Texas · Duck · 2026–27 Edition
Texas Duck Season 2026–27: Zone Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons by zone
| Season / Segment | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| September Teal Only Season | Statewide | Sep 19 – Sep 27 |
| Youth-Only | High Plains Mallard Management Unit | Oct 17 – Oct 18 |
| Veterans & Active Duty Military | High Plains Mallard Management Unit | Oct 17 – Oct 18 |
| Regular Season · Segment 1 | High Plains Mallard Management Unit | Oct 24 – Oct 25 |
| Regular Season · Segment 2 | High Plains Mallard Management Unit | Oct 30 – Jan 31 |
| Dusky Duck (legal window only) | High Plains Mallard Management Unit | Oct 31 – Jan 31 |
| Youth-Only | South Zone | Oct 31 – Nov 1 |
| Veterans & Active Duty Military | South Zone | Oct 31 – Nov 1 |
| Regular Season · Segment 1 | South Zone | Nov 7 – Nov 29 |
| Dusky Duck (legal window only) | South Zone | Nov 12 – Nov 29 |
| Regular Season · Segment 2 | South Zone | Dec 12 – Jan 31 |
| Dusky Duck (legal window only, seg. 2) | South Zone | Dec 12 – Jan 31 |
| Youth-Only | North Zone | Nov 7 – Nov 8 |
| Veterans & Active Duty Military | North Zone | Nov 7 – Nov 8 |
| Regular Season · Segment 1 | North Zone | Nov 14 – Nov 29 |
| Dusky Duck (legal window only) | North Zone | Nov 19 – Nov 29 |
| Regular Season · Segment 2 | North Zone | Dec 5 – Jan 31 |
| Dusky Duck (legal window only, seg. 2) | North Zone | Dec 5 – Jan 31 |
| Falconry | North Zone | Feb 1 – Feb 21 |
| Falconry | South Zone | Feb 1 – Feb 21 |
02 — Bag limits
| Early Teal — Daily | 6 in the aggregate |
|---|---|
| Regular Duck — Daily | 6 in the aggregate (includes mergansers); max: 5 mallards (only 2 hens), 3 wood ducks, 3 pintails, 2 redheads, 2 canvasback, 1 scaup, 1 dusky duck. Other species not listed: 6. |
| Coot | 15 |
| Possession (all) | 3× daily bag |
| Falconry | 3 daily / 9 possession — singly or in aggregate across all migratory game birds |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 19, 2026) 06:54 — 19:37
Rule: From one-half hour before sunrise to sunset (per TPWD). Falconry: same hours during open seasons.. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Texas sun times for any other date.
04 — License, HIP & Duck Stamp
Duck hunters in Texas need three things (in addition to any state-specific waterfowl stamp): a Texas hunting license, HIP registration (Harvest Information Program) and a Federal Duck Stamp — required for hunters 16+ under federal law.
Texas hunting license cost & waterfowl stamp →
Where to hunt public land in Texas — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does duck season open in Texas?
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 Texas?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is February 21, 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 Texas per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Early Teal — Daily — 6 in the aggregate. Regular Duck — Daily — 6 in the aggregate (includes mergansers); max: 5 mallards (only 2 hens), 3 wood ducks, 3 pintails, 2 redheads, 2 canvasback, 1 scaup, 1 dusky duck. Other species not listed: 6. Coot — 15. Possession (all) — 3× daily bag. Falconry — 3 daily / 9 possession — singly or in aggregate across all migratory game birds. 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 Texas?
On opening day (September 19, 2026) legal light runs 06:54 to 19:37. The rule is: From one-half hour before sunrise to sunset (per TPWD). Falconry: same hours during open seasons. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Texas sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt ducks on my own land in Texas without a license?
Texas requires a license for essentially all game even on your own land — the one landowner carve-out is feral hogs, which a resident landowner (or anyone with their consent) may take without a license. Deer, turkey, and everything else still need the usual license and tags.
Verified · Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Last verified 2026-08-16
Publisher's note. Three zones (High Plains Mallard Management Unit / North Zone / South Zone) per TPWD Outdoor Annual. Dusky ducks (mottled, Mexican, black and hybrids) are OFF-LIMITS the first 5 days of each zone's regular season due to USFWS concerns about mottled duck populations — the Dusky rows below show the LEGAL window. Requires state hunting license + Migratory Game Bird Endorsement + HIP + Federal Duck Stamp (16+). Re-verified 2026-08-16 — REAL ERROR FOUND AND FIXED: the September Teal Only Season (statewide, Sept. 19-27, 2026) was missing entirely from the methods list, even though the bag-limit table already referenced 'Early Teal.' TPWD publishes it on a separate Outdoor Annual page (regs/animals/blue-winged-green-winged-and-cinnamon-teal), not the main Duck page this file otherwise draws from — easy to miss without checking the species-specific bag-limit cross-references. This also moved the file's 'opener' from Oct. 17 to the correct Sept. 19.