Illinois › Species › Mergansers
Waterfowl and snipe
Illinois Mergansers Season and Limits, 2026-27
3 season rows, the limit, what to buy and where to hunt mergansers in Illinois.
Photo: USFWS Headquarters (CC BY 2.0)
Mergansers season snapshot, 2026-27
The 2026-27 calendar for mergansers has 3 dated lines, beginning Oct 24, 2026 and ending Jan 24, 2027. The limit reads: 5 daily, 15 possession (only 2 hooded mergansers; possession of hooded mergansers 6).
Mergansers are outside the duck limit at 5 a day and 15 in possession with no more than 2 hooded mergansers, and they run on the same zone dates as ducks. 121 public sites in the IDNR land records list mergansers among the game they allow, and 121 of them have their own page on this site.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Every 2026-27 season row for mergansers in Illinois
Dates as printed by IDNR for mergansers, with the status checked against today.
| Season | Where | Permit | Dates | Limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular duck season | North Zone | Waterfowl stamps |
|
| |
| Regular duck season | Central Zone | Waterfowl stamps |
|
| |
| Regular duck season | South Zone | Waterfowl stamps |
|
|
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Where each zone starts and stops for mergansers
Use the wording below with a highway map, since IDNR gives no county assignment for the duck zones.
| Zone | Road description |
|---|---|
| North Zone | That portion of the state north of a line extending west from the Indiana border along Peotone-Beecher Road to Illinois Route 50, south along Illinois Route 50 to Wilmington-Peotone Road, west along Wilmington-Peotone Road to Illinois Route 53, north along Illinois Route 53 to New River Road, northwest along New River Road to Interstate Highway 55, south along I-55 to Pine Bluff-Lorenzo Road, west along Pine Bluff-Lorenzo Road to Illinois Route 47, north along Illinois Route 47 to I-80, west along I-80 to I-39, south along I-39 to Illinois Route 18, west along Illinois Route 18 to Illinois Route 29, south along Illinois Route 29 to Illinois Route 17, west along Illinois Route 17 to the Mississippi River, and due south across the Mississippi River to the Iowa border. |
| Central Zone | That portion of the state south of the North Duck Zone line to a line extending west from the Indiana border along I-70 to Illinois Route 4, south along Illinois Route 4 to Illinois Route 161, west along Illinois Route 161 to Illinois Route 158, south and west along Illinois Route 158 to Illinois Route 159, south along Illinois Route 159 to Illinois Route 3, south along Illinois Route 3 to State Leo’s Road, south along State Leo’s road to Modoc Road, west along Modoc Road to Modoc Ferry Road, southwest along Modoc Ferry Road to Levee Road, southeast along Levee Road to County Route 12 (Modoc Ferry entrance Road), south along County Route 12 to the Modoc Ferry route and southwest on the Modoc Ferry route across the Mississippi River to the Missouri border. |
| South Zone | The remainder of the state. |
From Digest waterfowl zones and IDNR 2026-2030 waterfowl seasons and zones (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Bag limits and legal methods for mergansers in Illinois
| Species line | Limit |
|---|---|
| ducks, mergansers and coots | 6 ducks daily, 18 possession (possession is 3x the daily limit by species and sex) |
Short version for mergansers: shotgun, non-toxic shot.
From Digest season tables and Digest equipment pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Prices for mergansers licenses and permits
| License | Who buys | Listed price | Including vendor fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Hunting | Resident | $12.00 | $12.50 |
| Nonresident Hunting | Nonresident | $57.00 | $57.75 |
| State Habitat Stamp | Either | $5.00 | $5.50 |
| State Migratory Waterfowl Stamp | Either | $15.00 | $15.50 |
| Federal waterfowl stamp | Either | $25.00 | $25.50 |
| HIP Certification | Either | Free | $0.00 |
| Free site, upland and dove permits | Either | Free | $0.00 |
Two price columns appear because the Digest leaves out vendor fees and IDNR's own table includes them; licenses are valid from March 1 to March 31 of the following year.
From Digest license pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Mergansers: rules that apply in the field
| Rule | What the Digest says |
|---|---|
| Waterfowl devices | Shotguns may hold no more than three shells; nets, rifles, pistols, swivel, punt, battery and machine guns, hooks, poison, drugs, explosives are illegal; no hunting by driving or chasing with motorized conveyance. |
| Sale of wildlife | May not buy, sell or offer to sell or barter game birds, migratory game birds or parts (including feathers, nests, eggs and wild turkey parts) or the edible parts of game mammals except under specific permits. |
| Landowner permission | It is unlawful to take or attempt to take wildlife, or let a dog hunt, on land or waters of another, or knowingly shoot a gun or bow at wildlife on or flying over another person's property, without permission from the owner or the owner's designee (written authorization with notarized signature). Purple paint on trees or posts marks no-trespassing land. Illinois law does not grant a right of trespass to retrieve wounded wildlife. |
Rules above are summaries from the Digest and 17 Ill. Adm. Code; some IDNR sites add stricter limits, so read the site page before you hunt mergansers there.
