California · Duck · 2026–27 Edition
California Duck Season 2026–27: Zone Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons by zone
| Season / Segment | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Youth Waterfowl Day | Northeastern California Zone | Sep 19 – Sep 20 |
| Regular Duck Season | Northeastern California Zone | Oct 3 – Jan 13 |
| Regular Duck Season | Colorado River Zone | Oct 23 – Jan 31 |
| Regular Duck Season | Southern San Joaquin Valley Zone | Oct 24 – Jan 31 |
| Regular Duck Season | Southern California Zone | Oct 24 – Jan 31 |
| Regular Duck Season | Balance of State Zone | Oct 24 – Jan 31 |
| Veterans & Active Military Day | Northeastern California Zone | Jan 16 – Jan 17 |
| Veterans & Active Military Day | Southern San Joaquin Valley, Southern California & Balance of State Zones | Feb 6 – Feb 7 |
| Youth Waterfowl Day | Colorado River Zone | Feb 6 – Feb 7 |
| Youth Waterfowl Day | Southern San Joaquin Valley, Southern California & Balance of State Zones | Feb 13 – Feb 14 |
02 — Bag limits
| Duck (including mergansers) — Daily, all zones except Colorado River | 7, may include 7 mallards (no more than 2 female), 3 pintail, 2 canvasback, 2 redheads and 2 scaup |
|---|---|
| Duck (including mergansers) — Daily, Colorado River Zone | 7, may include 7 mallards (no more than 2 combined female mallards and Mexican ducks), 3 pintail, 2 canvasback, 2 redheads and 2 scaup |
| Duck — Possession, all zones | Triple the daily bag (21) |
| Scaup — Open dates, Northeastern Zone | Oct. 3-Nov. 29 and Dec. 17-Jan. 13 only — closed the rest of the season even though ducks generally are not |
| Scaup — Open dates, all other zones | Nov. 7 through the end of the regular season (Jan. 31) — closed for the season's first two weeks |
| American Coot & Common Moorhen — Daily | 25, either all one species or a mixture — concurrent with the regular duck season in that zone |
| American Coot & Common Moorhen — Possession | 75 (triple the daily bag) |
| Veterans/Youth Waterfowl Days | Same species limits as the regular season. No Veterans/Active Military Day is offered in the Colorado River Zone — only a Youth Waterfowl Day |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 19, 2026) 06:13 — 18:58
Rule: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset statewide (14 CCR § 506) — except the Morro Bay area, San Luis Obispo County, where shooting starts at 7 a.m. instead. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local California sun times for any other date.
04 — License, HIP & Duck Stamp
Duck hunters in California need three things (in addition to any state-specific waterfowl stamp): a California hunting license, HIP registration (Harvest Information Program) and a Federal Duck Stamp — required for hunters 16+ under federal law.
California hunting license cost & waterfowl stamp →
Where to hunt public land in California — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does duck season open in California?
The 2026–27 opener is September 19, 2026. Waterfowl seasons run under federal flyway frameworks with state-set zone splits — see the zone table above.
When does duck season end in California?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is February 14, 2027. Late-zone and second-segment closes vary — see the zone table.
Do I need a Federal Duck Stamp?
Yes. Every waterfowl hunter 16 or older must carry a signed current-year Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Duck Stamp). It is available at U.S. Post Offices, many license retailers, most National Wildlife Refuges, and online from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
How many ducks can you shoot in California per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Duck (including mergansers) — Daily, all zones except Colorado River — 7, may include 7 mallards (no more than 2 female), 3 pintail, 2 canvasback, 2 redheads and 2 scaup. Duck (including mergansers) — Daily, Colorado River Zone — 7, may include 7 mallards (no more than 2 combined female mallards and Mexican ducks), 3 pintail, 2 canvasback, 2 redheads and 2 scaup. Duck — Possession, all zones — Triple the daily bag (21). Scaup — Open dates, Northeastern Zone — Oct. 3-Nov. 29 and Dec. 17-Jan. 13 only — closed the rest of the season even though ducks generally are not. Scaup — Open dates, all other zones — Nov. 7 through the end of the regular season (Jan. 31) — closed for the season's first two weeks. American Coot & Common Moorhen — Daily — 25, either all one species or a mixture — concurrent with the regular duck season in that zone. American Coot & Common Moorhen — Possession — 75 (triple the daily bag). Veterans/Youth Waterfowl Days — Same species limits as the regular season. No Veterans/Active Military Day is offered in the Colorado River Zone — only a Youth Waterfowl Day. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting ducks in California?
On opening day (September 19, 2026) legal light runs 06:13 to 18:58. The rule is: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset statewide (14 CCR § 506) — except the Morro Bay area, San Luis Obispo County, where shooting starts at 7 a.m. instead. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local California sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt ducks on my own land in California without a license?
No — California requires a hunting license regardless of land ownership. The one landowner-specific carve-out is a narrow depredation-permit process for wild pigs causing damage, which is not a general hunting license.
Verified · California Department of Fish and Wildlife · Last verified 2026-08-16
Publisher's note. Dates and limits cross-checked against the Fish and Game Commission's own approved regulatory language amending 14 CCR § 502 (dated June 1, 2026) — that redline text is what resolved the exact day counts below, since CDFW's own summary page doesn't show the underlying 'Nth Saturday plus N days' formulas. California folds mergansers directly into the duck species definition and daily bag limit — 'Ducks (including Mergansers)' is the actual regulatory language — so there's no separate merganser row here, unlike most states in this project. The Colorado River Zone's mallard sub-limit caps female mallards AND Mexican ducks combined at 2, a wrinkle specific to that border zone. Legal basis: 14 CCR § 502 (seasons and limits), § 506 (shooting hours). FIXED 2026-08-16: the Veterans & Active Military Day row previously listed 'Colorado River' among its zones — wrong. Re-read the Commission's own approved regulatory language for § 502(f)(1): the Veterans Day table names exactly four zones (Northeastern California, Southern San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, Balance of State) and has no Colorado River Zone entry at all. Colorado River gets a Youth Waterfowl Day (first Saturday in February, confirmed correct) but no Veterans Day — its schedule otherwise conforms to Arizona's under federal framework rules, and this is one place where that produces a real asymmetry, not just different dates. The Northeastern Zone Veterans Day (Jan. 16–17, 2027) was independently verified by computing the regulation's own formula ('the Saturday following the closing of the regular duck season', which closes Jan. 13, 2027, a Wednesday) — this matches the file and rules out a competing AI-summarized reading of 'Jan. 17–18' that turned out to be wrong.