Bird Dog & Retriever News
April / May 2026 issue page 10
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Iowa
DNR asks for public to report prairie chicken sightings
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for prairie chickens this spring and Iowans can help.
Iowa’s prairie chicken population had resided in three locations in Ringgold County – two on or near the Kellerton Wildlife Area; the third on private land - but have been seen in Union, Clarke, Decatur and Taylor counties.
“Whether your checking on the cattle or working the fields, we’d like you to keep an eye out for prairie chickens and let us know if you see them,” said Stephanie Shepherd, wildlife biologist with the Iowa DNR’s diversity program.
Prairie chicken sightings can be reported by calling 515-230-6599 or emailed to vwmp@dnr.iowa.gov.
“There’s a concern for this population,” Shepherd said. “Our numbers are down, not just here, but across the border in Missouri, and we want to keep tabs on any birds that we missed as part of our previous surveys.”
Missouri
Springfield school students participate in MDC mentored pheasant hunt
Yellow school buses can usually be spotted driving in and out of a shooting range in Ash Grove at least once a week. Over the past several Tuesdays in the first two months of the year, the weekly trips were a coordinated effort in giving Springfield students the opportunity to go on a mentored pheasant hunt.
While it’s not the overall goal, nearly every student bagged a bird.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has hosted mentored hunts for different groups throughout the years. In southwest Missouri, public hunting clinics and hunts for children and women first launched in 2004 at Bois D’Arc Conservation Area. A few years ago, the mentored hunts expanded to include Springfield Public Schools’ Outdoor Adventure classes.
The safety of the participants, staff, and spectators during the mentored hunt are critical to the overall success of the upland bird hunting clinic program. These requirements match up with MDC’s Nature and Health, which focuses on the health benefits of being out in nature.
Teaching students the lesson of ‘field to table’
The students have either been taking an outdoor awareness course with Springfield Public Schools (SPS) or were enrolled in the Wonders of the Ozarks Learning Facility (WOLF), which offers learning opportunities for fifth-grade students who have a special interest in nature and the outdoors. Each student also completes their hunter education certification.
Once students arrived at the shooting range, MDC instructors went over safety reminders and offered clay pigeon practice before the controlled hunt commenced. MDC conservation agents carried the firearms from each zone while pairing with students as other MDC staff guided the group through several stations.
“There’s been ongoing instruction within the classroom as well as by MDC staff, including with field agents, who prepare the students to successfully complete the controlled hunt,” said Marty Marsh, MDC education district supervisor. “Seeing the collaboration between the school staff with MDC staff and volunteers truly represents what we would want to see within the education community.”
Offering a controlled hunt is just one component of a comprehensive education plan, Marsh explained.
“It is one way we are educating students with real world learning experiences that engages them with the outdoors, and, if nothing else, creates both a conservation and community-minded citizen,” Marsh said.
In addition to their own processed bird, students hopefully also take home “a field to plate understanding,” better comprehension of game and wildlife management, and more, Marsh added.
Brad Brummel, SPS curriculum coordinator of health and physical education, echoed Marsh’s sentiments.
“The students’ well-being is a priority,” Brummel said.
Helping students be successful means providing children with an awareness of the natural resources they take part in, as well as preparing them to be accomplished community members and stewards, Brummel added.
“We partner with MDC on a number of instructional units in the outdoor awareness course, but with a controlled hunt, it’s just icing on the cake in helping students see the conservation model all the way through,” Brummel explained, from students learning about firearm safety, conservation history, and more. “Students harvesting a bird, taking the meat home, and the bird making it all the way to the table with the students’ families is hard to replicate, and it’s a program we value greatly.”
As was exclaimed by the young people many times over the weeks, Brummel said this was the students’ first time hunting or they had only participated in deer and turkey hunting seasons.
“They have not had the opportunity to hunt for pheasants, so that’s a unique opportunity for them as well,” Brummel said.
A parent’s perspective
Ryan and Jen Savage watched their 11-year-old son, Graham, proudly hold up a bird he harvested while participating in the controlled pheasant hunt on Feb. 17.
“My son, being in WOLF, is the first time that I’ve experienced the collaboration between the Missouri Conservation Department and the schools with the WOLF program, and honestly, my feeling is I wish every kid in Missouri could participate in all that the Missouri Conservation Department has to offer,” said Ryan Savage, a former SPS principal.
As his son trotted off to get his harvest processed by MDC staff and volunteers, Ryan Savage said he was already thinking of the next opportunity he could take his son bird hunting.
Discover the benefits of nature to one’s health with MDC’s resources at research.mdc.mo.gov/project/health-benefits-nature.
Find out more about events and programs at Andy Dalton Shooting Range and Education Center at mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/andy-dalton-shooting-range-outdoor-education-center.
Nebraska
Commissioners approve 2026-2027 waterfowl recommendations
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approved 2026-2027 waterfowl hunting season recommendations at its March 20 meeting at Ponca State Park.
Approved staff recommendations include a transition to a three duck-zone configuration instead of four. Boundary changes to duck zones and goose units approved by commissioners last June resulted in duck Zone 4 being relabeled to Zone 1. The former Zone 1 is being absorbed into Zone 2.
