Alaska Duck Season 2026-27: Waterfowl Zone Dates

Q: What about goose season in Alaska?

The goose table on this page lists the seasons as Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) publishes them, by species group and zone. Emperor goose season is closed statewide. Tundra swans are open by registration permit Sep 1 to Oct 31, 2026 in Units 17, 18, 22 and 23 only; a permit-only Canada goose hunt on Middleton Island runs Sep 28 to Dec 16, 2026.

Q: Where are the bag limits, shooting hours and stamp requirements?

At Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), linked on this page, along with the federal duck stamp and HIP registration rules from USFWS. Those change annually and are legally binding. This page carries the season window, sourced and dated.

Q: Can these dates change?

Yes. This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 2, 2026, says so in the copy, and links the exact agency page it read. Agencies amend and correct their own tables; treat the agency page as the final word on the morning you hunt.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 2, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.

September 1, 2026 to January 22, 2027

Duck season

published

5 zones

Zones

with split segments

Pacific

Flyway

federal framework

Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)

Source

read 2026-09-01

The main event

Duck season in Alaska, zone by zone

Ducks, 2026-27

publishedPacific Flyway

Duck season is OPEN now in the Southeast Zone (Units 1-4), through November 30, 2026, with 5 zone segments open.

Alaska duck seasons 2026-27, as published by Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)
Zone	Season segments
Southeast Zone (Units 1-4)	September 1, 2026 to November 30, 2026December 16, 2026 to December 31, 2026
Gulf Coast Zone (Units 5-7, 9, 10 Unimak Island only, 14-16)	September 1, 2026 to December 16, 2026
Northern Zone (Units 11-13, 17-26)	September 1, 2026 to December 16, 2026
Kodiak Zone (Unit 8)	October 8, 2026 to January 22, 2027
Pribilof/Aleutian Zone (Unit 10 except Unimak Island)	October 8, 2026 to January 22, 2027

Dates read from 2026-2027 Alaska Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations (ADF&G), accessed 2026-09-01.

Ducks, sea ducks, geese, snipe and cranes share each zone's window; Steller's and spectacled eiders are closed statewide. Southeast Zone closes Dec 1 to 15.

Waterfowl hunter setting goose decoys on a tidal flat with a retriever watching — Setting decoys with help. Photo: Rebecca Fabbri/USFWS. “Waterfowl hunter and dog” — Rebecca Fabbri / USFWS Alaska Region — Public domain

Geese

Goose seasons in Alaska

Geese, 2026-27

published

Goose season	Dates
Canada, white-fronted and white geese, Southeast Zone	September 1, 2026 to November 30, 2026December 16, 2026 to December 31, 2026
Canada, white-fronted and white geese, Gulf Coast Zone	September 1, 2026 to December 16, 2026
Canada, white-fronted and white geese, Northern Zone	September 1, 2026 to December 16, 2026
Canada, white-fronted and white geese, Kodiak Zone	October 8, 2026 to January 22, 2027
Canada, white-fronted and white geese, Pribilof/Aleutian Zone	October 8, 2026 to January 22, 2027
Brant, Southeast Zone	September 1, 2026 to October 21, 2026
Brant, Northern Zone	September 1, 2026 to October 21, 2026
Brant, Gulf Coast Zone	October 1, 2026 to November 20, 2026
Brant, Kodiak and Pribilof/Aleutian zones	October 8, 2026 to November 27, 2026

Dates read from 2026-2027 Alaska Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations (ADF&G), accessed 2026-09-01.

Emperor goose season is closed statewide. Tundra swans are open by registration permit Sep 1 to Oct 31, 2026 in Units 17, 18, 22 and 23 only; a permit-only Canada goose hunt on Middleton Island runs Sep 28 to Dec 16, 2026.

Canada geese dropping into a refuge wetland with wings set — Canada geese dropping into a refuge marsh. Photo: Jennifer Jewett/USFWS. “Canada Geese” by Jennifer Jewett / USFWS Mountain-Prairie, CC BY 2.0

The structure over the state

How Alaska’s dates get set: the Pacific Flyway

Waterfowl seasons are the most federal of all hunting seasons. Migratory birds cross every border, so the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publishes annual frameworks for each of the four administrative flyways, setting the earliest openers, latest closers and maximum season lengths, and each state then selects its own dates and zones inside its framework.

Alaska selects its dates inside the Pacific Flyway framework. The western corridor from Alaska down the coast states and Great Basin.

Large mixed flock of ducks and geese over water at sunset — A mixed flock of ducks and geese at sunset. Photo: Steve Hillebrand/USFWS. “A mixed flock of ducks and geese fly from a wetland area” — Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Public domain

Rules

Alaska waterfowl hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by, including the federal duck stamp and HIP registration every waterfowl hunter needs, is set by Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)and USFWS, and the regulations page is linked below.

Current Alaska regulations

Bag limits and species restrictions, shooting hours, duck stamp and HIP requirements, license rules, and youth or veteran season details for Alaska are set by Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G): current regulations

Father and daughter in waders with a retriever in a duckweed marsh — Father and daughter on Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Photo: Tim Miller/USFWS. “Waterfowl Hunting (Upper Mississippi River NWFR)” — Tim Miller / USFWS Midwest Region — Public domain

Alaska waterfowl season questions

When is duck season in Alaska for 2026-27?

September 1, 2026 to January 22, 2027, split across 5 zones (Southeast Zone (Units 1-4), Gulf Coast Zone (Units 5-7, 9, 10 Unimak Island only, 14-16), Northern Zone (Units 11-13, 17-26), Kodiak Zone (Unit 8), Pribilof/Aleutian Zone (Unit 10 except Unimak Island)), with split season segments inside the window. The full table on this page was read from Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)'s own published page, linked beside it; confirm there before you hunt.

What about goose season in Alaska?

What is a flyway, and which one is Alaska in?

Waterfowl seasons are set in two steps: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publishes annual federal frameworks for each of the four administrative flyways (Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, Pacific), setting the outside limits, and each state selects its season dates and zones inside its flyway's framework. Alaska selects its dates inside the Pacific Flyway framework. The western corridor from Alaska down the coast states and Great Basin.

Which duck zone am I in?

Alaska's zones (Southeast Zone (Units 1-4), Gulf Coast Zone (Units 5-7, 9, 10 Unimak Island only, 14-16), Northern Zone (Units 11-13, 17-26), Kodiak Zone (Unit 8), Pribilof/Aleutian Zone (Unit 10 except Unimak Island)) are drawn by the agency along highways, rivers and county lines. Your zone is determined from the agency's own map: Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) publishes the official zone map and boundary descriptions, linked from this page.

Where are the bag limits, shooting hours and stamp requirements?

Can these dates change?

Wetland at sunset with a fallen snag and mountains on the horizon — Wood River Wetland, Oregon. The habitat the flyways run on. Photo: Greg Shine/BLM. “Wood River Wetland” — Greg Shine / Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington — Public domain

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 2, 2026. Every season window is republished from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) page linked beside it, read on the date shown; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Bag limits, legal methods, shooting hours, stamp and license rules are set by Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, whose pages are the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national waterfowl season guide.

Alaska Duck & Goose Season 2026-27