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Iowa

Hunting

Hunting

Migratory Game Bird Seasons

2023-2024 MIGRATORY GAME BIRDS SEASONS & LIMITS

SHOOTING HOURS: 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset for all species except woodcock and the September teal season which is sunrise to sunset.

Seasons

2023-2024North ZoneCentral ZoneSouth Zone
Youth WaterfowlSept. 23-24, 2023Sept. 30 - Oct. 1, 2023Oct. 7-8, 2023
Ducks, Mergansers & CootsSep. 30 - Oct. 6
Oct. 14 - Dec. 5
Oct. 7 - Oct. 13
Oct. 21 - Dec. 12
Oct. 14 - Oct. 20
Oct. 28 - Dec. 19
Dark Geese & Light GeeseSep. 23 - Oct. 8
Oct. 14 - Dec. 5
Dec. 16 - Jan. 13, 2024
Sep. 30 - Oct. 15
Oct. 21 - Dec. 12
Dec. 23 - Jan. 20, 2024
Oct. 7 - Oct. 22
Oct. 28 - Dec. 19
Dec. 30 - Jan. 27, 2024

BAG LIMITS:

TEAL SEASON: Daily limit 6; blue-wing, green-wing & cinnamon teal only

DUCKS: Daily limit 6; no more than 4 mallards (2 female), 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 1 pintail, 2 black ducks & 2 canvasbacks. Scaup bag limit: 1 for first 15 days of the season, 2 for remaining 45 days.

MERGANSERS: Daily limit 5; no more than 2 hooded mergansers.

DARK GEESE: The daily bag limit for Canada geese, white-fronted geese, brant and any other geese that are not light geese is 5 and may include no more than 2 Canada geese during the first segment of the statewide season and no more than 3 Canada geese beginning with second segment of the statewide season until the end of the season.

LIGHT GEESE: The daily bag limit for white and blue-phase snow geese and Ross’ geese is 20.

DOVES: Daily limit 15

WOODCOCK: Daily limit 3

SNIPE: Daily limit 8

RAILS: Daily limit 12

COOTS: Daily limit 15

POSSESSION LIMITS

3 times the daily limit. Exception: light geese has no possession limit.

2023-2024StatewideLimit
Special September Teal

(Blue-winged, Green-winged & Cinnamon only)

Sept 1 - 16Daily limit is 6
Doves

(Mourning & Eurasian Collared)

Sept 1 - Nov 29Daily limit is 15
SnipeSept 3 - Nov 30Daily limit is 8
Rail

(Sora & Virginia)

Sept. 2 - Nov. 10Daily limit is 12
WoodcockOct. 7 - Nov. 20Daily limit is 3

METRO CANADA GOOSE SEASONS

Only in designated areas around Des Moines, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City and Cedar Falls/Waterloo. Special regulations apply. See Special September Canada Goose Season maps at select license agents in hunt zones and online at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting...

2023-2024SeasonLimit

Canada Geese

Sept. 9-17Daily limit is 5

LIGHT GEESE CONSERVATION ORDER White & blue phase snow geese & Ross’ geese Jan. 28-May 1, 2024

POSSESSION LIMITS:

Possession limits are three times the daily bag limit for all migratory birds, except light geese for which there is no possession limit.