Delaware · 2026-27 waterfowl

Delaware Duck & Goose Season 2026-27

Q: When is duck season in Delaware for 2026-27?

October 31, 2026 to January 31, 2027, with split season segments inside the window. The full table on this page was read from Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife's own published page, linked beside it; confirm there before you hunt.

Q: What about goose season in Delaware?

The goose table on this page lists the seasons as Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife publishes them, by species group and zone. September resident goose special hunting methods pause around the teal season inside the teal zone.

Q: Is there a September teal season in Delaware?

Yes: September 5, 2026 to September 13, 2026, as published by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife. September teal season.

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

At Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife, 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.

Ducks: October 31, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Every date below was read from Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife’s own published page, linked beside it, inside the Atlantic Flyway framework.

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.

October 31, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Duck season

published

Statewide

Zones

with split segments

Atlantic

Flyway

federal framework

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC)

Source

read 2026-09-01

The main event

Duck season in Delaware, zone by zone

Ducks, 2026-27

publishedAtlantic Flyway

Duck season opens in 16 days, on October 31, 2026.

Delaware duck seasons 2026-27, as published by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife
Zone	Season segments
Statewide	October 31, 2026 to November 7, 2026November 25, 2026 to November 29, 2026December 16, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Dates read from Delaware Migratory Bird Seasons and Bag Limits, 2026-2027 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide, accessed 2026-09-01.

Three-way split season statewide. Youth, veterans and active military waterfowl day exists.

September teal: September 5, 2026 to September 13, 2026. September teal season.

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 Delaware

Geese, 2026-27

published

Goose season	Dates
Resident Canada geese, September season	September 1, 2026 to September 25, 2026
Migratory Canada geese	November 25, 2026 to November 29, 2026December 23, 2026 to January 31, 2027
Snow geese	November 25, 2026 to January 31, 2027February 1, 2027 to February 6, 2027February 8, 2027 to March 10, 2027
Brant	December 19, 2026 to January 2, 2027January 16, 2027 to January 30, 2027

Dates read from Delaware Migratory Bird Seasons and Bag Limits, 2026-2027 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide, accessed 2026-09-01.

September resident goose special hunting methods pause around the teal season inside the teal zone.

Light goose conservation order: March 11, 2027 to April 9, 2027. A conservation order is a federal population control measure, not a regular hunting season, and runs under its own rules. Snow goose conservation order, if held, listed as March 11 to April 9, 2027; DNREC decides based on population status. Details live at Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife.

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 Delaware’s dates get set: the Atlantic 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.

Delaware selects its dates inside the Atlantic Flyway framework. The eastern seaboard corridor, Maine to Florida, inland to West Virginia.

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

Delaware 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 Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlifeand USFWS, and the regulations page is linked below.

Current Delaware regulations

Bag limits and species restrictions, shooting hours, duck stamp and HIP requirements, license rules, and youth or veteran season details for Delaware are set by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife, are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife: 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

Delaware waterfowl season questions

When is duck season in Delaware for 2026-27?

What about goose season in Delaware?

Is there a September teal season in Delaware?

What is a flyway, and which one is Delaware 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. Delaware selects its dates inside the Atlantic Flyway framework. The eastern seaboard corridor, Maine to Florida, inland to West Virginia.

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 Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife 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 Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife 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.