Waterfowl Season Dates and Bag Limits 

< Back to Waterfowl Hunting


To view information, click either the plus icon or name to open a section. To close a section, click the plus icon or name again. The season dates and bag limits are subject to change at any time based on harvest results.


expand Early Migratory Birds 
Species:Common Moorhen and Purple Gallinule
Opens:9/1/2012
Ends:11/9/2012
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:
Daily limit is 15. Possession limit is 30 (combined).
Species:Rail, Virginia and Sora
Opens:9/8/2012
Ends:11/16/2012
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:
Daily limit is 25. Possession limit is 25 (combined).
 
Species:Snipe, Common
Opens:11/1/2012
Ends:2/15/2013
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:Daily Limit is 8. Possession Limit is 16.
Species:Woodcock
Opens:11/3/2012
Ends:12/17/2012
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:Daily limit is 3. Possession limit is 6.
expand Waterfowl 
Species:Duck;Coot, American;Merganser
Opens:11/17/2012
Ends:11/25/2012
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:
Duck daily bag limit - Six ducks. Limit may include no more than four mallards (no more than two of which may be hens), three wood ducks, two redheads, one black duck, four scaup, two pintails, one canvasback and one mottled duck. Duck and teal species not listed have no extra restriction beyond the six-duck total bag limit.
Duck possession limit - Twice the daily bag limit.
Coot daily bag limit - 15.
Coot possession limit - Twice the daily bag limit.
Merganser daily bag limit - Five. Limit may include no more than two hooded mergansers.
Merganser possession limit - Twice the daily bag limit.
More:
Species:Duck;Coot, American;Merganser
Opens:12/6/2012
Ends:12/23/2012
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:
Duck daily bag limit - Six ducks. Limit may include no more than four mallards (no more than two of which may be hens), three wood ducks, two redheads, one black duck, four scaup, two pintails, one canvasback and one mottled duck. Duck and teal species not listed have no extra restriction beyond the six-duck total bag limit.
Duck possession limit - Twice the daily bag limit.
Coot daily bag limit - 15.
Coot possession limit - Twice the daily bag limit.
Merganser daily bag limit - Five. Limit may include no more than two hooded mergansers.
Merganser possession limit - Twice the daily bag limit.
More:
Species:Duck;Coot, American;Merganser
Opens:12/26/2012
Ends:1/27/2013
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:
Duck daily bag limit - Six ducks. Limit may include no more than four mallards (no more than two of which may be hens), three wood ducks, two redheads, one black duck, four scaup, two pintails, one canvasback and one mottled duck. Duck and teal species not listed have no extra restriction beyond the six-duck total bag limit.
Duck possession limit - Twice the daily bag limit.
Coot daily bag limit - 15.
Coot possession limit - Twice the daily bag limit.
Merganser daily bag limit - Five. Limit may include no more than two hooded mergansers.
Merganser possession limit - Twice the daily bag limit.
More:
Species:Goose, Canada
Opens:9/1/2012
Ends:9/15/2012
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:Daily limit is 5. Possession limit is 10.
Species:Goose, Canada
Opens:9/22/2012
Ends:10/1/2012
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:
Daily limit is 2. Possession limit is 4.
 
More:
Northwest Canada Goose Zone includes: Benton, Carroll, Boone, Marion, Baxter, Washington, Madison, Newton, Searcy, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Pope, Van Buren, Sebastian, Logan, Conway, Faulkner, Scott, Yell, Perry and Pulaski counties.
Species:Goose, Canada
Opens:11/17/2012
Ends:1/27/2013
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:
Daily limit is 2. Possession limit is 4.
 
Species:Goose, White-fronted
Opens:11/17/2012
Ends:1/27/2013
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:
Daily limit is 2. Possession limit is 4.
More:
Species:Goose, Blue;Goose, Snow;Goose, Ross
Opens:11/3/2012
Ends:1/27/2013
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:
Bag limit is 20. No possession limit.
More:
expand Waterfowl - Early Teal 
Species:Teal, Blue-winged;Teal, Cinnamon;Teal, Green-winged
Opens:9/8/2012
Ends:9/23/2012
Shooting Hours:Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:Daily limit is 4 of any blue-winged, green-winged and cinnamon teal. Possession limit is 8.
expand Waterfowl - Light Goose Conservation Order 
Species:Goose, Blue;Goose, Ross;Goose, Snow
Opens:1/28/2013
Ends:2/1/2013
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until 30 Minutes After Sunset
Limits:No bag limit or possession limit.
More:
  • Hunters may use unplugged shotguns.
  • Hunters may use electric calls.
  • Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.
  • No federal or state waterfowl stamp is required.
  • Hunters must have a valid hunting license, but it may be from any state.
  • Hunters must call (800) 364-4263 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) or click here to visit our permit page and click "Submit New Permit Application" for a free registration permit number.
Species:Goose, Blue;Goose, Ross;Goose, Snow
Opens:2/4/2013
Ends:4/25/2013
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until 30 Minutes After Sunset
Limits:No bag limit or possession limit.
More:
  •  Hunters may use unplugged shotguns.
  • Hunters may use electric calls.
  • Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.
  • No federal or state waterfowl stamp is required.
  • Hunters must have a valid hunting license, but it may be from any state.
  • Hunters must call (800) 364-4263 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) or click here to visit our permit page and click "Submit New Permit Application" for a free registration permit number.
expand Waterfowl - Youth 
Species:Waterfowl
Opens:2/2/2013
Ends:2/3/2013
Shooting Hours:30 Minutes Before Sunrise Until Sunset
Limits:
Shooting hours and bag limits are the same as the regular season.
More:
On these days, youths 15 and younger may harvest ducks, geese, coots and mergansers. Youths who have completed a hunter education course must be accompanied by a mentor who is 18 or older. Youths who have not completed a hunter education course must be accompanied by a mentor who is 21 or older. Mentors may not hunt ducks, geese, mergansers or coots, but may call waterfowl and may (if properly licensed) hunt other game in season. Youth hunters can hunt on wildlife management areas 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset these two days.