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Migratory birds · 2026-27
Duck Hunting in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has four duck zones: Lake Erie, Northwest, North and South. Dates, limits, land, rules and harvest numbers for ducks, all from the Game Commission.
Photo: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The North, South and Northwest zones open Oct. 10, 2026 for a first split; the Lake Erie Zone runs a single season from Nov. 2. A statewide junior day on Sept. 19 comes first, then junior, veteran and military days by zone and veteran days in January. Waterfowl hunters 16 and older carry a federal duck stamp, $30.97 through HuntFishPA, plus the migratory game bird license.
Duck at a glance
- North Oct. 10-24 and Nov. 17-Jan. 9; South Oct. 10-17 and Nov. 18-Jan. 18; Northwest Oct. 10-Nov. 27 and Dec. 21-Jan. 9; Lake Erie Nov. 2-Jan. 9.
- 6 ducks daily; mergansers 5; coots 15; scaup 1-2 by date.
- Youth day Sept. 19; youth/veteran/military and veteran/military days by zone.
Duck dates by WMU and zone
The table lists 16 rows from the PGC season table and digest; the last column checks each one against today.
| Segment | Where | Opening | Closing | Days | Sundays | Right now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | North Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 | 15 | Closed Sundays | |
| Regular season | North Zone | Nov 17, 2026 | Jan 9, 2027 | 54 | Closed Sundays | |
| Regular season | South Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 | 8 | Closed Sundays | |
| Regular season | South Zone | Nov 18, 2026 | Jan 18, 2027 | 62 | Closed Sundays | |
| Regular season | Northwest Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 27, 2026 | 49 | Closed Sundays | |
| Regular season | Northwest Zone | Dec 21, 2026 | Jan 9, 2027 | 20 | Closed Sundays | |
| Regular season | Lake Erie Zone | Nov 2, 2026 | Jan 9, 2027 | 69 | Closed Sundays | |
| Junior (youth) day (waterfowl) | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 19, 2026 | 1 | Closed Sundays | |
| Junior, veteran and active-duty military day (waterfowl) | Lake Erie Zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 | 1 | Closed Sundays | |
| Junior, veteran and active-duty military day (waterfowl) | Northwest Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Sep 26, 2026 | 1 | Closed Sundays | |
| Junior, veteran and active-duty military day (waterfowl) | North Zone | Oct 31, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 | 1 | Closed Sundays | |
| Junior, veteran and active-duty military day (waterfowl) | South Zone | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 7, 2026 | 1 | Closed Sundays | |
| Veteran and active-duty military day (waterfowl) | Lake Erie Zone | Jan 16, 2027 | Jan 16, 2027 | 1 | Closed Sundays | |
| Veteran and active-duty military day (waterfowl) | Northwest Zone | Jan 16, 2027 | Jan 16, 2027 | 1 | Closed Sundays | |
| Veteran and active-duty military day (waterfowl) | North Zone | Jan 16, 2027 | Jan 16, 2027 | 1 | Closed Sundays | |
| Veteran and active-duty military day (waterfowl) | South Zone | Jan 23, 2027 | Jan 23, 2027 | 1 | Closed Sundays | |
| No open season (harlequin duck) | Statewide | Not open |
Rules attached to the dates
- Ducks, sea ducks, coots and mergansers. 6 ducks daily (limits: 4 mallards incl. 2 hens, 2 black ducks, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks, 3 pintails, 4 sea ducks incl. 3 eiders (1 hen), 3 long-tailed ducks, 3 scoters); scaup 1 or 2 by date; mergansers 5 daily; coots 15 daily; possession 3x daily. Sunday hunting prohibited for migratory game birds. Scaup: 1 daily Oct. 10-24 and Nov. 17-Dec. 17; 2 daily Dec. 18-Jan. 9.
- Ducks, sea ducks, coots and mergansers. 6 ducks daily (limits: 4 mallards incl. 2 hens, 2 black ducks, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks, 3 pintails, 4 sea ducks incl. 3 eiders (1 hen), 3 long-tailed ducks, 3 scoters); scaup 1 or 2 by date; mergansers 5 daily; coots 15 daily; possession 3x daily. Sunday hunting prohibited for migratory game birds. Scaup: 1 daily Oct. 10-17 and Nov. 18-Dec. 25; 2 daily Dec. 26-Jan. 18.