From Digest general rules and Digest hunter orange page (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Land options for mergansers
Records show 121 places to hunt mergansers, such as 51 state fish and wildlife areas, 15 state parks and 10 state wildlife management areas; pick from the biggest below or browse the hub.
| Site | Class | County | Acres listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee National Forest | National Forest | Pope and Jackson | 286,498 |
| Hidden Springs Ranger District | Ranger district | Pope and Hardin | 169,222 |
| Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District | Ranger district | Jackson and Union | 117,276 |
| Crab Orchard | Wildlife refuge | Williamson and Union | 44,415 |
| Upper Mississippi River National | Wildlife refuge | Carroll and Jo Daviess | 32,868 |
| Illinois Recreational Access Program | Hunting Access Program | Bond and Christian | 27,000 |
| Cypress Creek | Wildlife refuge | Pulaski and Union | 16,758 |
| Jim Edgar Panther Creek | Fish and wildlife area | Cass | 16,400 |
Each page spells out the site-specific rules for mergansers, and acres are the figure IDNR lists.
From IDNR site records (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Dawn and dusk for mergansers season dates
Hours rule for mergansers: one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. The times in the table are computed for Springfield, the middle of the state, with the NOAA solar formula.
| Date | Season point | Rise | Set | Hunt hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2026 | North opens | 7:17 a.m. | 6:08 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 6:08 p.m. |
| Oct 31, 2026 | Central opens | 7:25 a.m. | 5:59 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 5:59 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | South opens | 6:42 a.m. | 4:45 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. |
| Jan 24, 2027 | South closes | 7:13 a.m. | 5:07 p.m. | 6:43 a.m. to 5:07 p.m. |
Clock changes matter: daylight time ends November 1, 2026 and starts again March 14, 2027, and the hours page lists every county.
Hours rules from the 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources); sunrise and sunset worked out with the NOAA solar formula on Central Time; checked November 13, 2026. Central Time with daylight time from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November; times worked out with the NOAA solar formula.
Four buys for Merganser
Picked for cornfields, creek bottoms and river backwaters; nothing loads until you tap.
Amazon links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Green-winged teal on the waterPhoto: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain)
Wood duck and wigeon held for bandingPhoto: USFWS/Southeast (Public domain)
Male wood duckPhoto: Frank.Vassen (CC BY 2.0)
Mergansers: common questions
How long is the mergansers season in Illinois?
The rows read Regular duck season in the North Zone: October 24 to 25 and October 31 to December 27; Regular duck season in the Central Zone: October 31 to December 13 and December 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027; Regular duck season in the South Zone: November 14 to December 6 and December 19, 2026 to January 24, 2027.
What bag limit applies to mergansers?
You are held to 5 daily, 15 possession (only 2 hooded mergansers; possession of hooded mergansers 6).
Do I need a permit for mergansers?
Hunters carry a hunting license ($12.00 resident, $57.00 nonresident, Digest base prices before vendor fees) and the State Habitat Stamp ($5.00), plus the State Migratory Waterfowl Stamp ($15.00) and Federal stamp for hunters 16 and older, and HIP certification.
Can I use a rifle, bow or shotgun for mergansers?
The species record lists: shotgun, non-toxic shot.
Does Illinois list counties for the waterfowl zones?
Zone lines are road lines, and on the edge a hunting spot can sit on either side; the waterfowl zones page prints the legal wording.
What stamps are required for mergansers?
Waterfowl needs a hunting license, the State Habitat Stamp, the State Migratory Waterfowl Stamp, the Federal stamp for ages 16 and up and HIP certification; steel or other non-toxic shot only, three shells at most.
How do public duck blind permits work?
Public sites use lotteries in three rounds from mid-August to September 28 and then first-come sales; individual blind and check-in rules are on each site page.
Is Sunday hunting allowed for mergansers in Illinois?
Neither the Digest nor the IDNR pages we read say anything about Sunday hunting, and we will not guess; confirm with IDNR.
Who must take hunter education before hunting mergansers?
Only hunters born on or after January 1, 1980 face the requirement, and a prior-year hunting license also satisfies it. Apprentices do not need the course but do need a licensed supervisor who is at least 21.
Which state sites list mergansers?
IDNR records list mergansers at 121 public sites; 121 have their own page under public land, and each page states the site rules, permits and seasons that apply.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); USFWS/Southeast (Public domain); Frank.Vassen (CC BY 2.0).