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Waterfowl and snipe
Ducks and Mergansers Seasons in Arizona, 2026-27
The Arizona duck calendar: 4 rows from the Commission Orders, plus licenses, rules and public land in the units.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain)
Ducks and Mergansers hunting by the numbers
Counting every Commission Order line, ducks carry 4 season rows; the first to open are general waterfowl on October 23, 2026, falconry-only waterfowl on February 1, 2027 and youth-only waterfowl on February 6, 2027. The open area is statewide for every row here, so the unit page matters less than the closures written into each line.
From waterfowl and snipe leaflet (Arizona Game and Fish Department), checked November 7, 2026.
GearHeading out for duck and goose season? Duck and goose gear checklist →
Arizona duck limits, word for word
For ducks the Commission Order sets the numbers below; the possession line, when there is one, governs what you carry home.
| Limit type | Commission Order text |
|---|---|
| General waterfowl: bag limit | The daily bag limit of ducks, including mergansers: Seven (7) per day not to include more than: two (2) redheads; three (3) pintails; two (2) canvasback; two (2) scaup; one (1) black-bellied whistling duck; and seven (7) mallards, no more than two (2) of which may be female, Mexican or Mexican-like ducks. Coots and gallinules: Twenty-five (25) per day, in the aggregate. Geese: Twenty (20) white geese (snow/blue, Ross’) and five (5) dark geese (Canada, cackling, Brant, white-fronted) per day. |
| General waterfowl: possession limit | The possession limit of ducks including mergansers: Twenty-one (21) after opening day, only seven (7) of which may be taken any one day, but no more than: a. six (6) redheads b. six (6) female mallards, Mexican or Mexican-like ducks c. nine (9) pintails d. six (6) scaup e. six (6) canvasbacks f. three (3) black-bellied whistling ducks Coots and gallinules: seventy-five (75) in the aggregate. Geese: Sixty (60) white geese (snow, including blue and Ross’ goose) and fifteen (15) dark geese (Canada, cackling, Brant and white-fronted). |
| Youth-only waterfowl: bag limit | The daily bag limit of ducks, including mergansers: Seven (7) per day not to include more than: two (2) redheads; three (3) pintails; two (2) canvasback; two (2) scaup; one (1) black-bellied whistling duck; and seven (7) mallards, no more than two (2) of which may be female, Mexican or Mexican-like ducks. Coots and gallinules: Twenty-five (25) per day, in the aggregate. Geese: Twenty (20) white geese (snow/ blue, Ross’) and five (5) dark geese (Canada, cackling, Brant, white- fronted) per day. |
| Youth-only waterfowl: possession limit | The possession limit of ducks including mergansers: Fourteen (14) after opening day, only seven (7) of which may be taken any one day, but no more than: a. four (4) redheads b. four (4) female mallards, Mexican or Mexican-like ducks c. six (6) pintails d. four (4) scaup e. four (4) canvasbacks f. two (2) black-bellied whistling ducks Coots and gallinules: Fifty (50) in the aggregate. Geese: Forty (40) white geese (snow, including blue and Ross’ goose) and ten (10) dark geese (Canada, cackling, Brant and white-fronted). |
| Falconry-only waterfowl: bag limit | Three (3) per day. Note: The aggregate falconry bag limit of all migratory game birds is three (3), comprised of any combination of migratory game bird species for which a general season, that includes falconry as a legal method of take, or a falconry-only season is open. Falconers should consult Commission Orders 19, 20, 21, and 22 for season dates and open areas. The falconry bag limit is not in addition to the firearms bag limit. |
| Falconry-only waterfowl: possession limit | Nine (9) in the aggregate of all migratory game birds in season (Commission Orders 19 through 22) after opening day, of which no more than three (3) may be taken in any one day. |
From bag limit text and bag limit text (Arizona Game and Fish Department), checked November 7, 2026.