- Ducks, sea ducks, coots and mergansers. 6 ducks daily (limits: 4 mallards incl. 2 hens, 2 black ducks, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks, 3 pintails, 4 sea ducks incl. 3 eiders (1 hen), 3 long-tailed ducks, 3 scoters); scaup 1 or 2 by date; mergansers 5 daily; coots 15 daily; possession 3x daily. Sunday hunting prohibited for migratory game birds. Scaup: 1 daily Oct. 10-Nov. 25; 2 daily Nov. 26-27 and Dec. 21-Jan. 9.
- Ducks, sea ducks, coots and mergansers. 6 ducks daily (limits: 4 mallards incl. 2 hens, 2 black ducks, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks, 3 pintails, 4 sea ducks incl. 3 eiders (1 hen), 3 long-tailed ducks, 3 scoters); scaup 1 or 2 by date; mergansers 5 daily; coots 15 daily; possession 3x daily. Sunday hunting prohibited for migratory game birds. Scaup: 1 daily Nov. 2-24 and Dec. 18-Jan. 9; 2 daily Nov. 25-Dec. 17.
- Junior and mentored youth hunters, properly accompanied. Ducks, mergansers, coots, gallinules, brant and Canada geese; regular-season bag limits. Hours close at sunset.
- Junior and mentored youth hunters, veterans (38 U.S.C. 101) and active-duty Armed Forces incl. National Guard/Reserves on active duty. Ducks, mergansers, coots, gallinules, brant and Canada geese; regular-season bag limits.
- Veterans and active-duty military only. Ducks, mergansers, coots, gallinules, brant and Canada geese; regular-season bag limits.
- No open season.
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission seasons and bag limits and the 2026-27 digest, checked October 12, 2026.
Duck bag and possession limits
These duck limits apply statewide unless a WMU row says otherwise.
Ducks limit
6 daily (species limits apply), possession 3x daily.
Sea ducks
4 daily, 12 possession (within the 6-duck limit).
Mergansers
5 daily, 15 possession (hooded mergansers included in merganser limit).
Coots
15 daily, 45 possession.
Duck on State Game Lands and forests
131 areas list waterfowl, from Delaware State Forest (83,519 acres) down.
| Public area | Kind | County | Unit | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware State Forest | State Forest | Pike, Monroe | 3D | 83,519 |
| Pinchot State Forest | State Forest | Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe | 3B/3C/3D/4E | 54,000 |
| State Game Lands 108 | State Game Lands | Cambria, Blair | 2E/4D | 22,739 |
| Ohiopyle State Park | State Park | Fayette | 2C | 20,000 |
| State Game Lands 141 | State Game Lands | Carbon | 4C | 17,227 |
| Moraine State Park | State Park | Butler | 1A | 14,000 |
| Hickory Run State Park | State Park | Carbon | 3D/4C | 13,000 |
| Laurel Ridge State Park | State Park | Somerset, Westmoreland, Cambria | 2C | 13,000 |
| State Game Lands 180 | State Game Lands | Pike | 3D | 12,506 |
| Cook Forest State Park | State Park | Clarion, Forest, Jefferson | 2F | 11,000 |
| State Game Lands 95 | State Game Lands | Butler | 2D | 10,626 |
| Pymatuning State Park | State Park | Crawford | 1A | 10,300 |
| Ricketts Glen State Park | State Park | Luzerne, Sullivan | 3B/4E | 10,287 |
| State Game Lands 214 | State Game Lands | Crawford | 1A | 9,661 |
| State Game Lands 34 | State Game Lands | Clearfield, Elk | 2G | 9,558 |
The rest of the list
State Game Lands 159 (9,448 ac) · Erie National Wildlife Refuge (8,959 ac) · Raccoon Creek State Park (7,000 ac) · Oil Creek State Park (6,800 ac) · State Game Lands 40 (6,200 ac) · State Game Lands 46 (6,053 ac) · French Creek State Park (6,000 ac) · Lehigh Gorge State Park (6,000 ac) · State Game Lands 38 (5,818 ac) · State Game Lands 213 (5,646 ac) · Prince Gallitzin State Park (5,600 ac) · Tobyhanna State Park (5,200 ac) · Blue Knob State Park (5,000 ac) · Bald Eagle State Park (4,910 ac) · State Game Lands 69 (4,476 ac) · State Game Lands 312 (4,459 ac) · Hillman State Park (3,650 ac) · Nescopeck