STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS Department of Environmental Management ______________________________________________________________ DIVISION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE Tel 401 789-0964 Great Swamp Field Headquarters Fax 401 783-7490 277 Great Neck Road TDD 401 222-4462 West Kingston, RI 02892 October 1, 2019 Dear Waterfowler: Enclosed, please find the Division of Fish and Wildlife South Shore Management Area (SSMA) permit. The SSMA has specific regulations and requirements unique to that season or area. Please see the attached regulations for the SSMA and consult the 2019-2020 Rhode Island Hunting and Trapping Guide prior to hunting. Regulation abstracts can be found online at: http://www.eregulations.com/wp- content/uploads/2019/08/19RIHD_LR.pdf Please note, the regular season is 60 total days in length and the regular season’s daily bag limit is two (2) geese per day with six (6) in possession. The January - February Late Canada Goose Season will be fifteen (15) days. As a reminder, the SSMA is CLOSED during the January - February Late Canada Goose Season. Please refer to the information and maps on the following pages, as well as page 23 of the 2019-20 regulation abstract and section 9.11(B)(3)(d) of the hunting regulations for more details. All SSMA permits must be obtained through the online licensing system www.ri.gov/dem/huntfish. Goose hunting activity at SSMA during the regular goose season must be recorded on the permit provided by the online system and reported online by March 15, 2020. Hunter harvest data, including information on banded and/or neck collared birds, are essential to establishing and maintaining seasons. Therefore, it is imperative that hunters report their harvest with accurate information. The Division strongly encourages compliance and may strictly enforce the No Permit policy for next year’s Goose Seasons and Cooperative South Shore Management Area if you fail to report your season harvest on time. The hunting record must be submitted at the end of the goose hunting season, even if unsuccessful. If you are unable to hunt, please indicate that you “Did Not Hunt” when reporting your activity through the online system. The SSMA permit must be carried on your person while goose hunting, in addition to your state waterfowl stamp endorsement or signed state stamp, signed federal waterfowl stamps, and a current Harvest Information Program (HIP) permit. Each hunter must have their own individual permits; they are not transferable to another hunter. The Division and our partners have worked hard to make improvements to the SSMA hunting area for the 2019- 20 season. Please see the enclosed information for more details. In response to frequent questions regarding hunter preference for fields and hunter success, a summary of reservations and hunting activity at SSMA during the 2018-19 season is included in this year’s packet. I wish you a safe and successful season. Please do not hesitate to contact myself or another staff member at the Division of Fish and Wildlife with any questions.
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE ......Area if you fail to report your season harvest on time. The hunting record must be submitted at the end of the goose hunting season, even
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SSMA Field Reservations, Use and Success During the 2018-19
Canada Goose Regular Season
Figure 1: Number of morning (AM) and afternoon (PM) reservations made for each of the 6 South Shore
Management Area (SSMA) fields during the 2018-19 Canada goose regular season. There were 60 total days
for which the fields could have been reserved.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1 2 3 4 5 6Nu
mb
er o
f S
lots
Res
erv
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Field Number
SSMA Field Reservations During the 2018-2019
Canada Goose Season
AM
PM
Figure 2: Total number of morning and afternoon reservations made per week and total number of individual
hunters on the reservations per week during the 2018-19 Canada goose regular season for the 6 SSMA goose
hunting fields. Note 11/24-11/30 and 1/19-1/25 are not full hunting weeks due to season closures. Over the
season, 188 total reservations were taken with 354 hunters listed on the reservations or 1.88 hunters per
reservation.
SSMA Hunter Success
The Division had 78 or 66% of the SSMA permits issued returned following the close of the 2018-19 season, of
which 44 (56%) reported hunting at least one day and 34 (44%) reported that they did not hunt SSMA during
the regular goose season.
Table 1. Break down of harvest and hunter success at each of 6 SSMA goose hunting fields during the 2018-19
hunting season. These results are based on hunting record returns from 44 individuals that reported hunting at
least 1 day.
Successful
Hunters
Unsuccessful
Hunters Field
Number Harvest # % # %
Total #
Hunters
1 62 49 51% 47 49% 96
2 0 0 0% 8 100% 8
3 19 9 24% 29 76% 38
4 20 13 45% 16 55% 29
5 0 0 0% 2 100% 2
6 0 0 0% 0 0% 0
TOTAL 101 71 41% 102 59% 173
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
# o
f R
eser
va
tion
s
Week
SSMA Reservations and Hunter Use During the 2018-2019
Canada Goose Season
Total Mornings Total Afternoons Total # Individual Hunters
Reminder: SSMA hunting permits and records are required to be reported to the Division. These data are
critical for our management of SSMA. Failure to return your hunting permit is a violation of the SSMA
regulations and may result in the revocation or denial of a permit in future years.
SSMA hunting reports must be submitted online at www.ri.gov/dem/huntfish!
following the close of the season, but before March 15!
If you do not have internet access and are unable to report your SSMA hunting activity online, the Division
requests that you return your permit to the following address by March 15, 2020:
Rhode Island DEM DF&W
ATTN: Goose Permit Return
277 Great Neck Rd.
West Kingston, RI 02892
MATUNUCK HUNTER/LANDOWNER COOPERATIVE AREA AND SOUTH SHORE
MANAGEMENT AREA (SSMA) REGULATIONS
Canada Goose Regular Season: November 23-December 1st, 2019 and December 7-January 26, 2020 9.16.N South Shore Management Area (SSMA) Goose Hunting Cooperative
Designated as a goose hunting area. SSMA is composed of state-owned Fields 3, 4, 5 and 6, Federally owned Field 1
and South Kingstown Land Trust owned Field 2. Hunting in addition to geese is allowed as outlined below:
1. Permits a. Permit required for goose hunting during the Regular Goose Season, obtainable through the online
licensing system www.ri.gov/dem/huntfish
b. SSMA permits must be carried while waterfowl hunting on the SSMA and must be shown to any DEM
Environmental Police Officer or Division of Fish and Wildlife employee upon request.
c. All party members must have a permit and must be registered when reserving and hunting a field.
d. No hunting party shall exceed four (4) hunters.
e. Permittees may only hunt in the field reserved for their party.
2. Reservations a. Reservations may be made no earlier than seven (7) business days in advance of the hunt.
b. For the purpose of determining number of days for hunting, a week shall be Saturday through the
following Friday.
c. Permittees will be allowed to hunt a maximum of two-half days per week (Saturday through Friday). No
one will be permitted to hunt two consecutive days. A half day shall be from ½ hour before sunrise until
11:30 am or noon until sunset.
d. If the permittee that made the reservation is unable to be present at the reserved date and time, the
reservation must be canceled. The reservation may not be transferred to another member of the party if the
permittee that made the reservation is unable to be present at the reserved date and time. Other permittees
may call to reserve the field during normal reservation hours after it has been canceled.
e. The Division reserves the right to close some fields for periods of time in an effort to relieve the field(s)
from hunting pressure and improve hunting opportunities.
How to Make a Reservation:
a. Reservations are accepted between 9:00am and 12:00 noon Monday-Friday.
b. You must call (401) 789-0964 to make a reservation. Reservations will not be accepted on any other
phone line.
c. Only one reservation will be accepted per phone call.
3. Blinds a. Portable blinds, nets, tarps, or similar forms of concealment are permitted. The use of natural vegetation to
build blinds is also permitted, however removal of stones from walls or vegetation from hedgerows is
prohibited.
b. Pit Blinds: Pits may not be dug. Pit blinds are available in state- owned Fields (3, 4, 5, and 6) and
Federally-owned Field 1.
c. Handicapped accessible blind is located in Field #5.
4. Decoys a. A minimum of twenty-four (24) life size or oversize goose decoys are required on premises; however,
hunters may choose to use fewer decoys while hunting.
5. Harvest Report: A harvest record report must be completed and submitted online whether or not you hunted and regardless of
success. Failure to report may result in the loss of hunting privileges at the SSMA for the following season.
Report your hunting activity at www.ri.gov/dem/huntfish by March 15, 2020. If you do not have internet
access, you may mail your report to Rhode Island DEM DFW, ATTN: Goose Permit Return, 277 Great
Neck Rd., West Kingston, RI 02892
6. Shot a. No person shall take waterfowl while possessing shells loaded with any shot other than steel shot, or other
legally approved non- toxic shot as described in 9.11 (L) of the 2018-19 hunting regulations.
b. All shot larger than BB is prohibited, including duplex loads containing shot larger than BB.
7. Vehicles a. Vehicles may park in designated areas only.
b. Overnight parking is prohibited in designated areas.
c. Vehicles may not drive into or along the edge of any field for any reason. Except in an emergency, e.g.,
accident or injury or as provided in §9.16 (N) (8) (b) of the 2018-19 Hunting Regulations.
8. Accessibility program for waterfowl hunters who are handicapped: a. Upon request, Field #5 will have an accessible above-ground blind. The blind will be established by the
Division in either a hedgerow or within standing crop rows (i.e., standing corn).
b. Vehicles may be driven into the field to transport a handicapped hunter and their equipment only when
field conditions are conducive (i.e., not during and after heavy rain when the field conditions are very
muddy).
c. Goose hunters applying for the accessibility program must provide a statement signed by a medical doctor
stating that the handicap meets the following definition: a person temporarily or permanently handicapped
(i.e., unable to walk without the assistance of crutches or wheelchair or with a chronic medical condition).
d. All regulations for hunting geese in the SSMA shall apply.
9. Prohibited a. The following are prohibited: littering; fires; destruction of fencing, equipment, farm property, or standing
crops; possession or use of alcoholic beverages; shooting within 500 feet of an occupied building; shooting
near or otherwise disturbing persons working in the area; urinating or defecating in pit blinds.
10. Additional Hunting Regulations a. Dove hunting is allowed in Fields 1, 3, 5, and 6 during the early mourning dove season. Doves may be
taken by permitted goose hunters while goose hunting when the field reservation system is in place during
the open mourning dove season. Possession of lead shot for taking doves when goose hunting is prohibited.
b. Small game and upland game bird hunting is allowed only in Fields 5 and 6 during the upland game
season except during the Regular Canada goose Seasons.
c. All small game and upland game bird hunting is prohibited during Regular goose Season, including during
Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days (last full weekend in October, Saturday / Sunday).