill cranes, to 10 per day and 20 in possession for sea ducks.
On average, 48,000 ducks and 8,000 geese are harvested per year in Alaska by 10,800 hunters, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service harvest information program.
By the way, the picture of a male widgeon gliding in for a landing that is featured on this year's Alaska duck stamp was taken by Milo Burcham, a U.S. Forest Service employee in Cordova.