The waterfowl hunting season will begin on Saturday, 13 August, at 16:00. Game waterfowl may be hunted in public bodies of water and their towpaths without the consent of the user of hunting rights. Hunting in public lakes and rivers located within urban areas is permitted only in accordance with the hunting regulations established by the respective municipality. If a municipality has not established such regulations, hunting within the city territory is prohibited.

The hunting regulations stipulate that the waterfowl hunting season begins on the second Saturday of August at 16:00; this year, waterfowl hunting will be permitted starting from 13 August. Until 14 September, waterfowl may be hunted on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and from 15 September to 30 November, daily. Waterfowl, such as mallards, teals, garganeys and goldeneyes, are non-limit game species, meaning there is no quota on the number of birds that can be harvested. Last hunting season, the State Forest Service was notified of 20,000 waterfowl being hunted.

In public bodies of water and their towpaths, game waterfowl may be hunted without the consent of the user of the hunting rights in whose hunting area the respective body of water is located. The list of public lakes and rivers can be found in Appendix 1 of the Civil Law (available at ej.uz/PubliskasUdenstilpes). The State Forest Service reminds hunters that hunting in public bodies of water located within the administrative territories of cities is permitted only in accordance with the procedures determined by the respective municipality.

Given that it is permitted to hunt game waterfowl in public rivers and lakes and their towpaths without the consent of the holder of the hunting rights, the State Forest Service calls on hunters to be respectful and mindful of people living or relaxing near the water.

Hunting in specially protected nature areas

Hunters should be aware that specially protected nature areas may have different seasons, prohibitions and restrictions for waterfowl hunting. Before heading to a hunting site, it is recommended to determine the legal status of the specific hunting area and any restrictions related to waterfowl hunting. It is advisable to ascertain the following information:

• the owner or user of the hunting rights for the area;

• the public status of the body of water;

• whether the hunting site is located within the boundaries of a specially protected nature area;

• waterfowl hunting prohibitions and restrictions in the specific specially protected nature area;

• restrictions on the use of lead ammunition.

Information about specially protected nature areas is available in the section “About specially protected nature areas” on the Nature Conservation Agency website and in the nature data management system OZOLS (https://ozols.gov.lv/pub).

Reporting harvested waterfowl

The hunting regulations set out the procedure for how hunters compile information on harvested waterfowl, indicating the species of the bird and submitting it to the State Forest Service. For individual hunting in public lakes and rivers, the hunter must personally register the harvested waterfowl in a game registration log (document available at https://likumi.lv/wwwraksti/2014/150/421/P2.DOC) within one day of the hunt. Within one month after the end of the hunting season, the compiled information must be submitted to the State Forest Service.

An electronic identification guide for game waterfowl can be viewed on the website www.nomeditie.org.

To obtain data also on the age and sex of harvested waterfowl and the subspecies of bean geese, hunters are encouraged to report harvested waterfowl to the Hunting Management Development Fund project “Research on nesting and harvested waterfowl”. Hunters are invited to report harvested waterfowl to the Ornithology Laboratory of the University of Latvia in the way most convenient for them:

• via the mobile app “Mednis”, authenticating as a hunter;

• using the online page www.nomeditie.org;

• to the email address nomeditie@lu.lv;

• Facebook.com/nomeditie;

• to the number +371 25764272 via WhatsApp;

• by completing the “Research on nesting and harvested waterfowl” project questionnaire and sending it to the email address nomeditie@lu.lv. The questionnaire and instructions on how to fill it out are available at ej.uz/udensputnuanketa.

The report should indicate information on both harvested and unrecovered waterfowl. It should include details about the date of the hunt, the approximate location (e.g., parish), whether a dog was used during the hunt, the number of unrecovered birds and, if possible, the species, the presence of rings and the information indicated on them. Additional information can also be provided – for example, if the bird has unusual plumage or parasites, if the bird was hunted in a ditch, “on the flush”, or similar. Information about unsuccessful hunting trips can also be important – for example, if bird migration in the evening was weak or if no birds were seen at all.

When sending information, it is desirable to attach a photo of the harvested bird. For duck identification, it is sufficient if the beak and the tip of the tail are visible in the photo, but the most important part is the wing – spread out, with focus on the “mirror” on the wing and the secondary flight feathers and their coverts. When photographing the bird, it is advisable to choose the driest wing and the best possible light conditions. When using the “Mednis” mobile app, photos can be added in the “Register game” subsection of the “Hunting” section.

Hunting safety requirements and their control

During the opening of the hunting season, the State Forest Service plans to carry out hunting inspections in cooperation with the State Police, focusing primarily on compliance with safety requirements. When participating in waterfowl hunting, hunters must know and observe the requirements of hunting safety regulations. Despite this, violations of hunting safety requirements are detected every year. The most frequently detected violations include transporting a loaded hunting firearm, shooting “on the flush” from a boat while two or more hunters in the boat use firearms, and shooting at birds located on the water. In such a situation, pellets can dangerously ricochet off the water surface and endanger others. One must be especially careful about ricochets when using steel shot ammunition.
Used Pixabay photograph