Migratory Bird Seasons and Limits

Name: eRegulations
Price range: $

Waterfowl Seasons and Bag Limits

Season	Dates	Daily Bag Limit	Restrictions
Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days*	October 25–26	Same as regular season, listed below	Open to youth hunters age 12–17 accompanied by a licensed adult 21 years of age or older*; may take ducks, sea ducks, geese, and brant.
Canada Goose Early Season	September 1–30	15	Shooting hours are ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset for September season only.
Canada Goose Regular Season	November 22–30 and December 6– January 25, 2026	2	Special permits are required for the South Shore Management Area and may be obtained through the online licensing system or the DFW. Field reservations are required. See Goose Hunting for more information.
Canada Goose Late Season	January 31–February 14, 2026	5	Limited to Providence, Bristol and Kent counties and portions of Washington County as described in RIHR §9.11(B)(3)(d). See the State Lands & Canada Goose Map depicting the area open to hunting. This map is also available on the Department of Environmental Management’s website.
Snow Goose (Including Blue Goose)	October 11–January 25, 2026	25	No possession limit
Brant	December 27–January 25, 2026	1	-
Ducks	October 10–13, November 26–30, December 6–January 25, 2026	6	The daily bag limit shall contain no more than: Mallard - 4 (2 hens) Black Duck - 2 Canvasback - 2 Pintail - 3 Redhead - 2 Wood Duck - 3 Scaup - see below Sea Ducks - see below Other Duck Species - 6
Scaup	October 10–13, November 26–30, December 6–January 5, 2026	1	The daily bag limit of scaup is part of the duck daily bag limit of 6.
Scaup	January 6–25, 2026	2
Sea Ducks	Same as ducks	4	The daily bag limit is 4, singly or in aggregate, but not to exceed 3 Scoter, 3 Eider (1 hen), or 3 Long-tailed Ducks. The daily bag limit of sea ducks (4) is part of the duck daily bag limit of 6.
Mergansers	Same As Ducks	5	-
Coots	Same As Ducks	15	-
Swans	No Season	-	-
Harlequin Duck	Closed	Caution: Harlequin ducks are found in sea duck hunting areas along rocky coastal shores, specifically in the vicinity of Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, Middletown and Beavertail Pt., Jamestown. The female Harlequin duck is similar in appearance to female Bufflehead, Goldeneye, or Scoter, and can be mistaken for these species.
The possession limit shall contain no more than three (3) times the daily bag limit listed above. * See Youth and Disabled Hunter Opportunities for more information.

Migratory Shore & Upland Game Bird Seasons and Bag Limits

Season	Dates	Bag Limits
Crow	August 8–September 28 (Fri, Sat, Sun Only) October 18–December 8 (inclusive) December 19–April 4, 2026 (Fri, Sat, Sun Only)	Unlimited
King/Clapper Rail	September 1–November 9	1
Sora/Virginia Rail	September 1–November 9	3
Snipe	September 1–November 9	5
Mourning Dove	September 1–30 October 18–December 16	15
Woodcock	October 18–December 1	3
The possession limit shall contain no more than three (3) times the daily bag limit listed above.

Informational poster reminding migratory bird hunters to report all bird bands online at reportband.gov. The image includes tagged birds and emphasizes the importance of bird band reports for wildlife conservation. — Migratory bird hunters are reminded to report all bird bands online to support national bird tracking and conservation efforts.