{"abstract":"This rule prescribes special early season migratory bird hunting regulations for certain tribes on Federal Indian reservations, off-reservation trust lands and ceded lands. This is in response to tribal requests for Service recognition of their authority to regulate hunting under established guidelines. This rule is necessary to allow establishment of season bag limits and, thus, harvest at levels compatible with populations and habitat conditions. EFFECTIVE DATE: This rule takes effect on September 1, 1995. ADDRESSES: Comments received, if any, on the proposed special hunting regulations and tribal proposals are available for public inspection during normal business hours in Room 634, Arlington Square Building, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA. Communications regarding the documents should be sent to: Director (FWS/MBMO), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Room 634-ARLSQ, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron W. Kokel or Dr. Keith A. Morehouse, Office of Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (703/358-1714). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of July 3, 1918 (40 Stat. 755; 16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.), authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, having due regard for the zones of temperature and for the distribution, abundance, economic value, breeding habits, and times and lines of flight of migratory game birds, to determine when, to what extent, and by what means such birds or any part, nest or egg thereof may be taken, hunted, captured, killed, possessed, sold, purchased, shipped, carried, exported or transported. In the August 17, 1995 Federal Register (60 FR 42960), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposed special migratory bird hunting regulations for the 1995-96 hunting season for certain Indian tribes, under the guidelines described in the June 4, 1985, Federal Register (50 FR 23467). The guidelines were developed in response to tribal requests for Service recognition of their reserved hunting rights, and for some tribes, recognition of their authority to regulate hunting by both tribal members and nonmembers on their reservations. The guidelines include possibilities for: (1) on-reservation hunting by both tribal members and nonmembers, with hunting by nontribal members on some reservations to take place within Federal frameworks but on dates different from those selected by the surrounding State(s); (2) on-reservation hunting by tribal members only, outside of usual Federal frameworks for season dates and length, and for daily bag and possession limits; and (3) off-reservation hunting by tribal members on ceded lands, outside of usual framework dates and season length, with some added flexibility in daily bag and possession limits. In all cases, the regulations established under the guidelines have to be consistent with the March 10-September 1 closed season mandated by the 1916 Migratory Bird Treaty with Canada. Tribes that desired special hunting regulations in the 1995-96 hunting season were requested in the March 24, 1995, Federal Register (60 FR 15642) to submit a proposal that included details on: (1) requested season dates and other regulations to be observed; (2) harvest anticipated under the requested regulations; (3) methods that will be employed to measure or monitor harvest; (4) steps that will be taken to limit level of harvest, where it could be shown that failure to limit such harvest would impact seriously on the migratory bird resource; and (5) tribal capabilities to establish and enforce migratory bird hunting regulations. No action is required if a tribe wishes to observe the hunting regulations that are established by the State(s) in which an Indian reservation is located. The guidelines have been used successfully since the 1985-86 hunting season, and they were made final beginning with the 1988-89 hunting season (August 18, 1988; 53 FR 31612). Although the proposed rule includes generalized regulations for both early and late season hunting, this rulemaking addresses only the early season proposals. Late season hunting will be addressed in the rulemaking to follow in September 1995. As a general rule, early seasons begin during September each year and have a primary emphasis on such species as mourning and white-winged dove. Late seasons are those that begin about October 1 or later each year and have a primary emphasis on waterfowl.","action":"Final rule.","agencies":[{"raw_name":"Final Rule"},{"raw_name":"DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR","name":"Interior Department","id":253,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/interior-department","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/253","parent_id":null,"slug":"interior-department"},{"raw_name":"Fish and Wildlife Service","name":"Fish and Wildlife Service","id":197,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/fish-and-wildlife-service","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/197","parent_id":253,"slug":"fish-and-wildlife-service"}],"body_html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/1995/09/01/95-21788.html","cfr_references":[{"chapter":null,"citation_url":null,"part":20,"title":50}],"citation":"60 FR 46012","comment_url":null,"comments_close_on":null,"correction_of":null,"corrections":[],"dates":"This rule takes effect on September 1, 1995.","disposition_notes":null,"docket_ids":[],"dockets":[],"document_number":"95-21788","effective_on":"1995-09-01","end_page":46016,"executive_order_notes":null,"executive_order_number":null,"explanation":null,"full_text_xml_url":null,"html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/1995/09/01/95-21788/migratory-bird-hunting-migratory-bird-hunting-regulations-on-certain-federal-indian-reservations-and","images":{},"images_metadata":{},"json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents/95-21788?publication_date=1995-09-01","mods_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/metadata/granule/FR-1995-09-01/95-21788/mods.xml","not_received_for_publication":null,"page_length":5,"page_views":{"count":14,"last_updated":"2026-04-04 18:15:03 -0400"},"pdf_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-09-01/pdf/95-21788.pdf","presidential_document_number":null,"proclamation_number":null,"public_inspection_pdf_url":null,"publication_date":"1995-09-01","raw_text_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/1995/09/01/95-21788.txt","regulation_id_number_info":{"1018-AC79":null},"regulation_id_numbers":["1018-AC79"],"regulations_dot_gov_info":{"checked_regulationsdotgov_at":"2011-09-21T08:13:19Z"},"regulations_dot_gov_url":null,"significant":null,"signing_date":null,"start_page":46012,"subtype":null,"title":"Migratory Bird Hunting: Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations on Certain Federal Indian Reservations and Ceded Lands for the 1995-96 Early Season","toc_doc":null,"toc_subject":null,"topics":[],"type":"Rule","volume":60}