BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission tentatively approved proposed duck hunting dates for the 2012-2013 season at their July 2 meeting.

The dates were presented by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) for the new three-zone waterfowl season framework that now includes a coastal zone, added recently to the east-west zone configuration that had been in place for decades.

The proposed duck season dates for 2012-2013 are as follows:

Coastal Zone: Nov. 10 – Dec. 2 and Dec. 15 – Jan. 20 (Youth Hunt Nov. 3-4)

East Zone: Nov. 17 – 25 and Dec. 8 – Jan. 27. (Youth Hunt Feb. 2-3)

West Zone: Nov. 10 – Dec. 9, and Dec. 22 – Jan. 20. (Youth Hunt Nov. 3-4)

The dates recommended reflect preferences noted in the recent waterfowl hunter survey conducted by the Department via a mail-out and an on-line survey form.

The public can comment on the proposed season dates until Aug. 2 by sending comments to: Larry Reynolds, Waterfowl Program Manager, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000 or lreynolds@wlf.la.gov.