New Jersey Duck Season 2026-27: Waterfowl Zone Dates

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

October 10, 2026 to January 29, 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 New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP Fish and Wildlife)'s own published page, linked beside it; confirm there before you hunt.

Q: Which duck zone am I in?

New Jersey'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: New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP Fish 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 New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP 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.

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 10, 2026 to January 29, 2027

Duck season

published

3 zones

Zones

with split segments

Atlantic

Flyway

federal framework

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP Fish and Wildlife)

Source

read 2026-09-01

The main event

Duck season in New Jersey, zone by zone

Ducks, 2026-27

publishedAtlantic Flyway

Duck season is OPEN now in the North Zone, through October 17, 2026.

New Jersey duck seasons 2026-27, as published by New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP Fish and Wildlife)
Zone	Season segments
North Zone	October 10, 2026 to October 17, 2026November 14, 2026 to January 14, 2027
South Zone	October 17, 2026 to October 24, 2026November 21, 2026 to January 21, 2027
Coastal Zone	November 21, 2026 to January 29, 2027

Dates read from 2026-2027 Migratory Game Bird Seasons (NJDEP Fish and Wildlife), accessed 2026-09-01.

Scaup runs 1 bird daily for the first 40 days and 2 for the last 20 days in each zone. Youth waterfowl days run per zone; statewide veterans and active military day is Oct 31, 2026, with a joint day Feb 6, 2027.

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 New Jersey

Geese, 2026-27

published

Goose season	Dates
Canada goose, September season, statewide	September 1, 2026 to September 30, 2026
Canada goose, regular season, North and South zones	November 21, 2026 to November 30, 2026December 19, 2026 to January 30, 2027
Canada goose, regular season, Coastal Zone	November 21, 2026 to January 29, 2027
Canada goose, special winter season (two distinct zones)	February 1, 2027 to February 15, 2027
Light goose, regular season, statewide	November 7, 2026 to March 8, 2027
Brant, North and South zones	November 21, 2026 to November 28, 2026December 12, 2026 to January 7, 2027
Brant, Coastal Zone	November 26, 2026 to November 28, 2026December 24, 2026 to January 23, 2027

Dates read from 2026-2027 Migratory Game Bird Seasons (NJDEP Fish and Wildlife), accessed 2026-09-01.

New Jersey counts cackling and white-fronted geese as Canada geese in season rules. The division had not announced a light goose conservation order as of 2026-09-01; its seasons notice says that decision depends on the 2026 annual spring migration population count.

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 New Jersey’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.

New Jersey 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

New Jersey 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 New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP Fish and Wildlife)and USFWS, and the regulations page is linked below.

Current New Jersey regulations

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

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP 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

New Jersey waterfowl season questions

When is duck season in New Jersey for 2026-27?

What about goose season in New Jersey?

The goose table on this page lists the seasons as New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP Fish and Wildlife) publishes them, by species group and zone. New Jersey counts cackling and white-fronted geese as Canada geese in season rules. The division had not announced a light goose conservation order as of 2026-09-01; its seasons notice says that decision depends on the 2026 annual spring migration population count.

What is a flyway, and which one is New Jersey 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. New Jersey 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 New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP 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 New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP 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.

New Jersey Duck & Goose Season 2026-27