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Where Did That 30-Day Pintail Season Come From?

Ted Nichols

Principal Wildlife Biologist
Waterfowl Ecology and Management Program

Although pintails are still abundant in North America, their numbers have declined markedly since the mid-1970s. In the 2002 US Fish and Wildlife Service's May Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (May Survey), pintails dropped to a record low 1.8 million birds which was 58% below the long-term (1955-2001) average. This estimate is also 68% below the population objective of 5.6 million pintails outlined in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.

Pintail - courtesy of US FWS

In the past, ducks in mid-continent North America have waxed and waned in response to respective periods of wet years and drought. The estimated number of prairie wetlands in the May Survey reached record highs in the late 1990s. Mallards reached an all time record high in the May Survey in 1999 as did gadwalls and shovelers in 1997. In the late 1990s both green-winged and blue-winged teal increased to more than 40% above the long-term average and even wigeon were 20% above the long-term average. However, pintails did not respond to the wet habitat conditions as expected. The poor response by pintails is troubling given the large populations reached during previous periods of abundant habitat in the 1950s and 1970s and the current responses observed by other dabblers.

Like many other wildlife population declines, the problem with pintails appears to be complex and multi-faceted. Pintails have a preference for shallow-water breeding habitats that are the most susceptible to agricultural drainage. Pintails have a strong tendency to nest in open habitats, frequently in grain stubble fields. As such, many pintail nests are destroyed each spring by farming practices. Pintails also have a tendency to be early nesters and therefore may be more vulnerable to predation. Some research suggests that early nesting ducks, such as pintails, may be more susceptible to predation than late nesting species such as gadwall. During the lean times of early spring, predators may home in on the few nesting ducks available, whereas predators may have less of an impact later in the season when the landscape is swamped with nesting birds.

Nests in open habitats may also be easier for predators to locate. Pintails, like most other dabbling ducks, will attempt to renest after failing an initial nesting attempt. Pintails are less persistent than other species like mallards, however, and few pintails will attempt renesting after a failed second attempt. Added to the poor recruitment are several recent, severe late summer outbreaks of avian botulism in mid-continent North America where many pintails have succumbed. Many of the pintails that fall victim are undoubtedly failed breeders that tend to concentrate at molting sites where the botulism events occur. Many problems exist in key pintail wintering habitats as well, particularly in the west, where loss of wetlands and water shortages due to development and agriculture have taken their toll.

Given the bleak status of pintails in 2002, the Atlantic, Mississippi and Pacific Flyway Councils recommended some degree of hunting restrictions for pintails. The Atlantic Flyway (AF) Council recommended a 20-day pintail season from North Carolina to Florida, with a 60-day season in the remainder of the flyway. The biological justification for this recommendation was that banding data suggests that few mid-continent pintails are shot in the northern portion of the AF; however, significant recoveries of mid-continent pintails occur in the southern states of the AF. This is not surprising since the same trend holds true for mid-continent mallards. The majority of pintails found in the northern portion of the AF are believed to be derived from eastern Canada. Although not as long-term nor as rigorous as data from the May Survey, several indices regarding the status of eastern pintails suggest that they are not experiencing the plight of their mid-continent cousins. Despite the biological arguments of the AF recommendation, the US Fish and Wildlife Service instituted restrictions on pintail seasons throughout the 4 flyways.

"Seasons within a season", or in this case, a 30-day pintail season within a 60 day, total duck season, are unpopular for several reasons. Undoubtedly, this strategy adds a level of complexity to already somewhat confusing regulations. Partial season closures are especially unpopular for species that are more likely to be confused with other similar appearing species. In this case, pintails can sometimes be confused with other "white-bellied ducks", most notably gadwall and wigeon. This regulation is also more confusing for species with a more widespread distribution like pintails as opposed to species with more limited geographic distributions (for example, canvasbacks). However, with the daily bag limit already at one bird, as is the case for pintails, reducing the season length is the only other option available to reduce total pintail harvest.

Of course, another alternative would be to allow the status of pintails to constrain the season length for all duck hunting. A 30-day duck season would be very unpopular with duck hunters and would also not be biologically necessary for most other species (black ducks and mallards, for example). Hunters need to keep in mind the constraints facing wildlife managers who need to balance the wants and desires of sportsmen while ensuring the long-term health of many waterfowl species with varying population statuses, harvest vulnerability and reproductive capabilities.

Our goal in setting the pintail season in New Jersey was first, to have the pintail season open when pintails were most abundant, and second, to have the pintail season open when most hunters are afield in each zone. Although clearly not likely to achieve a maximum pintail harvest reduction, we believed that these actions were biologically warranted given the status of pintails in the northern portion of the AF. In addition, by having the pintail season open when pintails were most abundant and while the maximum numbers of hunters were afield, the strategy would by default minimize mis-identification problems for the maximum number of hunters.

To meet these goals, we examined data from the US Fish and Wildlife Survey's Parts Collection Survey (PCS) and the Harvest Information Program (HIP). In an average year, about 2,000 pintails are harvested in New Jersey with the harvest breakdown roughly 60% South Zone, 30% Coastal Zone and 10% North Zone. We examined PCS and HIP data for time periods when peak numbers of pintails were harvested within each zone and assumed that these periods corresponded with peak pintail abundance. We also took into account that these peak harvest periods, were also to some degree, largely influenced by increased hunting effort since they heavily corresponded to opening days and holiday periods (most notably Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday periods) when duck hunting activity is typically highest.

In the South Zone, peak pintail harvest occurred when the season opened, with a second spike in harvest around the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. In the Coastal Zone peak pintail harvest also occurred when the season opened. However, there were 2 additional, smaller peaks in harvest, around the Thanksgiving holiday and then again around the Christmas holiday. With only a 30-day season, and the constraint of only being allowed to split the season into 2 segments (a Federal regulation in states with zoning), we were forced to choose between these 2 holiday periods for the Coastal Zone.

We believed that the Christmas holiday was more important to Coastal Zone waterfowl hunters than was the Thanksgiving holiday. In the North Zone, where few pintails are harvested, there was no clear pattern in the timing of pintail harvest. The majority of the pintail harvest in the North Zone occurs in the Hackensack Meadowlands. General observations from several wildlife biologists and waterfowl hunters in the North Zone suggested that hunting for pintails was better later in the season. As such, we included the maximum number of Saturdays in November and December while also including the popular Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons for the North Zone. I have to admit that I was a little on edge while hunting in Sussex County on the opening day of the North Zone 2002 duck season (pintails closed), particularly when my hunting partner described the 25 pintails he had seen in the area the day before our hunt.

Much work needs to be done, at an international level, and at a landscape scale, to address the pintail problem. Additional, long-term research needs to be done across the pintail breeding range to understand factors affecting pintail recruitment rates. Harvest regulations have considerable implications for pintail survival. Although a preliminary Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM) model has been developed for pintails, it has not been implemented largely because of the lack of banding data, concerns of the geographic distribution of the May Survey transects and difficulty linking pintail AHM with mallard AHM. A better understanding of factors affecting pintail recruitment and survival would enhance the development of conservation programs and AHM models for pintails.


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