Ducks Granted Two-Week Stay Until Oct. 27

ks got a short reprieve Thursday when the California Fish and Game Commission voted to open the season on Oct. 27 instead of Oct. 13, as originally recommended by Department of Fish and Game biologists and proposed by the commission.

The waterfowl seasons for ducks, coots and morehens will run from Oct. 27 to Nov. 18 and from Dec. 1 to Jan. 5, except in the northeastern part of the state, where the season will be Oct. 13-Dec. 10, and the Colorado River zone, where the dates will be Oct. 12 to Nov. 16 and Dec. 15 to Jan. 6.

There had been speculation that the commission would delay the duck season opening to accommodate private clubs that practice a controversial feeding program outlawed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A San Diego judge is expected to decide Wednesday whether to issue a restraining order on the service’s edict. Otherwise, the clubs could not shoot until 10 days after their grain had been removed.

Only three of the five commissioners were present for the meeting.

The bag limit is four per day, including maximums of three mallards, one female mallard and one pintail or two redhead or canvasback in aggregate. The possession limit is double. In the Colorado River zone, only one canvasback per day may be taken.