Migratory game birds
Woodcock hunting in Alabama
Woodcock in Alabama: every 2026-27 season row with its source.
Photo: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren (CC BY 2.0)
Woodcock: the 2026-27 picture
ADCNR opens woodcock on Dec 18, 2026 and closes them on Jan 31, 2027; this page breaks the 2026-27 calendar into 1 row. Bag rule for woodcock: 3 per day.
Woodcock rules in one list
- Daily bag: 3/day.
- Dates and methods: Dec 18-Jan 31.
From ADCNR page (as of Nov 1, 2026), checked November 1, 2026.
GearHeading out for small game season? Small game gear checklist →
Woodcock dates, 2026-27
One statewide calendar covers woodcock; no zone changes the dates.
| Season | Covers | Bag | Opening | Closing | Span | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodcock | Statewide | 3/day. | Dec 18, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | 45 |
From ADCNR page, checked November 1, 2026.
Woodcock limits in Alabama
Limits for woodcock, with the possession rule that goes with them.
| Bag row | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Woodcock | 3 per day. |
From ADCNR page, checked November 1, 2026.
What makes woodcock migratory game
The woodcock season is set within the federal migratory bird framework; Alabama adds HIP and its own dates.
- Federal frameworks: Federal migratory frameworks: the Digest and web pages say "At time of printing, federal guidelines were not final"; the July 30, 2026 Waterfowl Hunting Guide repeats the same dates and bags. USFWS frameworks were not consulted separately.
- HIP: Required for doves, waterfowl, woodcock, rails, snipe, coots, gallinules, cranes; not required under 16 or 65+ in Alabama (ADCNR HIP page).
- Baiting: Federal rules: no baited areas for waterfowl/doves; area baited 10 days after removal; normal agricultural operations, standing crops, food plots planted per Extension recommendations and manipulated natural vegetation are legal for doves.
SOA draws add woodcock days at Cedar Creek and Portland Landing.
From 2026-27 Waterfowl Hunting Guide p. 1 and Code of Alabama 9-11-244, checked November 1, 2026.
Methods that apply to woodcock hunting
| Season | Legal gear | Illegal gear |
|---|---|---|
| Migratory birds | For woodcock: Shotguns 10 ga or smaller plugged to 3 shells with No. 2 shot or smaller; waterfowl with steel or other USFWS-approved nontoxic shot (T or smaller per the waterfowl guide); bows/crossbows; permitted raptors. | For woodcock, not: lead shot in possession while waterfowl hunting; rifles, pistols; unplugged guns. |
- Electronic calls (woodcock): Electrically amplified turkey, dove or waterfowl calls are illegal (possession in the field too); electronic crow and predator calls allowed.
- Decoys (woodcock): No live decoys (except banded pen-raised quail as call birds in recovery pens). Turkey decoys only in spring turkey season (allowed all spring in 2026-27); no mechanical or electronic turkey decoys, including handheld or gun-mounted fanning/reaping decoys.
Statewide, lights or lasers projecting ahead of a gun or bow and night vision or thermal gear are banned for woodcock except in the nighttime hog and coyote season.
From 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest p. 34 and ADCNR Regulation Book p. 45, checked November 1, 2026.
Public areas open to woodcock
32 areas open to woodcock on public land; WMA dates and limits come from each AREA Permit.
| Place | Type | Counties | Size (acres) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Warrior WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Lawrence, Winston | 91,263 |
| James D. Martin-Skyline WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Jackson | 60,732 |
| Choccolocco WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Cleburne | 56,838 |
| Mobile-Tensaw Delta and W.L. Holland WMAs | Wildlife Management Area | Baldwin, Mobile | 51,040 |
| Oakmulgee WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Bibb, Hale +2 | 44,500 |
| Upper Delta WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Baldwin, Mobile | 42,451 |
| William R. Ireland, Sr.-Cahaba River WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Bibb, Shelby | 35,559 |
| Mulberry Fork WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Tuscaloosa, Walker | 35,260 |
| Freedom Hills WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Colbert | 33,539 |
| Hollins WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Clay, Talladega | 28,802 |
| Barbour WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Barbour, Bullock | 28,214 |
| Jackson County Waterfowl Areas and Refuges (Jackson County WMA) | Wildlife Management Area | Jackson | 26,934 |
| Blue Spring WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Covington | 24,783 |
| Lauderdale WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Lauderdale | 20,344 |
| Coosa WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Coosa | 17,486 |
Drawn woodcock hunts
| Area | County | Hunt | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles F. Sykes – Cedar Creek SOA | Dallas | Woodcock & Quail | Jan 2-3 |
| Portland Landing SOA | Dallas | Waterfowl/Woodcock | Jan 2-3 |
SOA bobcat, coyote, feral swine and fox hunting is open during any scheduled SOA hunt.