Ducks and Mergansers season dates and units
Dates as printed by AZGFD for ducks; a row with two date ranges has a break in the middle.
| Season | Legal animal | Tag kind | Dates | Game units | Quota | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General waterfowl | Ducks including mergansers, coots, and gallinules; including white (snow/blue, Ross’) and dark geese (Canada, cackling, Brant, white-fronted); excluding scaup | License + stamp | Oct 23–Jan 31, 2027 | Statewide | – | |
| General waterfowl | Scaup | License + stamp | Nov 7–Jan 31, 2027 | Statewide | – | |
| Falconry-only waterfowl | Ducks including mergansers, coots, and gallinules | License + stamp | Feb 1–Feb 4, 2027 | Statewide | – | |
| Youth-only waterfowl | Ducks including mergansers, coots, and gallinules; including white (snow/blue, Ross’) and dark geese (Canada, cackling, Brant, white-fronted) | License + stamp | Feb 6–Feb 7, 2027 | Statewide | – |
From waterfowl and snipe leaflet (Arizona Game and Fish Department), checked November 7, 2026.
Draw or over the counter for ducks
| Tag type | Count | Permits | Obtained by |
|---|---|---|---|
| License + stamp | 4 | – | License and stamps |
No hunt numbers and no nonpermit-tags exist for ducks, so there is no deadline to miss.
From draw rules, 2026-27 regulations, nonpermit-tag rules and waterfowl and snipe leaflet (Arizona Game and Fish Department), checked November 7, 2026.
Ducks and Mergansers by unit and county
A county appears here when at least one duck row has a unit inside it. Tribal land within those counties stays closed to state-licensed hunting.
| County | Rows | Draw rows | OTC rows | Units here | Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache | 4 | 0 | 0 | I Pinetop | |
| Cochise | 4 | 0 | 0 | V Tucson | |
| Coconino | 4 | 0 | 0 | II Flagstaff | |
| Gila | 4 | 0 | 0 | VI Mesa | |
| Graham | 4 | 0 | 0 | V Tucson | |
| Greenlee | 4 | 0 | 0 | I Pinetop | |
| La Paz | 4 | 0 | 0 | IV Yuma | |
| Maricopa | 4 | 0 | 0 | IV Yuma | |
| Mohave | 4 | 0 | 0 | III Kingman | |
| Navajo | 4 | 0 | 0 | I Pinetop | |
| Pima | 4 | 0 | 0 | V Tucson | |
| Pinal | 4 | 0 | 0 | V Tucson | |
| Santa Cruz | 4 | 0 | 0 | V Tucson | |
| Yavapai | 4 | 0 | 0 | III Kingman | |
| Yuma | 4 | 0 | 0 | IV Yuma |
From unit maps, AZGFD unit layer and waterfowl and snipe leaflet (Arizona Game and Fish Department), checked November 7, 2026.
Legal weapons for ducks
The weapon list depends on the row: general, archery-only, muzzleloader, HAM or limited weapon. The table gives the AZGFD summary for each type that applies to ducks.
| Method group | Allowed | Banned |
|---|---|---|
| Migratory game birds |
|
|
Ducks and Mergansers rows: method wording
| Method as printed | Rows |
|---|---|
| 2 |
| 1 |
| 1 |
From legal methods, 2026-27 regulations and Laws and Rules Book (Arizona Game and Fish Department), checked November 7, 2026.
What it costs to hunt ducks
Prices are the 2026 AZGFD fees; draw tag prices already include the $13 resident or $15 nonresident application fee.
| License | For | Fee | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| General hunting license | Resident | $37 | 365 days from purchase |
| Combination hunt and fish | Resident | $57 | 365 days from purchase |
| Combination hunt and fish | Nonresident | $160 | 365 days from purchase |
| Youth combination (10-17) | Either | $5 | 365 days from purchase |
| Short-term combination | Resident | $15 per day | Days chosen at purchase |
| Short-term combination | Nonresident | $20 per day | Days chosen at purchase |
| Arizona migratory bird stamp | Either | $5 | July 1-June 30 |
| Federal duck stamp | Either | $25 | July 1-June 30 |
From 2026 fee table (Arizona Game and Fish Department), checked November 7, 2026.
Rules on the ground for ducks
What AZGFD expects of duck hunters in the field, from tagging to reporting.
| Rule | Text |
|---|---|
| Bait | Federal baiting rule: no hunting over a baited area (baited for 10 days after removal); doves may be taken over normal agricultural operations; waterfowl, coots and cranes may not. |
| Water holes | Unlawful to camp within 1/4 mile of a natural water hole or man-made watering facility containing water where wildlife or stock would be denied the only reasonably available water. |
| Accidents | Render assistance; report a fatality to the nearest law enforcement officer immediately; file a report with AZGFD within 10 days for any hunting accident. |
From tagging and reporting, Laws and Rules Book and common violations (Arizona Game and Fish Department), checked November 7, 2026.
