New Jersey · Duck · 2026–27 Edition
New Jersey Duck Season 2026–27: Zone Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons by zone
| Season / Segment | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Youth Waterfowl Day | North Zone | Oct 3 – Oct 3 |
| Regular Season · Segment 1 | North Zone | Oct 10 – Oct 17 |
| Youth Waterfowl Day | South Zone | Oct 10 – Oct 10 |
| Regular Season · Segment 1 | South Zone | Oct 17 – Oct 24 |
| Statewide Veterans & Active Military Day | Statewide | Oct 31 – Oct 31 |
| Regular Season · Segment 2 | North Zone | Nov 14 – Jan 14 |
| Youth Waterfowl Day | Coastal Zone | Nov 14 – Nov 14 |
| Regular Season | Coastal Zone (shared with Canada goose) | Nov 21 – Jan 29 |
| Regular Season · Segment 2 | South Zone | Nov 21 – Jan 21 |
| Statewide Joint Youth and Veterans & Active Military Day | Statewide | Feb 6 – Feb 6 |
02 — Bag limits
| Ducks — Daily, all zones | 6 total, not more than the species sub-limits below |
|---|---|
| Ducks — Possession, all zones | 18 (3× the daily limit) |
| Mallards | 4, no more than 2 hens |
| Black Ducks | 2 |
| Wood Ducks, Pintails | 3 each |
| Redheads, Canvasbacks | 2 each |
| Scaup | 1/day for the first 40 open days of each zone's duck season, 2/day for the last 20 open days |
| Sea Ducks (scoters, eiders, long-tailed ducks) | 4 total, no more than 3 of any one species (eiders capped at 1 hen) |
| Black-bellied or Fulvous Whistling Duck | 1, in aggregate |
| American Coot — Daily | 15, separate from the duck limit |
| Mergansers — Daily | 5, in addition to the regular duck limit |
| Youth Waterfowl Day / Veterans & Active Military Day | Same as the regular season for ducks, geese, brant, mergansers, coots, and gallinules, except scaup is a flat 2/day |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (October 3, 2026) 06:27 — 18:37
Rule: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset for ducks, coots, and mergansers (per NJFW). Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local New Jersey sun times for any other date.
04 — License, HIP & Duck Stamp
Duck hunters in New Jersey need three things (in addition to any state-specific waterfowl stamp): a New Jersey hunting license, HIP registration (Harvest Information Program) and a Federal Duck Stamp — required for hunters 16+ under federal law.
New Jersey hunting license cost & waterfowl stamp →
Where to hunt public land in New Jersey — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does duck season open in New Jersey?
The 2026–27 opener is October 3, 2026. Waterfowl seasons run under federal flyway frameworks with state-set zone splits — see the zone table above.
When does duck season end in New Jersey?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is February 6, 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 New Jersey per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Ducks — Daily, all zones — 6 total, not more than the species sub-limits below. Ducks — Possession, all zones — 18 (3× the daily limit). Mallards — 4, no more than 2 hens. Black Ducks — 2. Wood Ducks, Pintails — 3 each. Redheads, Canvasbacks — 2 each. Scaup — 1/day for the first 40 open days of each zone's duck season, 2/day for the last 20 open days. Sea Ducks (scoters, eiders, long-tailed ducks) — 4 total, no more than 3 of any one species (eiders capped at 1 hen). Black-bellied or Fulvous Whistling Duck — 1, in aggregate. American Coot — Daily — 15, separate from the duck limit. Mergansers — Daily — 5, in addition to the regular duck limit. Youth Waterfowl Day / Veterans & Active Military Day — Same as the regular season for ducks, geese, brant, mergansers, coots, and gallinules, except scaup is a flat 2/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 New Jersey?
On opening day (October 3, 2026) legal light runs 06:27 to 18:37. The rule is: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset for ducks, coots, and mergansers (per NJFW). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local New Jersey sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt ducks on my own land in New Jersey without a license?
A New Jersey farm occupant who actually lives on a qualifying farm (5 or more acres, at least $500 gross farm income, assessed as farmland) — plus immediate family living there too — may hunt, trap, and fish it without a license. They still need a free Conservation ID for harvest reporting, and the exemption doesn't extend to tenants, employees, or other non-family residents.
Verified · New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife · Last verified 2026-08-16
Publisher's note. New Jersey splits duck hunting into three zones — North, South, and Coastal — with North and South each running a short early segment plus a longer late segment, while Coastal runs one continuous season sharing its dates with Canada goose. Scaup carries its own bag structure layered on top of the regular season rather than a separate date range: 1 bird/day for the first 40 open days of each zone's duck season, 2 birds/day for the last 20 — since North and South each split across two segments, that 40/20-day count runs across both segments together, not by calendar date, so no separate scaup date range is given here. A statewide Veterans & Active Military Day and a separate statewide Joint Youth and Veterans & Active Military Day run on top of each zone's own Youth Waterfowl Day. Goose, brant, woodcock, rail, snipe, and crow seasons are set on the same page but are out of scope for this file. Re-verified 2026-08-16 via the Browser pane (dep.nj.gov sits behind Incapsula, which blocks curl/WebFetch outright — the rendered browser gets through on a forced reload) — all zones, segments, and special days confirmed exact, no changes.