Migratory Birds Regulations

Last Updated: Spring 2024

FEDERAL LAWS ON METHODS OF TAKE AND BAITING

Migratory birds, on which open seasons are prescribed, may be taken by any method except those prohibited in this section.
No persons shall take migratory game birds:

a) With a trap, snare, net, rifle, pistol, swivel gun, shotgun larger than 10 gauge, punt gun, battery gun, machine gun, fish hook, poison, drug, explosive, or stupefying substance;

b) With a shotgun of any description capable of holding more than three shells, unless it is plugged with a one-piece filler, incapable of removal without disassembling the gun, so its total capacity does not exceed three shells. However, this restriction does not apply during light-goose spring conservation season.

c) From or by means, aid, or use of a sinkbox or any other type of low floating device, having a depression affording the hunter a means of concealment beneath the surface of the water;

d) From or by means, aid, or use of any motor vehicle, motor-driven land conveyance, or aircraft of any kind, except that paraplegics and persons missing one or both legs may take from any stationary motor vehicle or stationary motor-driven land conveyance;

e) From or by means of any motorboat or other craft having a motor attached, or any sailboat, unless the motor has been completely shut off and/or the sails furled, and its progress therefrom has ceased: Provided, that a craft under power may be used to retrieve dead or crippled birds; however, crippled birds may not be shot from such craft under power;

f) By the use or aid of live birds as decoys; although not limited to, it shall be a violation of this paragraph for any person to take migratory waterfowl on an area where tame or captive live ducks or geese are present unless such birds are and have been for a period of 10 consecutive days prior to such taking, confined within an enclosure which substantially reduces the audibility of their calls and totally conceals such birds from the sight of wild migratory waterfowl;

g) By the use or aid of recorded or electrically amplified bird calls or sounds, or recorded or electrically amplified imitations of bird calls or sounds. However, this restriction does not apply during light-goose spring conservation season;

(h) By means or aid of any motor driven land, water, or air conveyance, or any sailboat used for the purpose of or resulting in the concentrating, driving, rallying, or stirring up of any migratory bird;

i) By the aid of baiting, or on or over any baited area, where a person knows or reasonably should know that the area is or has been baited.

Baited area means any area on which salt, grain, or other feed has been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered, if that salt, grain, or other feed could serve as a lure or attraction for migratory game birds to, on, or over areas where hunters are attempting to take them. Any such area will remain a baited area for ten days following the complete removal of all such salt, grain, or other feed.

Baiting means the direct or indirect placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering of salt, grain, or other feed that could serve as a lure or attraction for migratory game birds to, on, or over any areas where hunters are attempting to take them.

It is legal to take migratory game birds including waterfowl, coots, and cranes, on or over the following lands or areas that are not otherwise baited areas:

• standing crops or flooded standing crops (including aquatics);
• standing, flooded, or manipulated natural vegetation; flooded harvested croplands; or lands or areas where seeds or grains have been scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural planting, harvesting, post-harvest manipulation or normal soil stabilization practice;
• from a blind or other place of concealment camouflaged with natural vegetation;
• from a blind or other place of concealment camouflaged with vegetation from agricultural crops, as long as such camouflaging does not result in the exposing, depositing, distributing or scattering of grain or other feed; or
• standing or flooded standing agricultural crops where grain is inadvertently scattered solely as a result of a hunter entering or exiting a hunting area, placing decoys, or retrieving downed birds.

It is legal to take migratory game birds, except waterfowl, coots and cranes, on or over lands or areas that are not otherwise baited areas, and where grain or other feed has been distributed or scattered solely as the result of manipulation of an agricultural crop or other feed on the land where grown, or solely as the result of a normal agricultural operation.

Manipulation means the alteration of natural vegetation or agricultural crops by activities that include but are not limited to mowing, shredding, discing, rolling, chopping, trampling, flattening, burning, or herbicide treatments. The term manipulation does not include the distributing or scattering of grain, seed, or other feed after removal from or storage on the field where grown.

Natural vegetation means any non-agricultural, native, or naturalized plant species that grows at a site in response to planting or from existing seeds or other propagules. The term natural vegetation does not include planted millet. However, planted millet that grows on its own in subsequent years after the year of planting is considered natural vegetation.

Normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulation means a planting or harvesting undertaken for the purpose of producing and gathering a crop, or manipulation after such harvest and removal of grain, that is conducted in accordance with official recommendations of State Extension Specialists of the Cooperative Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Normal agricultural operation means a normal agricultural planting, harvesting, post-harvest manipulation, or agricultural practice that is conducted in accordance with official recommendations of State Extension Specialists of the Cooperative Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Normal soil stabilization practice means a planting for agricultural soil erosion control or post-mining land reclamation conducted in accordance with official recommendations of State Extension Specialists of the Cooperative Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for agricultural soil erosion control.

Learn more information about federal migratory bird laws.

GENERAL MIGRATORY GAME BIRD REGULATIONS

LICENSES / STAMPS / PERMITS

All waterfowl hunters 16 and older must have a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Federal Duck Stamp), and all hunters who are required to obtain a license must also have a Kansas Migratory Waterfowl Habitat Stamp (Kansas Waterfowl Permit) and a Kansas Harvest Information Program Permit (HIP) before hunting ducks, geese, or mergansers.

