Two-part Canada goose season proposed

The Department of Natural Resources is proposing a two-part Canada goose season for 1991-92 that will cover 59 calendar days and again provide for one goose per day in the first split and two geese per day in the second.

The first session will run from Nov. 12-29 and the second session would run from Dec. 9-Jan. 18.

In developing the proposal, a key consideration was the guidelines of the Canada Goose Management Plan. The major objectives of that plan are to have a three-year midwinter average of 400,000 geese in Maryland by 1995 and to maintain the harvest rate at 20 percent.

The DNR's Wildlife Division has scheduled two public hearings as opportunities for comments on waterfowl seasons for 1991-92.

The first meeting will be tomorrow at Loch Raven High School in Towson at 7 p.m.

The second meeting will be held Tuesday at Sandy Hill Elementary School in Cambridge at 7 p.m.

The following are the proposals for waterfowl seasons with species, open season, daily limit and possession limit:

(shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset)

Canada geese: Nov. 12-Nov. 29, 1, 2; Dec. 9-Jan. 18, 2, 4

Snow geese: Oct. 18-Nov. 29, 4, 8; Dec. 9-Jan. 18

Brant: Nov. 21-Nov. 29, 2, 4; Dec. 9-Jan. 18

Ducks: Oct. 18-Oct. 19, see below (except black duck); Nov. 28-Nov. 29; Dec. 10-Jan. 4

Black duck: Nov. 28-Nov. 29, see below; Dec. 10-Jan. 4

Sea ducks: Oct. 11-Jan. 20, 5, 10

Duck daily bag limit: Three ducks per day, which may include no more than threemallards (one hen only), one pintail, two wood ducks, one redhead, one fulvous tree duck and one black duck during black duck season. Seasons are closed for canvasback and harlequins. There is a daily bag limit of five for mergansers (one hooded merganser only) and a daily bag limit of 15 for coots.