Purpose
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Regulations Committee (SRC) will meet with consultants from the Flyway Councils on May 17th, 2024 to identify and discuss preliminary issues and develop initial recommendations for the 2025-26 migratory game bird hunting season. The meeting will commence at approximately 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) and is open to public observation. The meeting will be conducted by videotelephony or telephonically with or without the aid of video technology. We will conduct a second SRC meeting in September or October 2024 to review information on the status of migratory game bird populations and develop recommendations for the 2025-26 migratory game bird hunting season.
Accommodation requests: Please submit all requests for meeting accommodations at least 7 days prior to the meeting date.
For more information contact Ken Richkus, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, MS: MB, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–3803; (703) 358–1780.
The SRC meeting will be live-streamed on the USFWS YouTube channel.
- May 17, 2024
- 12:00 p.m. – finish (Eastern Time)
- URL TBD
SRC recommendations will lead to federal rulemaking for annual migratory game bird hunting regulations. Rulemaking involves publishing a series of 4 proposed or final rules in the Federal Register and will include opportunities for public review and comment. Steps in the annual rulemaking process are described in a preliminary proposed rule, which opens the annual process. The preliminary proposed rule will be published in about August–February after the spring SRC meeting. We will publish reports that provide detailed information on the status and harvest of certain migratory game bird species and will propose and finalize the limits within which States may select migratory game bird hunting seasons. We then publish state selected hunting seasons which authorizes these seasons and concludes the annual process. Migratory game bird hunting seasons provide opportunities for recreation and sustenance; aid Federal, State, and Tribal governments in the management of migratory game birds; and permit harvests at levels compatible with migratory game bird population status and habitat conditions.