Kansas HIP Permit.......................... $2.50
Kansas Waterfowl Permit....................$10
Federal Waterfowl Stamp...............$26.50

Federal Duck Stamps must be signed across the face of the stamp and carried when hunting waterfowl. Federal Duck Stamps are available at the U.S. Postal Service and KDWPT offices. Hunters who purchase an e-stamp must carry their 45-day receipt when hunting waterfowl. Once the 45-day e-stamp receipt expires, hunters must carry their current, signed Federal Duck Stamp (a store purchase/credit card receipt is not valid as a duck stamp). Kansas Waterfowl Permits are available at all KDWPT offices and license vendor locations.

A Federal Waterfowl Stamp and Kansas Waterfowl Permit and are not required to hunt coots, migratory doves, rails, snipe, woodcock, or sandhill cranes.

A Kansas HIP Permit is required, unless license exempt.

METHODS OF TAKE

Bow and arrow, falconry, or shotgun no larger than 10-gauge. Shotguns must be incapable of holding more than three shells. Migratory doves may only be taken while in flight.

SHOOTING HOURS

Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset, except those for sandhill crane, which are sunrise to sunset.

ILLEGAL METHODS

Sink boxes, live decoys, baiting, electronic calls, and pursuit with any motorized conveyance or sailboat are illegal. When hunting from a motorized craft or sailboat, the motor must be turned off or the sail furled and progress ceased. Decoys shall not be left unattended overnight on department-managed areas.

REFUGE AREAS

Many state and federal wildlife areas have refuges, as well as public hunting areas. These refuge areas may be closed to any activity during the hunting seasons. Check with local offices for refuge boundaries and closure dates.

FIELD POSSESSION

No person shall possess more migratory game birds taken in the United States than the possession limit or aggregate possession limit, whichever applies.

No person shall possess, have in custody, or transport more than the daily bag limit or aggregate daily bag limit, whichever applies, of migratory game birds, tagged or not tagged, at or between the place where taken and either (a) their automobile or principal means of land transportation; or (b) their personal abode or temporary or transient place of lodging; or (c) a migratory bird preservation facility; or (d) a post office; or (e) a common carrier facility.

No person may receive, possess, or give to another, any freshly killed migratory game birds as a gift, except at the personal abodes of the donor or donee, unless such birds have a tag attached, signed by the hunter who took the birds, stating the hunter’s address, the total number and species of birds and the date such birds were taken.

TAGGING/CUSTODY

No person shall put or leave any migratory game birds at any place (other than his personal abode), or in the custody of another person for picking, cleaning, processing, shipping, transportation, or storage (including temporary storage), or for the purpose of having taxidermy services performed, unless such birds have a tag attached, signed by the hunter, stating the hunter’s address, the total number and species of birds, and the date such birds were killed. Migratory game birds being transported in any vehicle as the personal baggage of the possessor shall not be considered as being in storage or temporary storage.

No person shall receive or have in custody any migratory game birds belonging to another person unless such birds are tagged as required.

TRANSPORTING

During transport, one fully-feathered wing and/or head must remain attached to migratory birds (except mourning/white-winged doves).

Migratory game birds given to another person, taxidermist, storage facility, or commercial processor must be tagged with the signature and address of the hunter and the number, species, and date taken. Migratory birds packed for shipping must be clearly marked with the name and address of the shipper and addressee, as well as the number and species of birds.

NON-TOXIC SHOT

Kansas requires non-toxic shot for hunting ALL migratory game birds except doves and woodcock. This includes ducks, geese, coots, mergansers, rails, sandhill cranes, and snipe. Legal shot is steel, bismuthtin, tungsten-polymer, tungsten-iron, tungsten matrix, tungsten-nickle-iron, tungsten-iron-nickel-tin, and steel shot coated with copper, nickel, zinc chromate, or zinc chloride.

It is illegal to possess lead shot while hunting migratory game birds except doves and woodcock or while hunting in a Non-Toxic-Shot-Only area. “Possession" means that lead shot cannot be in a hunter’s gun, pockets, blind, boat or in reach while in the process of hunting. Lead shot left in a vehicle is not considered “in possession.”

NON-TOXIC SHOT ONLY

Non-toxic shot is the only shotgun load allowed on the following wildlife areas and national wildlife refuges:

Benedictine Bottoms WA, Burr Oak WA, Cheyenne Bottoms WA, Cherokee Lowlands WA, Dalbey WA, Elwood WA, Flint Hills NWR, Gurley Salt Marsh WA, Hain WA, Herron Playa WA, Isabel WA, Jamestown WA, Kirwin NWR, Marais des Cygnes NWR, Marais des Cygnes WA, McPherson Wetlands WA, Neosho WA, Oak Mills WA, Otter Creek WA, Quivira NWR, Slate Creek WA, Stein Playa WA, Talmo Marsh WA, Texas Lake WA, Wild Turkey Playa WA, and other areas as posted.