JUSTIFICATION OF THE TIMING OF THE OPENING OF SUMMER-AUTUMN AMATEUR AND SPORTS HUNTING FOR WATERFOWL IN THE NORTH OF THE LOWER VOLGA

In accordance with Russian legislation, the timing of hunting for game birds can be adjusted at the regional level. Biological justification can be crucial in determining the timing of the hunt, namely the timing of the start and end of the hunting season. Based on the registration of waterfowl, a biological justification for the timing of the opening of hunting in the summer-autumn and autumn-winter seasons is given. The studies were carried out in the Saratov region in the water area of the Volga River (Volgograd reservoir). A total of 7 surveys were carried out, the total length of the survey routes was 100.6 km. The dominant species in the brood period is the mallard. Shares of recorded birds: mallard (Anas platyrhynchos L, 1758) - 96.6%, coot (Fulica atra L, 1758) - 2.5%, teal-cattle (Anas querquedula L, 1758) - 0.9%. The beginning of the mallard incubation period in 2020 is the first decade of May. The period of mass incubation of masonry by mallards is from the third decade of May to the second decade of June. The first mallard chicks appeared in the third decade of May. From the second decade of June to the second decade of July - the period of mass appearance of mallard chicks. The proportion of non-flying young mallards in the second decade of August was 33.3%, in the third decade of August - 28.3%. The end of the period of mass rise of young mallards "on the wing" took place in the first ten days of September, the proportion of non-flying young mallards in this period amounted to 4.3%. The increase in the number of mallards in the second and third ten days of July amounted to 142.0%. The beginning of the migratory summer-autumn period of 2020 (for species that do not tend to nest in the study area) fell on the first ten days of September. Biologically substantiated period for the opening of hunting in the summer-autumn and autumn-winter season is the first ten days of September (the share of non-flying young animals is less than 10%).