Because of high rainfall and severe floods, harvest of thousands of acres of severely damaged crops has been foregone in order that farmers may qualify for a Department of Agriculture program called 0/92. The program gives farmers the option to select a guaranteed payment on lands that normally are used to produce corn, wheat and other feed grains. Unharvested but knocked down crops can create a lure or attraction to wildlife, particularly waterfowl. Though such areas have not been intentionally "baited" to attract waterfowl, hunting over them is prohibited by federal wildlife laws, enforced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"The responsibility lies with the hunter," said Regional Director Sam Marler. "With the unusually high number of 0/92 enrollees expected this year, waterfowl hunters must be extra careful to avoid illegally hunting on a field that meets the legal definition of baited."
Watersheds of the Missouri, Minnesota, Upper Mississippi and lower Illinois Rivers are among the crop areas most heavily damaged by high flood waters. Farmers have had difficulty in planting and successfully growing crops in these areas, and large numbers were expected to participate in the 0/92 program.
Federal wildlife laws do permit hunting geese and ducks coming to feed on waste grains scattered as a result of normal agricultural harvest or planting. However, when crops have been knocked down under the 0/92 program, the area may be considered baited. Ten days after all of the grain, or "bait", has been removed either by consumption by wildlife or being plowed under, normal hunting activities can take place.
Wildlife biologists are concerned about increased pressure on Canada geese from the Eastern Prairie Population (EPP), which concentrates in western Minnesota and northern Missouri where heavy enrollment in 0/92 is anticipated. EPP birds have decreased in number over the last two years and currently are below desirable levels. More restrictive bag limits, quotas and number of hunting days for the 1993 season were set in these areas to prevent over-harvesting of these birds.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has responsibility for preserving, protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife resources throughout the Nation. The Great Lakes - Big Rivers Region encompasses the states of Missouri, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio, and is administered from regional headquarters in the Twin Cities, Minnesota.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
