Zones Balance Habitats, Hunting Styles And Species
Duck zones aim to provide the best season dates for private and public land. Missouri has the opportunity to revise zones every five years, but it can have only three zones. To the degree possible, season dates and zone boundaries are designed to accommodate different habitats, hunting styles and species hunted within a given area.
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Hunters Helped Establish Zones
Ten thousand migratory bird permit holders were surveyed and asked about zone boundaries and season dates. In addition, over 400 people attended a total of 10 statewide workshops during the spring of 2006. Workshop participants reviewed compiled weather, population and harvest data to help evaluate zone boundary options. They also reviewed results from the state duck hunter opinion survey. See the reports below for information from your region.
The survey and workshops revealed that most hunters were satisfied with the existing zones. On average, season dates were no more than a week earlier or later than preferred by hunters in any region of the state.
Zone Boundaries Represent a Compromise
Changes to the north zone boundary will accommodate hunters in central Missouri. In response to hunters in southwest and southeast Missouri, the Department of Conservation considered placing more of southwest Missouri in the middle zone and opening the middle zone season about a week later.
Those changes would have set middle zone season dates later than desired by most hunters. In addition, opening days for duck and deer season would conflict with each other, and hunters in southeast Missouri, where there is little agreement about season dates or zone locations, would have realized limited benefits. The selected zone boundaries represent a compromise among hunters and between regions.
Missouri Duck Zones 2006-2010
- 11 - B. K. Leach
- 12 - Bob Brown
- 13 - Columbia Bottom
- 14 - Duck Creek
- 15 - Eagle Bluffs
- 16 - Fountain Grove
- 17 - Four Rivers
- 18 - Grand Pass
- 19 - Marais Temps Clair
- 21 - Montrose
- 22 - Nodaway Valley
- 23 - Otter Slough
- 24 - Schell-Osage
- 26 - Ted Shanks
- 27 - Ten Mile Pond