Also approved was a nine-day early teal season in both Low Plains and High Plains zones due to blue-winged teal breeding population status.
The approved 2026-2027 Nebraska waterfowl seasons are:
Early Teal
Low Plains – Sept. 5-13
High Plains – Sept. 5-13
Daily bag limit – six; Possession limit – 18
Youth, Veteran, and Active-Duty Military
Zone 1 – Oct. 17-18
Zone 2 – Sept. 26-27
Zone 3 – Oct. 17-18
Daily bag – Same as regular season
Duck and Coot
Zone 1 – Oct. 24-Dec. 6 and Dec. 19-Jan. 17
Zone 2 – Oct. 3-Dec. 15 and Jan. 6-27 (High Plains)
Zone 3 – Oct. 24-Jan. 5 and Jan. 6-27 (High Plains)
Daily bag – Tier 1: six ducks, with restrictions; Tier II: three ducks, any species, any sex; Possession limit – three times the daily bag limit
Dark Goose
Platte River Unit – Oct. 28-Feb. 9
Niobrara Unit – Oct. 28-Feb. 9
North Central Unit – Oct. 3-Jan. 15
Daily bag limit – five; Possession limit – 15
White-fronted Goose
Statewide – Oct. 17-Dec. 27, and Jan. 25-Feb 9
Daily bag limit – two; Possession limit – six
Light Goose Regular Season
Statewide – Oct. 3-Dec. 30 and Jan. 25-Feb. 9
Daily bag limit – 50; Possession limit – none
Light Goose Conservation Order
East Zone – Feb. 10-April 15
West Zone – Feb. 10-April 5
Rainwater Basin Zone – Feb. 10-April 5
Daily bag and possession limits – none
North Dakota
2026 Waterfowl Hunting Season
North Dakota’s waterfowl season opens for residents Sept. 26, while nonresidents may begin hunting waterfowl Oct. 5.
The resident-only portion of the season has been extended from seven days in previous years to nine days in 2026. This change, which was first presented to the public starting summer 2025, provides additional early season opportunities for resident hunters.
The zones and overall season structure for nonresident hunters will remain the same as the 2025 hunting season.
The North Dakota 2026-27 Hunting and Trapping Guide will be available this summer and will provide further details on the waterfowl hunting season.
Spring Light Goose Conservation Order
North Dakota’s spring light goose conservation order opens Feb. 21 and continues through May 10.
Residents must have a 2025-26 (valid through March 31) or 2026-27 (required April 1) combination license; or a small game, and general game and habitat license. Resident youth under age 16 only need the general game and habitat license. The 2026-27 license is available for purchase beginning March 15. In addition, all hunters need an electronic waterfowl restoration stamp.
Nonresidents need a 2026 spring light goose conservation order license. The cost is $50 and valid statewide. Nonresidents who hunt in spring remain eligible to buy a fall season license. The spring license does not count against the 14-day fall waterfowl hunting season regulation.
Nonresident youth under 16 can purchase a license at the resident fee. A federal duck stamp is not required for either residents or nonresidents. Yet, like resident hunters, nonresidents also need an electronic waterfowl restoration stamp.
Resident and nonresident licenses are available online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.
Hunters must register annually with the Harvest Information Program prior to hunting in each state. The HIP number obtained for North Dakota’s spring conservation order is also valid for North Dakota’s fall hunting season. The number can be obtained online on the Game and Fish website.
The spring conservation order is only open to light geese – snows, blues and Ross’s. Species identification is important because white-fronted and Canada geese travel with light geese. The conservation order is closed to whitefronts, Canada geese, swans and all other migratory birds.
Midwinter Waterfowl Survey Numbers
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual midwinter waterfowl survey in early January indicated about 135,000 Canada geese and 9,500 mallards in the state.
Mason Ryckman, department migratory game bird biologist, said numbers were pretty similar to years when Lake Sakakawea is still open, besides the record-breaking number of 300,000-plus Canada geese in 2024.
“Unlike last year when Lake Sakakawea was completely frozen at the time of the survey, this year a portion of the lake remained relatively ice free from Garrison Dam to the mouth of the little Missouri River,” Ryckman said. “We were able to count 39,000-plus Canada geese on the lake this year. We would have probably overwintered more waterfowl if we didn’t receive the snow we did in late November and early December. It likely pushed birds south of the border due to not having access to waste grain in ag fields. However, the snow didn’t last long, which helped the birds that did stay until the time of the survey.”
During the 2026 survey, an estimated 109,112 Canada geese were observed on the Missouri River and Lake Sakakawea, another 16,894 on Nelson Lake in Oliver County, and an additional 8,500-plus geese in other parts of the state. Ryckman said Game and Fish staff and partners with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recorded the additional 9,500 mallards across the state.
The 10-year average (2017-26) for the midwinter survey in North Dakota is 115,950 Canada geese and 13,400 mallards. The survey helps biologists gauge wintering distribution of waterfowl in North Dakota, and other states throughout the Central Flyway.
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