State Park (3,500 ac) · Nockamixon State Park (3,500 ac) · Swatara State Park (3,500 ac) · Shenango River Lake (3,449 ac) · Elk State Park (3,150 ac) · Black Moshannon State Park (3,000 ac) · Shawnee State Park (3,000 ac) · State Game Lands 145 (2,987 ac) · State Game Lands 302 (2,976 ac) · Codorus State Park (2,800 ac) · Gouldsboro State Park (2,700 ac) · State Game Lands 43 (2,571 ac) · State Game Lands 280 (2,552 ac) · Kings Gap Environmental Education Center (2,500 ac) · State Game Lands 301 (2,332 ac) · Yellow Creek State Park (2,300 ac) · Laurel Hill State Park (2,200 ac) · McConnells Mill State Park (2,200 ac) · Gifford Pinchot State Park (1,945 ac) · State Game Lands 56 (1,791 ac) · Beltzville State Park (1,700 ac) · Little Pine State Park (1,700 ac) · Locust Lake State Park (1,700 ac) · William Penn State Forest (1,683 ac) · Kettle Creek State Park (1,640 ac) · State Game Lands 284 (1,590 ac) · State Game Lands 151 (1,584 ac) · Prompton State Park (1,400 ac) · Sinnemahoning State Park (1,400 ac) · State Game Lands 140 (1,346 ac) · State Game Lands 218 (1,339 ac) · Promised Land State Park (1,300 ac) · State Game Lands 191 (1,223 ac) · State Game Lands 310 (1,197 ac) · State Game Lands 277 (1,192 ac) · State Game Lands 243 (1,167 ac) · State Game Lands 254 (1,163 ac) · State Game Lands 199 (1,129 ac) · State Game Lands 317 (1,103 ac) · Mount Pisgah State Park (1,100 ac) · Tuscarora State Park (1,100 ac) · Maurice K. Goddard State Park (1,075 ac) · Clear Creek State Park (1,000 ac) · 56 more listed in the land directory
Counties to start with for ducks
- Crawford County8 tracts
- Wayne County8 tracts
- Monroe County7 tracts
- Dauphin County6 tracts
- Erie County6 tracts
- Carbon County5 tracts
- Luzerne County5 tracts
- Potter County5 tracts
- Berks County4 tracts
- Bucks County4 tracts
- Chester County4 tracts
- Lackawanna County4 tracts
- Lawrence County4 tracts
- Mercer County4 tracts
- York County4 tracts
PGC State Game Lands GIS, DCNR forest and park hunting pages and federal managers (PGC layers), retrieved 2026-10-12. Species lists are what each manager names; area rules still apply.
How many ducks hunters take
Statewide survey estimates for ducks; the PGC publishes no county or WMU breakdown for this group.
| Year | Harvest | Hunters | Hunter days | Per 100 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 71,766 | 19,160 | 102,579 | 69.96 |
| 2009 | 137,974 | 25,870 | 170,544 | 80.9 |
| 2008 | 135,234 | 27,654 | 164,849 | 82.04 |
| 2007 | 138,860 | 27,136 | 166,757 | 83.27 |
| 2006 | 159,388 | 27,628 | 173,266 | 91.99 |
| 2005 | 163,065 | 26,673 | 176,006 | 92.65 |
| 2003 | 191,132 | 34,173 | 226,495 | 84.39 |
| 2002 | 169,828 | 32,328 | 210,663 | 80.62 |
Harvest data: harvest, hunters, hunter days. Estimates as published by the PGC.
Duck rules in Pennsylvania
Before going after ducks, check these license, hour and orange rules.
Licenses and fees
Prices as the PGC lists them for ducks.
Shooting hours
Shooting hours for ducks close at sunset rather than a half hour after.
Orange rule
No fluorescent orange is required for ducks. Game lands have their own orange rule for everyone else in the fall and spring periods.
Sunday hunting
Migratory birds such as ducks may not be hunted on Sunday. Sunday hunting guide
Duck zones
Lake Erie Zone: Lake Erie, Presque Isle and the area within 150 yards of the Lake Erie shoreline. Northwest Zone: The area bounded on the north by the Lake Erie Zone and including all of Erie and Crawford counties and all of Mercer and Venango counties north of I-80. North Zone: The area east of the Northwest Zone and north of I-80 to Route 220, north from I-80 to I-180, north and east of I-180 from Route 220 to I-80, north of I-80 from I-180 to the Delaware River. South Zone: All of state not in the Lake Erie, Northwest and North Zones.
