Feds deny request to up bluebill limit

Minnesota's bluebill limit won't be relaxed this hunting season after all.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has turned down an 11th-hour request by Minnesota, Wisconsin and the other 12 states in the Mississippi Flyway to reconsider its more restrictive bluebill (or scaup) bag limits this fall.

The federal agency is sticking with its decision, allowing hunters one bluebill in the daily bag for 40 days of the upcoming 60-day duck season, with two allowed for 20 days.

"The service has declined to change the scaup season framework this year, but indicated it would work with us next year," said Dennis Simon, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife section chief.

"We're disappointed, but there's nothing we can do at this point," said Steve Cordts, DNR waterfowl biologist.

Minnesota and the other states sought a two-scaup bag limit for 45 days and a one-scaup daily limit for 15 days, arguing that those regulations would result in a harvest amount only slightly higher than estimated under the federal bag limit.

But Paul Schmidt, the Fish and Wildlife Service's assistant director for migratory birds, told Dave Schad, DNR fish and wildlife section chief, at a meeting Wednesday that the agency wouldn't accept the change. The agency has yet to issue its formal written response.

Last year, there was a two-bird limit for the entire 60-day season.