Maine · 2026-27 waterfowl

Maine Duck & Goose Season 2026-27

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

September 28, 2026 to January 5, 2027, split across 3 zones (North Zone, South Zone, Coastal Zone), with split season segments inside the window. The full table on this page was read from Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's own published page, linked beside it; confirm there before you hunt.

Q: What about goose season in Maine?

The goose table on this page lists the seasons as Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife publishes them, by species group and zone. Early September Canada goose season runs statewide before the regular zoned seasons.

Q: Which duck zone am I in?

Maine's zones (North Zone, South Zone, Coastal Zone) are drawn by the agency along highways, rivers and county lines. Your zone is determined from the agency's own map: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife publishes the official zone map and boundary descriptions, linked from this page.

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

At Maine Department of Inland Fisheries 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: September 28, 2026 to January 5, 2027, across 3 zones. Every date below was read from Maine Department of Inland Fisheries 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.

September 28, 2026 to January 5, 2027

Duck season

published

3 zones

Zones

with split segments

Atlantic

Flyway

federal framework

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Source

read 2026-09-01

The main event

Duck season in Maine, zone by zone

Ducks, 2026-27

publishedAtlantic Flyway

Duck season is OPEN now in the North Zone, through December 5, 2026.

Maine duck seasons 2026-27, as published by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Zone	Season segments
North Zone	September 28, 2026 to December 5, 2026
South Zone	October 1, 2026 to October 10, 2026October 29, 2026 to December 26, 2026
Coastal Zone	October 3, 2026 to October 10, 2026November 5, 2026 to January 5, 2027

Dates read from Migratory Game Birds: Laws & Rules: Hunting: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-01.

Regular duck season in three zones; South and Coastal zones run split seasons.

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 Maine

Geese, 2026-27

published

Goose season	Dates
Canada geese, early season, all zones	September 1, 2026 to September 25, 2026
Canada geese, regular season, North Zone	October 1, 2026 to December 9, 2026
Canada geese, regular season, South Zone	October 1, 2026 to October 10, 2026October 29, 2026 to December 26, 2026
Canada geese, regular season, Coastal Zone	October 3, 2026 to October 10, 2026October 24, 2026 to January 5, 2027
Snow geese, statewide	October 1, 2026 to January 30, 2027

Dates read from Migratory Game Birds: Laws & Rules: Hunting: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-01.

Early September Canada goose season runs statewide before the regular zoned seasons.

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 Maine’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.

Maine 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

Maine 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 Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlifeand USFWS, and the regulations page is linked below.

Current Maine regulations

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

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries 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

Maine waterfowl season questions

When is duck season in Maine for 2026-27?

What about goose season in Maine?

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

Which duck zone am I in?

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 Maine Department of Inland Fisheries 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 Maine Department of Inland Fisheries 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.