Hunters are gearing up for the season, with archery already underway and migratory bird hunting starting up on Thursday. This year's hunting season sees some big changes for waterfowl hunting, something that has the Delta Waterfowl Foundation's director of conservation policy excited. This year the age limit for migratory bird hunting has been dropped to ten years old, from the previous minimum age of 12. Jim Fisher says it's something they've been hoping to see for several years.

"I've been lobbying, others have been lobbying for a long time, probably 20 to 25 years we've been pushing for this. We got it to ten, and it's following British Columbia's lead. We're super excited about that, and it's something we'd like to see across Canada, the ten provinces and territories all drop the age to ten."

Fisher says while two years doesn't seem like a long time when it comes to hunters they often couldn't imagine taking two years off. He says this is the first year since hunting licensing was introduced that youth as young as ten will be able to hunt waterfowl, and describes it as the biggest story of this year's hunting season.

Fisher says this latest change could reinvigorate interest in the sport, by exposing the next generation at a younger age. He says the interest among youth is definitely there, so this can help them pursue a new passion.

"The neat thing for me is that kids are doing a lot of things, so they're exposed to a lot of different past times and hobbies, whether it's sports or other activities, way before they're 12. This drop to the age of ten gives a bit more of a chance of recruiting new hunters and exposing kids, and hopefully getting them jazzed about being hunters."

September eighth marks the beginning of the season for upland game birds such as grouse. For deer, archery season is underway, muzzleloaders begin mid-October, and early November sees the beginning of rifle season.