(Note: This week only, due to All Federal Refuges that are normally open to hunting on Sundays being closed for the Christmas Holiday, Wister (which handles the hunting program at Sonny Bono) released hunt results for Wednesday 12/21/22 on Wednesday and released hunt results for Saturday 12/24/22 today. After the Holidays Wister will go back to releasing the Sonny Bono hunt results once a week, usually on Mondays, covering the prior Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday hunts.)
The average waterfowl harvest for the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge for Saturday dropped a little but then it actually went up a little when the geese were added in compared to Wednesday’s average. Snow Geese showed up in the first position for most birds checked in with Shovelers and Ruddies tied for the second spot. The Wister Staff reported that the results for Sonny Bono for Saturday, 12/24/22 were as follows:
7 adult and no junior hunters checked in with 2 Shovelers and 2 Ruddy Ducks. 5 Snow Geese were downed at Sonny Bono on Saturday. No Coots were bagged on Saturday. This worked out to an average take of 0.57 ducks per person or, with the Geese included, 1.29 waterfowl per hunter. Reservations are done through the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area and can be used for either Wister or Sonny Bono. Out of 104 reservation cards issued 13 showed up on time to get their spots.
Due to Sunday being Christmas Day The Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge is closed.
Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays only. If you would like a reservation for the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge you have to request a Wister reservation through the California DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS) which can be used at Wister or Sonny Bono (check-in for your spot at Sonny Bono at the Wister Check station). Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing at Wister for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done the night before at 10:30 pm, with sign-up for the drawing between 7:30 and 10:30 pm. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFW website at the below link –
https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales
Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFW Office or a license agent before your arrival at the refuge. These can be purchased online via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you’re the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days. If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFW office or license agent you immediately get them without the wait for the mail. No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this season. You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at Wister Staff at 760-359-0577.
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