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South Carolina · 2026-27 waterfowl

South Carolina Duck & Goose Season 2026-27

Ducks: November 21, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Every date below was read from South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR)’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.
November 21, 2026 to January 31, 2027
Duck season
published
Statewide
Zones
with split segments
Atlantic
Flyway
federal framework
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR)
Source
read 2026-09-01
The main event

Duck season in South Carolina, zone by zone

Ducks, 2026-27

publishedAtlantic Flyway

Duck season opens in 37 days, on November 21, 2026.

South Carolina duck seasons 2026-27, as published by South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR)
ZoneSeason segments
StatewideNovember 21, 2026 to November 28, 2026December 12, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Dates read from South Carolina General Migratory Bird Seasons, Shooting Hours and Bag Limits, 2026-2027 SC Hunting and Fishing Regulations Guide, accessed 2026-09-01.

Two-way split statewide, sea ducks included. State youth day and federal youth plus veteran and military days also exist.

September teal: September 19, 2026 to September 27, 2026. September early 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
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Geese

Goose seasons in South Carolina

Geese, 2026-27

published
Goose seasonDates
Canada geese, early seasonSeptember 1, 2026 to September 30, 2026
Canada geese and white-fronted geese, late seasonsNovember 21, 2026 to November 28, 2026December 12, 2026 to January 31, 2027February 15, 2027 to March 1, 2027
Blue and snow geeseNovember 21, 2026 to November 28, 2026December 12, 2026 to January 31, 2027February 15, 2027 to March 1, 2027
BrantJanuary 2, 2027 to January 31, 2027

Dates read from South Carolina General Migratory Bird Seasons, Shooting Hours and Bag Limits, 2026-2027 SC Hunting and Fishing Regulations Guide, accessed 2026-09-01.

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 South Carolina’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.

South Carolina 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

South Carolina 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 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR)and USFWS, and the regulations page is linked below.

Current South Carolina regulations

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

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR): 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

Duck season dates in other states

South Carolina turkey seasonThe other 2026-27 season calendar: spring and fall turkey dates by zone.South Carolina first freezeThe freeze line pushes birds south. When the first hard frost normally lands.South Carolina deer rutThe November you are already out for. When deer actually breed.

South Carolina waterfowl season questions

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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 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) 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 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) 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.