Ryan Barnes for Split Reed
Waterfowling, for many people, is a passion that may take them out of their home state to chase the migration all over the country with the hopes of trying to harvest more ducks and geese. This year, however, hunting out of state might be more of a challenge. With everything that is going on regarding COVID-19 and related travel restrictions, as well as quarantine mandates, here’s what we know so far about hunting out of state.
So far, no out-of-state waterfowling has been canceled (outside of the widely talked about Canadian border closure). All states remain open to out-of-state hunters coming in, but there is a caveat to that; just because you can enter a state to hunt, doesn’t necessarily mean you can return home with zero ramifications. Certain states have state-to-state travel restrictions that require a 14-day quarantine, even if you just passed through a certain state’s borders. For instance, New Mexico currently has an out-of-state travel quarantine mandate in place- if you travel anywhere outside the state. This is something to take into consideration if you’re planning to leave your home state to hunt this year.
Some of the hot hunting states which currently have travel restrictions are:
Alaska:
Starting on August, 11th, any travelers to the state of Alaska must arrive in the state with a negative COVID-19 test that was given no more than 72 hours prior.
Idaho:
In Ada county, travelers coming from outside Idaho are encouraged to quarantine for 14 days. Luckily for most hunters headed to Idaho, Ada county isn’t where you want to go anyway, so there isn’t a much to worry about there.
Maryland:
In this hotbed for waterfowl, only Maryland residents need to quarantine if they have traveled to a state with 10% positivity rating, or if they travel out of the state, they need to receive a negative COVID test 72 hours after returning to the state. Non-residents traveling into the state aren’t subject to any quarantine laws (yet).
Ohio:
While most people may be making their way to Ohio for big whitetail, there is still some hot honker hunting to be had there, which would make it helpful to know that if you’re from AZ, MI, FL, AL, ID, KS, or SC you’ll want to arrive early to get your 14-day quarantine out of the way.
Pennsylvania:
If you’re wanting to go shoot woodies and black ducks in PA, and you’re from a “high-risk state” (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah or Wyoming) you’ll need to get your 14-day quarantine out of the way first.
Wisconsin
There are no mandated travel restrictions at this time but out of state visitors are being asked to stay home if at all possible.
Most other states are allowing people in and out of the state with no problems. Certain areas of California, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington are trying to make quarantine laws mandated, but so far nothing has been updated.
Obviously there’s still some time until the season openers, giving time for laws to change and for updates to be made, which we at Split Reed will make sure to keep everyone updated. However, as you try to make plans for your upcoming season, keep in mind that certain states are making things a bit harder than others for out-of-staters. Not to mention your own state could be making things a bit frustrating by imposing quarantines, testing, and other hoops to jump through due to COVID-19.
We’ll keep this list and any other hunting news related to Coronavirus as updated as possible.
For those that are still looking where to find a place to travel and hunt this year, you can use our Trusted Outfitters to book a hunt with a guide and outfitter that will perfectly match your budget, and desired hunt!
