The California Fish and Game Commission set regulations for the 2018-19 waterfowl season this morning with two key changes compared with 2017-18: The pintail daily bag limit returns to two, and goose seasons are changing in the Northeastern Zone.

California Waterfowl and its Regulations & Traditions Committee supported both changes.

The new Northeastern Zone regulations:

• Bring white-fronted goose seasons in sync with white goose seasons.
• Create a longer late goose season for those species.
• Carve out a Special Management Area in the Klamath Basin is exempt from those changes to allow more public land goose hunting opportunity. (The Tule Lake and Lower Klamath national wildlife refuges, which are in the Special Management Area, are not open to hunting during the late goose seasons.)

"California Waterfowl appreciates the Department of Fish and Wildlife's efforts to mitigate for the loss of public hunting opportunity with the Northeastern Zone late season hunts through the creation of the Klamath Basin SMA," said Mark Hennelly, vice president for legislative affairs and public policy at CWA. Late-season hunts are mostly limited to private land.

"We also appreciate DFW's continued outreach to landowners in other parts of the Northeastern Zone on SHARE Program hunting opportunities for the public."

California Waterfowl continues to work at the federal level toward revising pintail daily bag limits in future seasons, seeking the option of a 3-bird limit under current regulations, as well as a revision of how pintail regulations are set, recognizing that three decades of restrictive (below seven) limits on pintail have not helped the population rebound. A growing body of research suggests that it is agricultural practices in pintail breeding grounds, not hunter harvest, that constrains the population. (Read more about our pintail efforts here.)

Here is a summary of season dates and bag limits (use links below to skip to any zone):

Northeastern
Balance of State
Southern San Joaquin Valley
Southern California
Colorado River Zone

NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA ZONE

SEASONS

Ducks: October 6, 2018, through January 18, 2019.
Scaup: October 6, 2018, through December 2, 2018, and December 22, 2018, through January 18, 2019.
White geese & white-fronts (specklebellies): October 6, 2018, through December 2, 2018, and January 5, 2019 through January 18, 2019 (except in the new Klamath Basin Special Management Area).
Other dark geese (Canadas): October 6, 2018, through January 13, 2019.
Klamath Basin Special Management Area: White geese & white-fronts (specklebellies), October 6, 2018 through January 18, 2019.
Special Youth Hunt days: September 22 and 23, 2018.
Late white goose & white-front season: February 6, 2019 through March 10, 2019 (except in the new Klamath Basin Special Management Area).

LIMITS

Ducks: Daily bag limit: 7. Which may contain 7 mallards, of which only 2 can be female; 2 pintail; 2 canvasback; 2 redheads; 3 scaup.
Geese: Daily bag limit: 30. Which may include up to 20 white geese, up to 10 dark geese, of which only 2 may be large Canada geese.
Possession limit ducks and geese: Triple the daily bag limit.

The new Klamath Basin Special Management Area

BALANCE OF STATE ZONE

SEASONS

Ducks and geese: October 20, 2018, through January 27, 2019.
Scaup: November 3, 2018, through January 27, 2019.
Brant Special Management Areas: Northern Brant, November 8, 2018, through December 14, 2018. Balance of State Brant, November 9, 2018, through December 15, 2018; 2 per day.
North Coast Special Management Area: Canada geese, October 31, 2018, through January 27, 2019, and February 23, 2019 through March 10, 2019 (no large Canada geese allowed during late season).
Special Youth Hunt Days: February 2 and 3, 2019.
Early large Canada goose season: September 29, 2018, through October 3, 2018, (except in the North Coast Special Management Area).
Late white-fronts and white goose season: February 9, 2019 through February 13, 2019 (except Sacramento Valley Special Management Area, where white-fronts are closed).

LIMITS

Ducks: Daily bag limit: 7. Which may contain 7 mallards of which only 2 can be female; 2 pintail; 2 canvasback; 2 redheads; 3 scaup.
Geese: Daily bag limit: 30. Which may include up to 20 white geese and up to 10 dark geese.
Early large Canada goose season: 10 large Canada geese
Sacramento Valley Special Management Area: No more than 3 white-fronts may be taken from October 20, 2018, until December 21, 2018.
North Coast Special Management Area: Canada goose limit: No more than 10 per day, of which 1 may be a large Canada goose. No large Canada geese may be taken during the late season.
Possession limit ducks and geese: Triple the daily bag limit.

SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY ZONE

SEASONS
Ducks and geese: October 20, 2018, through January 27, 2019.
Scaup: November 3, 2018, through January 27, 2019.
Special Youth Hunt days: February 2 and 3, 2019.

LIMITS
Ducks: Daily bag limit: 7. Which may contain 7 mallards, of which only 2 can be female; 2 pintail; 2 canvasback; 2 redheads; 3 scaup.
Geese: Daily bag limit: 30. Which may include up to 20 white geese and up to 10 dark geese.
Possession limit ducks and geese: Triple the daily bag limit.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ZONE

SEASONS

Ducks and geese: October 20, 2018, through January 27, 2019.
Scaup: November 3, 2018, through January 27, 2019.
Imperial County Special Management Area: White geese, November 3, 2018 through January 27, 2019; and February 9, 2019, through February 25, 2019.
Special Youth Hunt days: February 2 and 3, 2019.

LIMITS

Ducks: Daily bag limit: 7. Which may contain 7 mallards, of which only 2 can be female; 2 pintail; 2 canvasback; 2 redheads; 3 scaup.
Geese: Daily bag limit: 23. Of which only 20 may be white geese and only 3 may be dark geese.
Imperial County Special Management Area: White goose limit: 20 per day.
Possession limit ducks and geese: Triple the daily bag limit.

COLORADO RIVER ZONE

SEASONS
Ducks and geese: October 19, 2018, through January 27, 2019.
Scaup: November 3, 2018, through January 27, 2019.
Special Youth Hunt days: February 2 and 3, 2019.

LIMITS
Ducks: Daily bag limit: 7. Which may contain 7 mallards, but not more than 2 female mallards or Mexican-like ducks; 2 pintail; 2 canvasback; 2 redheads; 3 scaup.
Geese: Daily bag limit: 24. Which may contain 20 white geese and up to 4 may be dark geese.
Possession limit ducks and geese:Triple the daily bag limit.