Migratory Bird Seasons & Bag Limits

Name: eRegulations
Price range: $

Delaware Migratory Game bird Season Summary
Ducks	Season Dates	Daily Bag Limit	Possession Limit
Ducks (Regular Season)	Oct 27 - Nov 4	6	18
	Nov 20 - Nov 25
	Dec 9 - Jan 31
September Teal	Sep 13 - Sep 30	6	18
Limited to the designated teal zone south of the C&D Canal to north of Route 9 in Lewes, and east of Routes 13, 113/113A, and 1. Bag limit may include any combination of blue-winged and/or green-winged teal
Youth Waterfowl Hunt Youth must be age 10-15.	Oct 21 and Feb 3	See duck bag limits	See duck possession limits
Daily bag limits as listed below apply for ducks, mergansers, coots, moorhens, gallinules, Canada geese, snow geese, brant, and swans. Limits are described by each species.
Daily Bag Limits and Possession Limits
The daily limit of 6 ducks (excluding mergansers and coots) may include, in any combination, up to: 4 mallards (2 hens); 2 black ducks; 1 pintail; 2 canvasback, 3 wood ducks; 2 redheads; 1 scaup, 6 teal; 6 shovelers; 6 gadwall; 6 wigeon; 6 goldeneye; 6 ring-necked ducks; 6 bufflehead; 6 ruddy ducks; 1 mottled duck; 1 fulvous whistling-duck; 4 total sea ducks (no more than 3 scoters; 3 eiders (1 hen); 3 long-tailed ducks). The possession limit is 3 times the daily limit. The season on harlequin ducks remains closed.
Sea Ducks* Scoters, Eiders, and Long-tailed ducks	Same as Duck Season	See duck bag limits	See duck possession limits
* There is no longer a special sea duck zone with it’s own separate season dates or daily bag and possession limits. The season dates for sea ducks are the same as the Regular Duck Season and the Daily Bag and Possession Limits are included as part of the regular daily bag and possession limits. The shooting of crippled waterfowl from a motorboat under power will be permitted in the area not less than 800 yards (1/2) mile seaward from the Delaware Bay shore or the Atlantic Ocean shore beginning at an east-west line between Port Mahon and the Elbow Cross Navigation Light, south to the Delaware-Maryland line.
Coot	Same as Duck Season	15	45
Mergansers**	Same as Duck Season	5	15
** Daily bag limit may include no more than 2 hooded mergansers (6 in possession)
Geese and Brant	Season Dates	Daily Bag Limit	Possession Limit
Canada Goose (Resident)	Sep 1 - Sep 25	15	45
Canada Goose (Migratory) Including White-fronted geese	Nov 20 - Nov 25	2	6
Canada Goose (Migratory) Including White-fronted geese	Dec 16 - Jan 30	2	6
Brant	Dec 23 - Jan 9 (season closed on Jan 10)	1	3
Brant	Jan 11 - Jan 27	1	3
Snow Goose Including Ross’ goose	Oct 2 - Jan 31 and Feb. 3	25	No limit
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge open Mon., Wed., and Fri. with permission of Refuge Manager.
Snow Goose Conservation Order	Feb 1 - Feb 2 Feb 5 - Apr 12	No bag or possession limits
During the Conservation Order (CO) unplugged shotguns and electronic calls may be used to harvest snow geese. Shooting hours have been extended to ½ hour after sunset and daily bag and possession limits have been eliminated. Hunters who wish to participate in the CO must register for a free, annual permit, available by visiting https://de.gov/DigitalDNREC (after Jan 1st). Participants are required to re-visit this website after the CO has closed to report their harvest to the Division of Fish and Wildlife. The Snow Snow Goose Conservation Order will be closed on Saturday, February 3, 2024 which is the second youth waterfowl day and will reopen on Monday, February 5, 2024. Snow geese, including Ross’ geese, may be harvested on Saturday, February 3, 2024 within the regular season framework. No liberal methods allowed during the Conservation Order may be allowed this day and a daily bag limit of 25 applies.
Swans	Season Dates	Daily Bag Limit	Possession Limit
Tundra Swan (By special permit ONLY)	Nov. 11 - Jan. 31	1 per season	1 per season
Mute Swan	Legal to take during any open waterfowl season	No limit	No limit
(Closed during the Snow Goose Conservation Order)
Trumpeter Swan	Closed Season	0 - Closed Season	0 - Closed Season
Other Species	Season Dates	Daily Bag Limit	Possession Limit
Mourning Dove	Sep 1 - Oct 2¹	15	45
Mourning Dove	Nov 20 - Jan 31	15	45
¹ During the month of September, all hunters must use non-toxic shot when dove hunting on State Wildlife Areas.
King and Clapper Rails ² Singly or in combination of the two species	Sep 2 - Nov 22	10²	30
Sora and Virginia Rails ³ Singly or in combination of the two species	Sep 2 - Nov 22	25³	75
Woodcock	Nov 20 - Nov 25	3	9
Woodcock	Dec 16 - Jan 30	3	9
Common Snipe	Sep 29 - Jan 31	8	24
Moorhens and Gallinules	Sep 2 - Nov 22	15	45
Crow ⁴ Thurs., Fri., and Sat. only	July 1, 2023 - Mar 30, 2024⁴ and Jun 28 and 29, 2024	No Limit	No Limit
To view regulations for hunting of migratory game birds, see: • USFWS complete Federal Regulations (50 CFR Part 20): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-20 • Synopsis of Federal Regulations: http://de.gov/migbirdhuntref NOTE: When State law is different from the Federal law the hunter must comply with the most restrictive law. NOTE: The shooting hours for all mute swans and migratory game birds, including waterfowl except during the Snow Goose Conservation Order, are 1/2 hour before sunrise until sunset. NOTE: No person shall have more than three times the daily bag limit of migratory birds at any one time when it is lawful to possess such wildlife. Any migratory bird that has been processed and stored for consumption at a person’s permanent residence shall not count against the hunter’s possession limit. NOTE: You cannot put or leave waterfowl at any place or in the custody of another person unless you tag the birds with your signature, address, number of birds identified by species, and the date you killed them.