Daily duck limits by species
Ducks, sea ducks, coots and mergansers. 6 ducks daily (limits: 4 mallards incl. 2 hens, 2 black ducks, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks, 3 pintails, 4 sea ducks incl. 3 eiders (1 hen), 3 long-tailed ducks, 3 scoters); scaup 1 or 2 by date; mergansers 5 daily; coots 15 daily; possession 3x daily. Sunday hunting prohibited for migratory game birds. Scaup: 1 daily Oct. 10-24 and Nov. 17-Dec. 17; 2 daily Dec. 18-Jan. 9.
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission 2026-27 digest, license types and harvest reporting, checked October 12, 2026. Pennsylvania hunting laws · License guide.
Legal arms and methods: ducks
What you can carry after ducks, and what the PGC bans.
| Group | What is legal | What is not |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfowl and migratory birds | Manual and semiautomatic shotguns no larger than 10 gauge plugged to 3 shells; bows and crossbows; nontoxic shot up to size T for waterfowl. | Lead shot for waterfowl; unplugged guns; sink boxes; shooting from moving motorboats. |
Duck methods and restrictions
Migratory bird restrictions
No migratory bird hunting on Sundays; no sink boxes, motor vehicles, aircraft, moving motorboats, live decoys, recorded calls (except snow goose conservation season), baited areas (baited for 30 days after removal) or driving birds.
Decoys
Food-simulating decoys are bait; live decoys prohibited for all hunting; electronic decoys allowed for crows, waterfowl and doves.
Baiting (general)
Unlawful to hunt in or around any area where bait, food, salt, minerals or their residues are or were used within the past 30 days to lure game or wildlife. Normal farming/habitat practices and food plots are not baiting; crop manipulation for doves allowed; nonliving bait allowed for coyotes.
2026-27 digest, sporting arms and unlawful acts pages, checked October 12, 2026.
Common duck questions
When is the youth waterfowl day?
Sept. 19 statewide youth day; youth/veteran/military days Sept. 26 (NW), Oct. 24 (Lake Erie), Oct. 31 (North), Nov. 7 (South)
Is harlequin duck season open?
No. Harlequin ducks have no open season.
Which weapons are legal for ducks?
Waterfowl and migratory birds: Manual and semiautomatic shotguns no larger than 10 gauge plugged to 3 shells; bows and crossbows; nontoxic shot up to size T for waterfowl.
When does the duck season start?
The PGC sets ducks at regular season Oct 10 to Oct 24, 2026 (North Zone); regular season Nov 17, 2026 to Jan 9, 2027 (North Zone); regular season Oct 10 to Oct 17, 2026 (South Zone); regular season Nov 18, 2026 to Jan 18, 2027 (South Zone); regular season Oct 10 to Nov 27, 2026 (Northwest Zone). Every segment is in the season table.
What is the limit on ducks?
6 daily (species limits apply), possession 3x daily. 4 daily, 12 possession (within the 6-duck limit).
What license do I need for ducks?
Required or relevant: Resident Adult Hunting License ($20.97); Resident Migratory Game Bird License ($3.97); Federal Duck Stamp (E-Stamp) via HuntFishPA ($30.97); Nonresident 7-Day Small Game License ($31.97).
How many public tracts list ducks?
131 public tracts, including Delaware State Forest, Pinchot State Forest and State Game Lands 108.
Are there hour limits on ducks?
Shooting hours for ducks close at sunset rather than a half hour after.
Is fluorescent orange required for ducks?
No fluorescent orange is required for ducks. Game lands have their own orange rule for everyone else in the fall and spring periods.
Are ducks open on Sundays this year?
Migratory birds such as ducks may not be hunted on Sunday.
Duck country: what to bring along
Picked for the game hunted here; prices load when you click.
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Last word on ducks
Before the duck trip, confirm your WMU, your license and the orange rule for the segment you hunt.
Other photos on this page: TheTurducken (CC BY 2.0); David Williss (CC BY 2.0); Sarah Stierch (CC0 1.0); USFWS/Southeast (Public domain); peterichman (CC BY-SA 2.0); Fyn Kynd (CC BY 2.0).