Ducks and Mergansers country on public land
Public land whose units appear in the duck rows, largest first. Acreage is the GIS figure in the land record, and each place keeps its own closures.
Tucson Mountain Wildlife Area lies in Unit 37A and Unit 38M of the duck rows.
White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area takes in Unit 1, where ducks have rows.
BLM Yuma Field Office: Unit 39, Unit 40B and Unit 41 carry duck rows.
For ducks, Coconino National Forest covers Unit 5A, Unit 5B and Unit 6A.
For ducks, Lake Mead National Recreation Area covers Unit 13A, Unit 13B and Unit 15A.
Unit 34A of the duck rows reach Coal Mine Spring Wildlife Area.
For ducks, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument covers Unit 13A and Unit 13B.
Sonoran Desert National Monument lies in Unit 39 and Unit 40A of the duck rows.
From AZGFD and agency land layers (Arizona Game and Fish Department), checked November 7, 2026.
Shooting light on duck openers
Arizona keeps Mountain Standard Time all year, so these duck opener times never shift for daylight saving.
Shooting ducks starts half an hour before sunup; the last legal shot is at sunset.
| Date | Maricopa County centre | Coconino County centre | Pima County centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23, 2026 | 6:10 a.m.–5:49 p.m. | 6:10 a.m.–5:43 p.m. | 6:06 a.m.–5:47 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | 7:00 a.m.–5:26 p.m. | 7:03 a.m.–5:17 p.m. | 6:54 a.m.–5:26 p.m. |
| Feb 1, 2027 | 6:56 a.m.–6:00 p.m. | 6:58 a.m.–5:53 p.m. | 6:51 a.m.–5:59 p.m. |
| Feb 6, 2027 | 6:53 a.m.–6:05 p.m. | 6:54 a.m.–5:58 p.m. | 6:48 a.m.–6:04 p.m. |
Hours rule from the 2026-27 Arizona Hunting Regulations; times worked out with the NOAA solar formula (Mountain Standard Time); AZGFD sunrise-sunset chart; checked November 7, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Answers about Arizona ducks
What does Arizona say about orange clothing for ducks?
Not for ducks. The only orange the Arizona rule book mentions is paint on posts that mark private land closed to hunting.
Can ducks be hunted at night in Arizona?
Migratory bird hours apply to ducks: from thirty minutes before sunrise until sunset.
Do any weekday rules apply to ducks?
Yes. Arizona has no Sunday restriction, so every duck row runs straight through its dates.
Is tribal land part of the duck season?
Reservations are outside the AZGFD season for ducks; contact the tribe, which decides whether and how its land may be hunted.
What does AZGFD allow per hunter for ducks?
Per the booklet, the daily bag limit of ducks, including mergansers: Seven (7) per day not to include more than: two (2) redheads; three (3) pintails; two (2) canvasback; two (2) scaup; one (1) black-bellied whistling duck; and seven (7) mallards, no more than two (2) of which may be female, Mexican or Mexican-like ducks. Coots and gallinules: Twenty-five (25) per day, in the aggregate. Geese: Twenty (20) white geese (snow/blue, Ross’) and five (5) dark geese (Canada, cackling, Brant, white-fronted) per day.
When do ducks seasons open in Arizona?
The calendar begins with general waterfowl on October 23, 2026, falconry-only waterfowl on February 1, 2027 and youth-only waterfowl on February 6, 2027, and the full set of 4 rows is above.
Are any units closed to ducks?
No zones. The open area is “Open areas Statewide”.
Do I need a special tag for ducks?
Just a hunting or combination license plus the migratory bird stamp and, at 16 and older, the federal duck stamp. The license table on this page lists every price for 2026-27.
Can I use a rifle on ducks in Arizona?
AZGFD weapon rules: 10-gauge or smaller shotgun holding no more than three shells, falconry, bow and arrow, crossbow; pneumatic weapons only for Eurasian collared-doves; nontoxic shot statewide for ducks, geese and coots. Night vision, thermal devices and visible lasers are never lawful while taking wildlife.
Other photos on this page: Frank.Vassen (CC BY 2.0); Yellowstone National Park (Public domain); born1945 (CC BY 2.0).