New York · Duck · 2026–27 Edition
New York Duck Season 2026–27: Zone Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons by zone
| Season / Segment | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Youth Day | Western | Sep 26 – Sep 27 |
| Veteran & Active Military Days | Western | Nov 7 – Nov 8 |
| Regular Season · Segment 1 | Western | Oct 10 – Nov 1 |
| Regular Season · Segment 2 | Western | Dec 5 – Jan 10 |
| Scaup (2-bird special limit) | Western | Dec 22 – Jan 10 |
| Youth Day | Northeast | Sep 26 – Sep 27 |
| Veteran & Active Military Days | Northeast | Sep 26 – Sep 27 |
| Regular Season · Segment 1 | Northeast | Oct 10 – Nov 29 |
| Regular Season · Segment 2 | Northeast | Dec 12 – Dec 20 |
| Scaup (2-bird special limit) · Window 1 | Northeast | Nov 19 – Nov 29 |
| Scaup (2-bird special limit) · Window 2 | Northeast | Dec 12 – Dec 20 |
| Scaup (2-bird special limit) · Window 2 | Northeast | Dec 12 – Dec 20 |
| Youth Day | Lake Champlain | Sep 26 – Sep 27 |
| Regular Season · Segment 1 | Lake Champlain | Oct 10 – Nov 1 |
| Regular Season · Segment 2 | Lake Champlain | Nov 21 – Dec 27 |
| Scaup (2-bird special limit) | Lake Champlain | Dec 8 – Dec 27 |
| Youth Day | Southeast | Sep 26 – Sep 27 |
| Veteran & Active Military Days | Southeast | Sep 26 – Sep 27 |
| Regular Season · Segment 1 | Southeast | Oct 10 – Oct 18 |
| Regular Season · Segment 2 | Southeast | Nov 7 – Dec 27 |
| Scaup (2-bird special limit) | Southeast | Dec 8 – Dec 27 |
| Veteran & Active Military Days | Long Island | Nov 7 – Nov 8 |
| Youth Day | Long Island | Nov 7 – Nov 8 |
| Regular Season · Segment 1 | Long Island | Nov 21 – Nov 29 |
| Regular Season · Segment 2 | Long Island | Dec 12 – Jan 31 |
| Scaup (2-bird special limit) | Long Island | Jan 12 – Jan 31 |
02 — Bag limits
| Ducks, Sea Ducks, and Mergansers — Daily, statewide | 6 |
|---|---|
| Ducks, Sea Ducks, and Mergansers — Possession, statewide | 18 |
| Coot — Daily / Possession | 15 / 45 |
| Mallards | 4 daily, no more than 2 hen mallards, within the overall 6-duck limit |
| Wood Ducks | 3 daily, within the overall 6-duck limit |
| Black Duck | 2 daily, within the overall 6-duck limit |
| Pintail | 3 daily, within the overall 6-duck limit |
| Scaup | 1 daily — 2 daily during each zone's Scaup special-limit window (see season table) |
| Redheads | 2 daily, within the overall 6-duck limit |
| Canvasback | 2 daily, within the overall 6-duck limit |
| Sea Ducks (scoters, eiders, long-tailed ducks) | 4 total daily, no more than 3 scoters, 3 eiders (max. 1 hen), or 3 long-tailed ducks — counts toward the overall 6-duck limit |
| Harlequin Ducks | No harvest allowed at any time |
| Youth Day / Veteran & Active Military Days | Same species sub-limits as the regular season |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 26, 2026) 06:24 — 18:51
Rule: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset for ducks, coots, and mergansers (per NYSDEC) — no evening extension. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local New York sun times for any other date.
04 — License, HIP & Duck Stamp
Duck hunters in New York need three things (in addition to any state-specific waterfowl stamp): a New York hunting license, HIP registration (Harvest Information Program) and a Federal Duck Stamp — required for hunters 16+ under federal law.
New York hunting license cost & waterfowl stamp →
Where to hunt public land in New York — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does duck season open in New York?
The 2026–27 opener is September 26, 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 York?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 31, 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 York per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Ducks, Sea Ducks, and Mergansers — Daily, statewide — 6. Ducks, Sea Ducks, and Mergansers — Possession, statewide — 18. Coot — Daily / Possession — 15 / 45. Mallards — 4 daily, no more than 2 hen mallards, within the overall 6-duck limit. Wood Ducks — 3 daily, within the overall 6-duck limit. Black Duck — 2 daily, within the overall 6-duck limit. Pintail — 3 daily, within the overall 6-duck limit. Scaup — 1 daily — 2 daily during each zone's Scaup special-limit window (see season table). Redheads — 2 daily, within the overall 6-duck limit. Canvasback — 2 daily, within the overall 6-duck limit. Sea Ducks (scoters, eiders, long-tailed ducks) — 4 total daily, no more than 3 scoters, 3 eiders (max. 1 hen), or 3 long-tailed ducks — counts toward the overall 6-duck limit. Harlequin Ducks — No harvest allowed at any time. Youth Day / Veteran & Active Military Days — Same species sub-limits as the regular season. 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 York?
On opening day (September 26, 2026) legal light runs 06:24 to 18:51. The rule is: Half an hour before sunrise to sunset for ducks, coots, and mergansers (per NYSDEC) — no evening extension. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local New York sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt ducks on my own land in New York without a license?
New York resident owners, lessees, and their immediate family — while actually occupying and farming that land — may hunt it without a license. Deer and bear are explicitly excluded.
Verified · New York State Department of Environmental Conservation · Last verified 2026-08-16
Publisher's note. NYSDEC splits duck (plus coot and merganser, which share identical dates) hunting across five USFWS-approved waterfowl zones — Western, Northeast, Lake Champlain, Southeast, and Long Island — each running its own split season, Youth Days, Veteran/Active Military Days, and a separate Scaup special-limit window (2 birds instead of the usual 1) layered on top of the regular season rather than opening a new one. Lake Champlain has no Veteran/Active Military Days because federal rules require identical dates on both the New York and Vermont sides of the zone, and Vermont doesn't offer that special season. Northeast is the only zone with two separate Scaup windows (Nov. 19–29 during the tail of Segment 1, and Dec. 12–20 coinciding with all of Segment 2) rather than one. Goose, snow goose, and brant seasons run on the same DEC page but are out of scope for this file. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-01 through a text-extraction proxy of the same official URL — dec.ny.gov answers direct fetchers with 403. The Western Zone rows match exactly: 'Ducks, Coots, Mergansers | Oct. 10 - Nov. 1, Dec. 5 - Jan. 10', 'Scaup (2 bird daily bag limit) | Dec. 22 - Jan. 10', Youth Days 'Sept 26 and Sept. 27', Veteran and Active Military Days 'Nov. 7 and Nov. 8'. Shooting hours are on the page itself, which is what this file's shootingHours field rests on: 'one-half hour before sunrise to sunset; see exceptions for Canada geese during September and snow geese during January 16 - April 15.' DEC also notes that the five waterfowl zones are approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and that HIP registration is required. Not modelled: the goose seasons, whose length was set to 45 days with a 3-bird limit in five zones.