Maine law states there is a one-bird bag limit on fulvous whistling ducks. These ones are pictured on a lake in Florida. It’s year-round range is limited to south Florida and the Gulf Coast, and is most likely included in Maine laws because it’s in the federal framework. Shutterstock

Each year the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW) sets seasons and bag limits for waterfowl hunting within the state. The system is a bit more complicated than that for resident game species, largely because migratory game birds cross international boundaries and therefore are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. I suppose our resident grouse frequently cross the border with Canada, but nobody seems too concerned about that.

Annual variation also exists because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Canadian Wildlife Service and several state agencies conduct annual nesting, brood, winter and harvest surveys to more closely monitor changes in populations and productivity from one year to the next. FWS sets a general framework, then individual states set their respective limits, which can be more, but not less restrictive. Most of them make sense but there are a few head-scratchers.

According to this year’s regulations, Maine hunters may take only one fulvous whistling duck per day. Have you ever seen one? Do you even know what it is, and would you recognize it? It’s probably not anything to be overly concerned about. According to the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, the year-round range for the fulvous is limited to south Florida and the Gulf Coast.

It’s possible one might get restless or blown up on a storm, but the Maine Bird Records Committee has no accepted records of this species here. There are three unconfirmed records, from 1963, 1964 and 1972. So why is it even on the list? Likely because it’s in the federal framework, and better safe than sorry. If that’s the case, why isn’t the black-bellied whistling duck also included?

In addition to the daily bag limit on ducks, hunters may also take five mergansers, though I’m not sure why anyone would, unless they have an affinity for liver and anchovies. You are what you eat and these narrow-billed, fish-eating ducks take on the flavor of their food. There used to be a more conservative limit on hooded mergansers but I guess their population is high enough, and the demand low enough that they get lumped in with the others. I’ll pass.

Very few have seen an American Coot in Maine, but be sure to know there is a five-bird limit. Patrick Tehan/San Jose Mercury News

Besides ducks, the regulations also include moorhens, gallinules and coots. No, I didn’t make those names up. Lacking webbed feet, these lobe-toed marsh birds are members of the rail family, which are also included. There is no open season on moorhens and gallinules, but a five-bird limit on coots.

This is another somewhat peculiar inclusion. I can count on one hand the number of coots I’ve seen in Maine, and still have enough fingers left to pick up a dime. I’ve heard the other two calling but never laid eyes on them. Besides, where they’re more common they have a reputation as being undesirable, something only the poorest of hunters would shoot. I’ve never eaten one so I can’t attest, but am in no hurry to test either.

Let’s go back to the rails for a moment. They’re considered migratory game birds but not migratory waterfowl, even though their close cousins are. That means you still need to use steel shot in a shotgun capable of holding no more than three shells, but don’t need a duck stamp. The daily bag limit is 25, which might seem liberal until you consider very few hunters actually pursue them. It’s sort of an outdated practice that involves jump-shooting by poling through flooded wetlands.

Hunters can take eight (or 10, depending on zone) Canada geese during the early (September) goose season, but only two during the regular (October and later) season. It’s literally the same species but those taken earlier are considered residents while those taken later are considered migrants. I feel sorry for the travelers who get an early start to try to beat the crowds.

Bob Humphrey is a freelance writer and Registered Maine Guide who lives in Pownal. He can be reached at: bob@bobhumphrey.com