Indiana · Duck · 2026–27 Edition
Indiana Duck Season 2026–27: Zone Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons by zone
| Season / Segment | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Special Teal Season | Statewide (no teal hunting on Kankakee FWA) | Sep 5 – Sep 13 |
| Youth Waterfowl Weekend | North Zone | Oct 17 – Oct 18 |
| Veteran and Active-Duty Military Waterfowl Day | North Zone | Oct 17 – Oct 18 |
| Youth Waterfowl Weekend | Central Zone | Oct 24 – Oct 25 |
| Veteran and Active-Duty Military Waterfowl Day | Central Zone | Oct 24 – Oct 25 |
| Duck, Coot & Merganser · Segment 1 | North Zone | Oct 24 – Dec 13 |
| Youth Waterfowl Weekend | South Zone | Oct 31 – Nov 1 |
| Veteran and Active-Duty Military Waterfowl Day | South Zone | Oct 31 – Nov 1 |
| Duck, Coot & Merganser · Segment 1 | Central Zone | Oct 31 – Nov 8 |
| Duck, Coot & Merganser · Segment 1 | South Zone | Nov 7 – Nov 8 |
| Duck, Coot & Merganser · Segment 2 | Central Zone | Nov 21 – Jan 10 |
| Duck, Coot & Merganser · Segment 2 | South Zone | Nov 28 – Jan 24 |
| Duck, Coot & Merganser · Segment 2 | North Zone | Dec 19 – Dec 27 |
02 — Bag limits
| Duck — Daily | 6, any combination of buffleheads, gadwalls, goldeneyes, long-tailed ducks, ring-necked ducks, ruddy ducks, scoters, shovelers, teal and wigeon, subject to: 2 black ducks, 2 canvasback, 4 mallards (max 2 hens), 1 mottled duck, 3 pintails, 2 redheads, 3 wood ducks |
|---|---|
| Scaup — Daily | 1 through Nov. 7 in the North Zone, Nov. 26 in the Central Zone, and Dec. 10 in the South Zone; 2 daily after those dates |
| Duck — Possession | Three times the daily bag limit |
| Merganser — Daily | 5, only 2 may be hooded mergansers — separate from the duck daily limit |
| Coot — Daily | 15 |
| Teal — Daily / Possession | 6 (blue-winged and green-winged, any combination) / 18 |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 5, 2026) 06:47 — 20:09
Rule: Regular duck season: half an hour before sunrise to sunset. The special teal season (Sept. 5-13) is the exception — sunrise to sunset, with no half-hour-early start (per Indiana DNR).. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Indiana sun times for any other date.
04 — License, HIP & Duck Stamp
Duck hunters in Indiana need three things (in addition to any state-specific waterfowl stamp): an Indiana hunting license, HIP registration (Harvest Information Program) and a Federal Duck Stamp — required for hunters 16+ under federal law.
Indiana hunting license cost & waterfowl stamp →
Where to hunt public land in Indiana — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does duck season open in Indiana?
The 2026–27 opener is September 5, 2026. Waterfowl seasons run under federal flyway frameworks with state-set zone splits — see the zone table above.
When does duck season end in Indiana?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 24, 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 Indiana per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Duck — Daily — 6, any combination of buffleheads, gadwalls, goldeneyes, long-tailed ducks, ring-necked ducks, ruddy ducks, scoters, shovelers, teal and wigeon, subject to: 2 black ducks, 2 canvasback, 4 mallards (max 2 hens), 1 mottled duck, 3 pintails, 2 redheads, 3 wood ducks. Scaup — Daily — 1 through Nov. 7 in the North Zone, Nov. 26 in the Central Zone, and Dec. 10 in the South Zone; 2 daily after those dates. Duck — Possession — Three times the daily bag limit. Merganser — Daily — 5, only 2 may be hooded mergansers — separate from the duck daily limit. Coot — Daily — 15. Teal — Daily / Possession — 6 (blue-winged and green-winged, any combination) / 18. 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 Indiana?
On opening day (September 5, 2026) legal light runs 06:47 to 20:09. The rule is: Regular duck season: half an hour before sunrise to sunset. The special teal season (Sept. 5-13) is the exception — sunrise to sunset, with no half-hour-early start (per Indiana DNR). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Indiana sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt ducks on my own land in Indiana without a license?
Indiana farmland owners (resident or nonresident) and the spouse/children living with them may hunt, fish, and trap without a license on land they own; a resident lessee who actually farms it gets the same right. This applies to farmland only — non-farm acreage doesn't qualify — and a nonresident owner needs to be from a state that grants Indiana landowners the same right, plus carry proof of ownership.
Verified · Indiana Department of Natural Resources · Last verified 2026-08-16
Publisher's note. Read directly from DNR's own zone tables (North/Central/South). Two secondary sources found earlier in this project's research disagreed with each other on the North Zone opener (one said Oct. 24, another Oct. 15) — this file goes only with the number printed on the DNR's own page, not either secondary source. Scaup steps from 1 to 2 daily on a different date in each zone (Nov. 7 North, Nov. 26 Central, Dec. 10 South), reproduced as the source states it rather than computed into a table row. The special teal season runs half an hour EARLIER-STARTING shooting hours than the regular duck season — sunrise to sunset, not half an hour before sunrise — see shootingHours note. Re-verified 2026-08-16: the source page also lists a 'Veteran and Active-Duty Military waterfowl hunting days' season, dated identically to that zone's Youth Waterfowl Weekend but legally distinct (separate eligibility under section 101 of title 38, U.S. Code) — added as its own row per zone, was missing entirely before.