Waterfowl 2026-27

Michigan

Mississippi Flyway

Open now · Dark & Light Geese, Coot, Duck & Merganser

Home state

Season

Open now

Dark & Light Geese, Coot, Duck & Merganser

Nonresident cost

$188.00

For the season · $87.00 for a 3-day trip

Daily duck bag

9 species limits apply

Next draw deadline

None

No open applications

Nonresident rules

Nonresidents need a base license (or a 3-day or 7-day small game nonresident license instead) plus the Michigan waterfowl license, which includes HIP.

Season calendar

SepOctNovDecJanFeb

Early Teal

Dark & Light Geese Middle Zone

Dark & Light Geese North Zone

Dark & Light Geese South Zone

Veterans & Active-Duty Military Waterfowl Days

Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend

Coot, Duck & Merganser North Zone

Coot, Duck & Merganser Middle Zone

Coot, Duck & Merganser South Zone

Today

Seasons & bag limits

Early Teal

Early teal

Sep 1 – Sep 9, 2026

Dark & Light Geese

RegularMiddle Zone

Sep 1 – Sep 30, 2026
Oct 3 – Dec 18, 2026

Dark & Light Geese

RegularNorth Zone

Sep 1 – Dec 16, 2026

Dark & Light Geese

RegularSouth Zone

Sep 1 – Sep 30, 2026
Oct 17 – Dec 13, 2026
Dec 26, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027
Feb 6 – Feb 15, 2027

Veterans & Active-Duty Military Waterfowl Days

Veterans & military

Sep 19 – Sep 20, 2026

Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend

Youth

Sep 19 – Sep 20, 2026

Coot, Duck & Merganser

RegularNorth Zone

Sep 26 – Nov 22, 2026
Nov 28 – Nov 29, 2026

Ducks6 daily18 poss.

4 mallards
2 hen mallards
3 wood ducks
2 redheads
2 canvasbacks
2 black ducks
3 pintails
2 scaup (sept. 26 - nov. 9)
1 scaup (nov. 10 - end)

Mergansers5 daily15 poss.

2 hooded mergansers

Coot, Duck & Merganser

RegularMiddle Zone

Oct 3 – Nov 29, 2026
Dec 12 – Dec 13, 2026

Ducks6 daily18 poss.

4 mallards
2 hen mallards
3 wood ducks
2 redheads
2 canvasbacks
2 black ducks
3 pintails
1 scaup (oct. 3 - 18)
2 scaup (oct. 19 - end)

Mergansers5 daily15 poss.

2 hooded mergansers

Coot, Duck & Merganser

RegularSouth Zone

Oct 17 – Dec 13, 2026
Dec 26 – Dec 27, 2026

Ducks6 daily18 poss.

4 mallards
2 hen mallards
3 wood ducks
2 redheads
2 canvasbacks
2 black ducks
3 pintails
1 scaup (oct. 17 - nov. 1)
2 scaup (nov. 2 - end)

Mergansers5 daily15 poss.

2 hooded mergansers

Today's shooting hours in Michigan →

What you need to buy

Michigan Waterfowl License (includes HIP)

Source · checked Sep 23, 2026 ·

$12.00

Hunting license: choose one

Small Game 7-Day Nonresident License: Replaces the base license for waterfowl hunting.

Small Game 3-Day Nonresident License: Replaces the base license for waterfowl hunting.

Source · checked Sep 23, 2026 ·

$151.00

Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Duck Stamp)Federal

Ages 16+ · $25 face value. Bought online or from a license vendor, the electronic stamp adds a $4 fulfillment fee and usually a $1-$1.50 state fee, so expect to pay $29-$30. Paper stamps at the post office are $25.

Source · checked Sep 30, 2026 ·

$25.00

Total for the season

Pick a license above to compare

$188.00

More Mississippi Flyway states

Official sources

Michigan Department of Natural Resources Waterfowl regulations Licenses & fees

Spotted something out of date?

. How we check this data.

Michigan

Nonresident rules

Season calendar

Seasons & bag limits

Early Teal

Dark & Light Geese

Dark & Light Geese

Dark & Light Geese

Veterans & Active-Duty Military Waterfowl Days

Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend

Coot, Duck & Merganser

Coot, Duck & Merganser

Coot, Duck & Merganser

What you need to buy

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