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Waterfowl/Migratory Bird Hunting Seasons & Bag Limits

Name: eRegulations
Price range: $

Migratory bird hunting in New Hampshire includes woodcock, ducks and geese, snipe and crows. A special youth waterfowl season (September 24–25, 2022) allows hunters ages 15 and younger to hunt in advance of the regular season.

2022–2023 Migratory Bird Hunting Seasons
Species	Northern zone	Inland & Ct. River Zone	Coastal Zone	Bag Limit	Possession Limit
Ducks^A	Oct. 2–Nov. 30	Oct. 4–Nov. 6 Nov. 23–Dec. 18	Oct. 5–Oct. 11 Nov. 23–Jan. 14	6	18
Mergansers^B	Dates same as ducks			5	15
Coots	Dates same as ducks			15	45
Sea Ducks*^C	Dates same as ducks			4	12
Canada Geese (Sept)	Statewide Sep. 1–Sep. 25			5	15
Canada Geese (Regular)	Dates same as ducks			2	6
Snow Geese	Oct. 2–Nov. 30	Oct. 4–Dec. 18	Oct. 5–Jan. 14	25	NONE
Brant	Oct. 2–Nov. 20	Oct. 4–Nov. 6 Nov. 23–Dec. 8	Oct. 5–Oct. 11 Nov. 23–Jan. 4	2	6
Falconry	Dec. 1–Jan. 14	Nov. 7–Nov. 22 Dec. 19–Jan. 16	Jan. 25–Mar. 10	3	9
Woodcock	Statewide: Oct. 1–Nov. 14			3	9
Common Snipe	Statewide: Sep. 15–Nov. 14			8	24
Crow	Statewide: Aug. 15–Nov. 30, Mar. 16–Mar. 31			NONE	NONE
Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend	September 24 & 25, 2022
A Includes all species of ducks, with the following restrictions: No more than 2 mallards (1 of which may be a hen), 2 black ducks, 3 wood ducks, 1 pintail, 2 canvasbacks, 2 redheads, 1 scaup, and no more than 3 scoters, 3 long-tailed ducks, or 3 eiders (1 of which may be a hen). The harlequin duck season is closed. Possession limits are three times the daily bag limit (e.g. The mallard possession limit is 6, of which 3 may be hens). B The daily bag limit of 5 mergansers is in addition to the daily bag limit of 6 ducks. Possession limits are three times the daily bag limit. * The species-specific restriction of two hooded mergansers has been removed. C The special sea duck season was eliminated starting in the 2022-23 season. Sea ducks are now part of the general duck bag. The daily bag limit for sea ducks is 4 and the possession limit is 12.

Bag Limits
Species	Bag Limit	Possession Limit	HIP Permit	Federal Stamp	Non-Toxic Shot	Firearm Plug
Ducks*	6	18	•	•	•	•
Mergansers**	5	15	•	•	•	•
Coot	15	45	•	•	•	•
Canada Geese (Sept)	5	15	•	•	•	•
Canada Geese (Regular)	2	6	•	•	•	•
Snow Geese	25	NONE	•	•	•	•
Brant	2	6	•	•	•	•
Sea Ducks***	4	12	•	•	•	•
Falconry	3	9	•	•	•	•
Woodcock	3	9	•			•
Common Snipe	8	24	•			•
Crow	NONE	NONE
* The daily bag limit of 6 ducks may include no harlequin ducks and no more than 2 mallards (1 of which may be a hen), 2 black ducks, 3 wood ducks, 1 pintail, 2 canvasbacks, 2 redheads, 1 scaup, and no more than 3 scoters, 3 eiders, or 3 long-tailed ducks. The daily bag limit of 5 mergansers is in addition to the daily bag limit of 6 ducks. Possession limits are three times the daily bag limit. * The special sea duck season was eliminated starting in the 2022-23 season. Sea ducks are now part of the general duck bag. The daily bag limit for sea ducks is 4 and the possession limit is 12.

Map of Waterfowl/Migratory Bird Hunting Zones

For a printable version of the zone map with boundary descriptions, visit huntnh.com.