The first true hunting seasons are now open statewide in Pennsylvania for the Canada goose and Mourning Doves, effective Sept. 1.

This is a specialty hunt for those interested in waterfowl and other migratory birds and requires additional hunting licenses along with your general PA license. All hunters in PA ages 12 and up are required to purchase and carry the Resident Migratory Game Bird License which costs $3.90 and is an add on at any place that sells licenses for PA.

In addition, hunters 16 and older are required to purchase the Federal Duck Stamp, which costs $25 each. There is a junior Duck stamp available for $5 that young hunters and their mentors like to purchase for conservation and collections as well.

This year’s duck stamp is an artwork of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks painted by Eddie LeRoy of Eufaula, Ala. Each year there is significant competition for the winning artwork to be selected as the annual duck stamp winner. The winner gets no compensation from the federal government, but does own the license for all sales used for commercial ventures such as prints, artwork, collector art work on plates, bottles and such.

The winner could realize thousands, if not more in those licensed art offerings and is often featured on collector items all across the interests of special interest persons.

The Federal Duck Stamp was formally known as the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp. The first stamp was issued on Aug. 14, 1934 and through the sale of these stamps over one billion dollars have been raised to protect six million acres of wetlands habitat in national refuges across the country.

Stamp proceeds have purchased or enhanced National Wildlife Refuges across all 50 states and US Territories. The closest refuge that comes to my mind is the Erie National Wildlife Refuge located in Crawford-Erie counties, just off of I-79 North past Edinboro, PA. These areas are highly popular with photographers, artists, bird watchers, wildlife enthusiasts and all types of conservationists/educational/environmentalists as well as hunters and fishermen.

Now that we have a little bit of the background of the migratory bird hunting movement, we should talk about the hunting process here in Pennsylvania. We know that three licenses are required to hunt migratory birds. These birds include the Canada goose, mourning doves, Brant, Woodcock, Gallinules, Common Snipe, and the Virginia & Sora Rails.

Later in the season, Light Geese come into season (Snow Geese & Ross’ Geese). Make sure that you know the open hunting seasons for each species and know how to recognize them. Hunters may also encounter swans during their hunting forays.

Both Trumpeter and Tundra Swans are protected as well as Sand Hill Cranes. These swans have black bills and are easily recognized white large birds. There are field guides to recognizing ducks and geese and it would be a wise investment.

The daily limits on doves is fairly liberal at 15 daily with 45 in possession while the Canada goose allows a harvest of eight daily and a 24 in possession (aggregate in your freezer) over the season. Hunters may start shooting hours one-half hour before sunrise and one-half hour after sunset in your hunting area. Make sure that you check the hunting hours table and note that beginning hours and ending hours are adjusted to the Pennsylvania Meridian Map.

Ducks and Sea Ducks have an entire new set of rules to follow with four zones in PA. Each zone has different hunting dates and different limits on ducks. The limit on aggregate duck harvests is six ducks daily.

For example, you are allowed two mallards but only one hen mallard, three wood ducks, two redheads, two black ducks, two canvasbacks, two hooded mergansers and one pintail among others. As you can see, you need to be up on your ducks and be able to recognize them in flight and in the regional habitat.

I must admit that I can recognize a core group of ducks in our area, but when the flight ducks come in to our area from up north of the border, I need some help of experienced duck hunters or field guides.

Generally, waterfowl hunters are their own breed and they need a lot of equipment, ammunition, dogs and grit that most other hunters are not willing to put forth.

Until we meet again, check out the specialized world of waterfowl hunting and get out your decoys and honker calls.

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle