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.

Improvements and Enhancements to SSMA for the 2019-20 Season

1. Repair and maintenance of bungee shock cord on all blind doors to aid in securing vegetation or other

materials used to camouflage blinds.

a. Note: Please refrain from using staples, nails or other methods of securing vegetation or

camouflaging material to the blinds that may snag, rip, or puncture clothing when entering or exiting

pit blinds. The Division has installed bungee shock cord to all blind doors to aid in securing

vegetation or other camouflaging materials used to disguise the pit blinds.

2. Gun magnets are in the works which will hopefully improve safety in the blinds.

a. Note: Please do not use these as steps! They are not intended to bear weight.

3. Planting of 1 acre of winter wheat around the pit blind in Field 1 in cooperation with the United States

Fish and Wildlife Service to provide winter forage for Canada geese and enhance hunting opportunities.

4. Planting of buckwheat and winter rye at Field 6 to provide winter forage for Canada geese and enhance

late-season hunting opportunities. See below for additional information!

Winter Forage and Habitat Enhancement at Field 6

In partnership with a local farmer, the Division contracted to have approximately 20 acres of buckwheat and

winter rye planted at Field 6. The buckwheat was planted in the late spring and grew very well, leading to dense

stalks and excellent production of seed heads. The buckwheat matured in late August and has started to die

back. The field was over-seeded with winter rye in mid-September and has begun to germinate. The success of

the buckwheat crop may make hunting Field 6 difficult during the November-early December portion of the

goose season. As the crop becomes brittle, it is expected to lay down, making conditions more conducive to

goose use and hunting. The nature of this crop will also increase forage availability during periods of snow

cover as the stalks and seed heads should be exposed above a blanket of snow. Please do not trample the

buckwheat to flatten an area. Doing so will create a baiting situation and the field will be closed to hunting!

Goals of this Management:

1. Provide high quality later season (December-January) winter forage for Canada geese

2. Enhance hunting opportunities

Baiting is Illegal and Leads to Field Closures!

Please DO NOT artificially manipulate (knock down, trample, destroy or scatter) any crops left standing; doing

so is considered baiting, a violation of federal and state law and will result in the loss of SSMA hunting

privileges. During the 2016/17 hunting season, the Division of Fish and Wildlife received reports of corn being

scattered at Field 3. Upon investigation, the Division of Law Enforcement determined the field was baited and it

was subsequently closed to hunting. After all bait was removed and the 10-day waiting period post-removal

elapsed, the field was reopened to hunting. In addition, during the 2017-18 dove season, hunters were

discovered to be hunting over bait (exposed and scattered corn) at Field 3 and were subsequently charged by the

Division of Law Enforcement. Division staff removed the bait and due to the timing of the violation, the field

was not closed for any portion of the regular goose season. These violations resulted in lost hunting opportunity

for all SSMA users over several weeks. The use of stalks left behind post-harvest for camouflaging the blinds is

acceptable; however, the scattering or exposing of left-over corn is not.

Please Note: If you witness anyone manipulating or altering these crops, please contact the Division of Law

Enforcement at 401-222-3070 immediately.

For additional information about the enhancements and habitat projects please email

Jennifer.kilburn@dem.ri.gov

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

ed

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).

d. Deer hunting during the archery season is allowed only in the wooded portions of Fields 3, 5, and 6

throughout the archery season, including during the Regular Canada goose Season when the field reservation

system is occurring.

e. Deer hunting during the muzzleloader season is allowed only in the wooded portions of Field 5 and 6,

except during the Regular Canada goose Season when the field reservation system is occurring.

f. Deer hunting during shotgun season is allowed only in Field 6 and its wooded portions, except during the

Regular Canada goose Season.

g. Waterfowl hunting is allowed outside of the regular Canada goose season but within legal waterfowl

seasons without special hunting permits, reservations, or decoy restrictions, once fields are harvested.

h. Ducks During Legal Duck Seasons: The taking of ducks during the legal duck seasons is permitted while

goose hunting under the aforementioned regulations.

i. Violations of any aforementioned regulations, state management area regulations, and/or any state or

federal hunting laws will result in loss of hunting privileges on the SSMA for a period of one year, beginning

from the date of the violation.

Please Report Violations!

DEM Enforcement: (401) 222-3070

2018-19 SSMA Reservation Schedule

November

Day of Hunt Date of Hunt Earliest

Reservation Day

Earliest

Reservation

Date

Saturday 23-Nov Thursday 14-Nov

Sunday 24-Nov Thursday 14-Nov

Monday 25-Nov Thursday 14-Nov

Tuesday 26-Nov Friday 15-Nov

Wednesday 27-Nov Monday 18-Nov

Thursday 28-Nov Tuesday 19-Nov Thanksgiving

Friday 29-Nov Tuesday 19-Nov

Saturday 30-Nov Wednesday 20-Nov

December

Day of Hunt Date of Hunt Earliest

Reservation Day

Earliest

Reservation

Sunday 1-Dec Wednesday 20-Nov

Saturday 7-Dec Wednesday 27-Nov

Sunday 8-Dec Wednesday 27-Nov

Monday 9-Dec Wednesday 27-Nov

Tuesday 10-Dec Friday 29-Nov

Wednesday 11-Dec Monday 2-Dec

Thursday 12-Dec Tuesday 3-Dec

Friday 13-Dec Wednesday 4-Dec

Saturday 14-Dec Thursday 5-Dec

Sunday 15-Dec Thursday 5-Dec

Monday 16-Dec Thursday 5-Dec

Tuesday 17-Dec Friday 6-Dec

Wednesday 18-Dec Monday 9-Dec

Thursday 19-Dec Tuesday 10-Dec

Friday 20-Dec Wednesday 11-Dec

Saturday 21-Dec Thursday 12-Dec

Sunday 22-Dec Thursday 12-Dec

Monday 23-Dec Thursday 12-Dec

Tuesday 24-Dec Friday 13-Dec

Wednesday 25-Dec Monday 16-Dec Christmas Day

Thursday 26-Dec Monday 16-Dec

Friday 27-Dec Tuesday 17-Dec

Saturday 28-Dec Wednesday 18-Dec

Sunday 29-Dec Wednesday 18-Dec

Monday 30-Dec Wednesday 18-Dec

Tuesday 31-Dec Thursday 19-Dec

January

Day of

Hunt Date of Hunt

Earliest

Reservation Day

Earliest

Reservation

Date

Wednesday 1-Jan Friday 20-Dec New Year’s Day

Thursday 2-Jan Monday 23-Dec

Friday 3-Jan Tuesday 24-Dec

Saturday 4-Jan Tuesday 24-Dec

Sunday 5-Jan Tuesday 24-Dec

Monday 6-Jan Tuesday 24-Dec

Tuesday 7-Jan Thursday 26-Dec

Wednesday 8-Jan Friday 27-Dec

Thursday 9-Jan Monday 30-Dec

Friday 10-Jan Tuesday 31-Dec

Saturday 11-Jan Thursday 2-Jan

Sunday 12-Jan Thursday 2-Jan

Monday 13-Jan Thursday 2-Jan

Tuesday 14-Jan Friday 3-Jan

Wednesday 15-Jan Monday 6-Jan

Thursday 16-Jan Tuesday 7-Jan

Friday 17-Jan Wednesday 8-Jan

Saturday 18-Jan Thursday 9-Jan

Sunday 19-Jan Thursday 9-Jan

Monday 20-Jan Thursday 9-Jan

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Day

Tuesday 21-Jan Friday 10-Jan

Wednesday 22-Jan Monday 13-Jan

Thursday 23-Jan Tuesday 14-Jan

Friday 24-Jan Wednesday 15-Jan

Saturday 25-Jan Thursday 16-Jan

Sunday 26-Jan Thursday 16-Jan

FEBRUARY LATE SEASON

Canada Goose Late Season: February 1 - February 15, 2020 North Zone Only!

SSMA is CLOSED during this season!

Late Experimental Season: The area open for goose hunting includes all of Bristol, Providence and Kent

Counties as well as northern portions of Washington County, as designated on the enclosed map. Goose

hunting will be allowed north of the line designated by RI roads and highways described below:

- From Rt. 95 at the RI/CT Line, north to Exit 3, Rt.138 in Richmond.

-East along Rt. 138 to Glen Rock Rd., Richmond.

-North along Glen Rock Rd. to Mail Rd., Exeter.

-East along Mail Rd. to Rt. 2/South Country Trail, Exeter.

-North along Rt. 2/South County Trail to Exeter Rd.

-East along Exeter Rd. to the intersection of Indian Corner Rd.

-East to the merger of Indian Corner Rd. and West Allenton Rd.

-East to the intersection of West Allenton Rd. and Rt. 4.

-South along Rt. 4 to the intersection of Rt. 4/Rt.1 (Tower Hill Rd.)

-South along Rt. 1/Tower Hill Rd. to the intersection of Rt. 138.

-East along Rt. 138 to the base of the Jamestown Bridge.

-Extending north/northeast along the Washington/Newport county line.

-Extending east, 1,000 feet north of the northerly most point of Jamestown to a point 1,000 feet offshore of the

Melville Boat Launch, Portsmouth. (No hunting along the shoreline of mainland Portsmouth!)

-North following a line 1,000 feet offshore of Portsmouth’s western shoreline to the Mount Hope Bridge.

-Extending east/northeast across Mt. Hope Bay from the bridge to the RI/MA border.

Goose hunting is not permitted in the remainder of Washington County and Newport Counties (areas south

and east of the line described above).

Bag Limit: The daily bag limit for the late experimental season is five (5) Canada geese, and the possession limit

is fifteen (15) birds.

See map on the reverse of this page.

February Late Goose Hunting Zone