Kentucky Duck Season 2026-27: Waterfowl Zone Dates

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

November 26, 2026 to January 31, 2027, with split season segments inside the window. The full table on this page was read from Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources's own published page, linked beside it; confirm there before you hunt.

Q: What about goose season in Kentucky?

The goose table on this page lists the seasons as Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources publishes them, by species group and zone. Kentucky prints one combined regular goose season for all goose species and brant.

Q: Is there a September teal season in Kentucky?

Yes: September 19, 2026 to September 23, 2026, as published by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Combined teal and wood duck September season.

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

At Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, 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.

November 26, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Duck season

published

Statewide

Zones

with split segments

Mississippi

Flyway

federal framework

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Source

read 2026-09-01

The main event

Duck season in Kentucky, zone by zone

Ducks, 2026-27

publishedMississippi Flyway

Duck season opens in 42 days, on November 26, 2026.

Kentucky duck seasons 2026-27, as published by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Zone	Season segments
Statewide	November 26, 2026 to November 29, 2026December 7, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Dates read from Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Seasons 2026-27 (official KDFWR seasons poster), accessed 2026-09-01.

Ducks, coots and mergansers share the split season. Youth-only and military or veteran-only days also exist.

September teal: September 19, 2026 to September 23, 2026. Combined teal and wood duck September 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 Kentucky

Geese, 2026-27

published

Goose season	Dates
September Canada goose, Western Zone	September 1, 2026 to September 15, 2026
September Canada goose, Eastern Zone	September 16, 2026 to September 30, 2026
Canada/cackling goose, white-fronted goose, brant and snow goose (including Ross's goose)	November 26, 2026 to February 15, 2027

Dates read from Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Seasons 2026-27 (official KDFWR seasons poster), accessed 2026-09-01.

Kentucky prints one combined regular goose season for all goose species and brant.

Light goose conservation order: February 16, 2027 to March 31, 2027. A conservation order is a federal population control measure, not a regular hunting season, and runs under its own rules. Light goose conservation order listed by KDFWR. Details live at Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

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 Kentucky’s dates get set: the Mississippi 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.

Kentucky selects its dates inside the Mississippi Flyway framework. The continent's busiest duck corridor, following the Mississippi River system.

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

Kentucky 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 Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resourcesand USFWS, and the regulations page is linked below.

Current Kentucky regulations

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

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources: 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

Kentucky waterfowl season questions

When is duck season in Kentucky for 2026-27?

What about goose season in Kentucky?

Is there a September teal season in Kentucky?

What is a flyway, and which one is Kentucky 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. Kentucky selects its dates inside the Mississippi Flyway framework. The continent's busiest duck corridor, following the Mississippi River system.

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 Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources 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 Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources 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.

Kentucky Duck & Goose Season 2026-27