August-September 2021 • Nebraskaland 27
Pilot Duck Program Launches
Simplifi ed Regulations Intend to Draw Hunters
How Are the Tiers different?
Tier I is the traditional six-duck limit, with
hunters able to take no more than five mallards, of
which no more than two may be hens; three wood
ducks; one scaup; two redheads; one pintail; and
two canvasbacks. Possession limit for the season
is 18 ducks.
A HIP number is required for Nebraska hunters
age 16 and older and for all nonresidents, no
matter their age.
As usual, a random selection of hunters will be
required to send in a wing from some harvested
birds, per federal collection efforts to estimate
harvest.
Tier II is a three-duck limit, with no species or
sex restrictions. Possession limit for the season is
nine ducks.
All hunters wishing to register for Tier II — no
matter their age or place of residence — will be
required to obtain a HIP number.
These hunters will be given a journal, where
they will record information on hunting activity
and harvest, and return to Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission at the end of the hunting
season.
They also will be required to send in a wing from
each duck harvested as part of efforts to estimate
harvest. Game and Parks will provide the postage-
paid envelopes.
What's the Same?
Both tiers will still require all other state and
federal licenses and permits.
Are There Any Caveats?
The new tier regulations will not apply to the early
teal duck season in Nebraska. Hunters selecting
Tier II may hunt teal but must follow early teal
regulations: no more than six teal per day and no
nonteal species.
Why the New System?
The goal of the program is to grow the number of
waterfowl hunters into the future. Nationally, duck
hunter numbers have fallen nearly 44% — or about
464 hunters per year in Nebraska — since 1990.
A recent survey determined duck identification
skills were a major factor preventing potential
hunters from coming to the sport.
The two-tier regulations are an effort to combat
the problem. The test program will run through
2025, when it will be assessed to determine the
effect it had on waterfowl hunter numbers or duck
populations.
Duck populations will be assessed annually and
over time by comparing wings sent in by those
hunting in Tier II to harvests by hunters in Tier I.
For more information on the new program, visit
OutdoorNebraska.org/DuckTiers.
Setting a spread of duck decoys at Whitney Lake Wildlife Management Area near Crawford. JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
Duck hunters in Nebraska and South Dakota will choose between two daily bag limits for the 2021-22 duck
season as part of a five-year pilot project designed to grow the number of waterfowl hunters in the states.
New regulations approved in March created a two-tier system that all duck hunters will select when
registering for their Harvest Information Program numbers beginning Aug. 1. Hunters will be bound to the
tier they choose for the hunting season.
