Welcome to your best location for the latest information on the duck hunting season for every single state in the United States.
This site helps you understand the mess of dates and regulations that differ in every single state. Each state publishes different dates, these dates can be hard to locate as they are buried deep within and spread across fifty separate government websites.
We bring all this information together is one simple to navigate location.
Simply Click the map below to go straight to the current data for your State.
Disclaimer: we do our best to bring you to most recent and accurate data but please be aware changes can occur at short notice.
A little about duck hunting in the United States.
Commercial hunting is prohibited by law and so duck hunting has been established as an outdoor sport activity. A wide variety of ducks and geese share the same natural habitats and so as a result are hunted using the same methods. It is not uncommon for a hunter to find a couple of different species on the same hunting session. Ducks have been hunted for various reasons since the dawn of mankind. However, due to their steady decline in numbers several laws were were put in place to manage their population numbers. In 1934, the United States government passed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, or as it is better known the Federal Duck Stamp Act. This program requires all hunters to have not only a hunting license but also a special stamp in order to legally participate in this type of hunting.
What essential items do you need to be successful?
When is Duck Season? It’s usually in fall and winter. During this time of the year the birds have already finished raising their young ones and have started migrating towards warmer places. There are three core elements that are in a hunters kit: a shotgun, a hunting blind, and decoys. The role of the decoys is to lure the birds closer while the blind help to hide the hunter. Once the bird has come into range, the hunters stands up in the blind and shoots down the bird with the shotgun before they have been frightened off.
Decoys are also known as calls. Originally, a duck call was a simple woodwind instrument that had a barrel, sounding board and a reed. The hunters would usually grunt into the call, however with the improvement of these products the best callers are now able to not use any voice at all. There are different kinds of calls for the different species of birds. Duck hunting for beginners can be made much easier once you learn how to use this equipment.
Make sure you stay warm and dry
As mentioned before duck season is during fall and winter and can be in places where the weather can be really harsh so wearing the right equipment and clothing is an absolute essential. Wearing waterproof clothing is critical since you will spend most of your time either over the water, in the water or in a boat. One such piece of essential clothing is the wader. Waders are waterproof pants that come with attached boots which are also completely waterproof. The traditional waders reach the chest but you will also easily find alternative styles that are waist high and knee high waders that are great for more shallow waters. You also sometimes might have to deal with cold weather so wearing insulated clothes is your best option. Additionally, it is advisable to choose clothing that is well camouflaged and that merges with the surroundings since ducks have great vision.
More advanced hunters will also have the following items
You will find a wide variety of structures that are qualified as duck blinds on the market. Duck blinds can be either temporary or permanent structures. The purpose of blind are to be effective at hiding the hunter and making their movement as unnoticeable as possible so as not to scare of the birds. With the ever growing popularity of boats for hunting, many hunters now tend to use boat blinds. They are the perfect option for concealing the hunter while in a boat.
Most of the more experienced hunter will use dogs to retrieve the birds they shoot. The most common breed of dog that are used are retrievers, although spaniels are also a quite common hunting dog. There are a number of advantages in using dogs. The primary reason is since hunting is usually done in cold and wet places, the dog takes away the hunter’s task of needing to go into the cold water to retrieve the birds they shoot.
A few important things to remember
Duck hunting is a highly regulated sport. If you want to become a hunter you need a hunting license. Additionally, there is limit for how many birds you can take for a single day and also for the the total number of birds that you can possess at any one time.
In addition, you also have to purchase a federal duck stamp and in many cases a state stamp as well. It is prohibited by law to shoot down ducks from motor vehicles or from a moving boat and also if it is sitting or swimming in the water. Legal hunting can only be done during the duck season. If you want to know when does duck season start you can find more information here by clicking your state on the interactive map above. Each state has a different season start and end date so be careful, get the right information and ensure that you are not breaking the law.
Happy Hunting!