From lands.json (ADCNR WMA AREA Permits, SOA page, federal rules) and the ADCNR SOA page, checked November 1, 2026.
Paying to hunt woodcock in Alabama
Resident landowners and their immediate family hunting their own land need no license for woodcock; nonresidents 16 and older need one everywhere.
| License | Who | Category | Price | Valid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Game | Resident | Age 16-64 | $23.40 | License year |
| Small Game, annual | Nonresident | Age 16+ | $134.10 | License year |
| HIP certification | Both | Migratory bird hunters | Free | License year |
| Wildlife Heritage | Resident | Any age | $14.30 | License year |
From the ADCNR license pages and the Digest license section, checked November 1, 2026.
How many woodcock are taken
ADCNR publishes no harvest figures for woodcock: no table for waterfowl, doves, small game, furbearers or alligators turned up in the pages read.
From ADCNR page, checked November 1, 2026.
Hours for woodcock across Alabama
Sunrise in Mobile and in Huntsville can be many minutes apart, so the woodcock hours below are computed for four counties rather than read from one table.
The woodcock hours rule: 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset for teal, ducks, coots, mergansers, geese, rails, gallinules, snipe and woodcock. Mobile-Tensaw Delta WMZ: closed Mon-Tue, Wed-Sun to 1:00 p.m. (teal and early goose seasons all week to sunset). Corps lands in Pickens, Greene and Sumter: per ACOE permit.
| Date | Point | County | Sunrise | Sunset | Legal window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 2026 | Opens | Madison County | 6:48 a.m. | 4:38 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 4:38 p.m. |
| Dec 18, 2026 | Opens | Jefferson County | 6:46 a.m. | 4:42 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 4:42 p.m. |
| Dec 18, 2026 | Opens | Montgomery County | 6:40 a.m. | 4:43 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 4:43 p.m. |
| Dec 18, 2026 | Opens | Mobile County | 6:44 a.m. | 4:54 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 4:54 p.m. |
| Jan 31, 2027 | Season closes | Madison County | 6:46 a.m. | 5:13 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. |
| Jan 31, 2027 | Season closes | Jefferson County | 6:45 a.m. | 5:16 p.m. | 6:15 a.m. to 5:16 p.m. |
| Jan 31, 2027 | Season closes | Montgomery County | 6:40 a.m. | 5:16 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 5:16 p.m. |
| Jan 31, 2027 | Season closes | Mobile County | 6:45 a.m. | 5:26 p.m. | 6:15 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. |
Rules from the Digest shooting hours section; sunrise and sunset computed (NOAA solar formula, Central Time); checked November 1, 2026. Legal hours for all 67 counties.
Woodcock FAQ for Alabama
Can I hunt woodcock at night in Alabama?
Applied to woodcock, the Digest says: 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset for teal, ducks, coots, mergansers, geese, rails, gallinules, snipe and woodcock. Mobile-Tensaw Delta WMZ: closed Mon-Tue, Wed-Sun to 1:00 p.m. (teal and early goose seasons all week to sunset). Corps lands in Pickens, Greene and Sumter: per ACOE permit.
Which public areas list woodcock?
32 public areas in this guide list woodcock; the largest are Black Warrior Wildlife Management Area, James D. Martin-Skyline Wildlife Management Area and Choccolocco Wildlife Management Area.
Does the orange rule apply to woodcock hunters?
ADCNR exempts this group. Turkey hunters and migratory bird hunters may go without orange or pink, but on WMAs only the migratory bird exemption survives.
Must woodcock harvests be reported?
Woodcock are not reported through Game Check; instead every migratory bird hunter needs HIP certification each license year.
Is there a Sunday ban for woodcock?
There is no Sunday restriction on woodcock in Alabama.
When is woodcock season in Alabama this year?
The first woodcock row opens Dec 18, 2026 and the last closes Jan 31, 2027; the table above lists every segment.
What bag limit applies to woodcock?
Woodcock limit: 3 per day.
What does a woodcock hunter need to buy?
Small Game (resident, $23.40); Small Game, annual (nonresident, $134.10); HIP certification (both, Free); Wildlife Heritage (resident, $14.30). Residents under 16 and 65 or older need no hunting license, but bait and nighttime licenses have no exemptions.
What gear is legal for taking woodcock?
Methods for woodcock: Shotguns 10 ga or smaller plugged to 3 shells with No. 2 shot or smaller; waterfowl with steel or other USFWS-approved nontoxic shot (T or smaller per the waterfowl guide); bows/crossbows; permitted raptors.