The Louisiana waterfowl season runs in two zones — East and West — with up to three hunting segments per zone set each year by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries within federal frameworks from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Before you can legally hunt ducks, geese, or coots, you need a state hunting license, a Louisiana waterfowl license, a signed Federal Duck Stamp, and free HIP certification. Final dates for 2026–27 are posted on the LDWF seasons page each summer; recent seasons give a reliable picture of what to expect.
Zones and When the Season Runs
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission adopted a two-zone East-West boundary for the 2026–30 waterfowl seasons, keeping the lines in place from the prior five years.1Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. LWFC Adopts Two-Zone East-West Boundary for 2026-30 Waterfowl Hunting Seasons The West Zone covers the area between the Texas border and a line running south along Louisiana Highway 79 from the Arkansas border to Homer, then south on Highway 9 to Arcadia, Highway 147 to Hodge, U.S. Highway 167 to Lafayette, and U.S. Highway 90 east to the Mississippi state line. Everything east of that line is the East Zone.
Each zone can be split into up to three separate hunting segments within the overall season window. That structure came out of the 2025 Louisiana Waterfowl Hunter Survey.1Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. LWFC Adopts Two-Zone East-West Boundary for 2026-30 Waterfowl Hunting Seasons
During the 2025–26 season, the West Zone duck season ran November 15 through December 7 and December 20 through January 25. The East Zone ran November 22 through December 8 and December 20 through January 31.2Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Seasons and Regulations Goose seasons ran on slightly different schedules, and a conservation order for light geese — snow, blue, and Ross’s — extended into mid-March in both zones. Youth and veteran waterfowl hunts fall on separate dates in each zone, usually the weekend before the regular opener.
LDWF finalizes each year’s dates on its website after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sets federal frameworks in the summer. Confirm your zone’s exact dates before you buy licenses.
Licenses, Stamps, and HIP
Four things must be in your pocket or on your phone before you hunt:
- Basic Hunting License: $20 per year for residents, $200 for non-residents.3Louisiana Laws. Louisiana Revised Statutes 56-3002 – Recreational Hunting Licenses; Fees
- Louisiana Waterfowl License: $12 per year for residents, $50 for non-residents.3Louisiana Laws. Louisiana Revised Statutes 56-3002 – Recreational Hunting Licenses; Fees
- Federal Duck Stamp: $25, required for hunters age 16 and older, and you must sign it across the face.4U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Buy a Duck Stamp or Electronic Duck Stamp (E-Stamp)
- Harvest Information Program (HIP) certification: free, mandatory, and you must carry proof while hunting migratory birds.5Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Mandatory Harvest Information Program (HIP)
Residents and non-residents under 18 do not need a basic hunting license to hunt game animals other than deer or turkey, so the exemption covers waterfowl.6Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Hunting Licenses, Permits, and Tags The Federal Duck Stamp requirement at age 16 is separate and still applies.4U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Buy a Duck Stamp or Electronic Duck Stamp (E-Stamp)
Daily Bag Limits
Louisiana sits in the Mississippi Flyway. For recent seasons, the daily duck bag has been six, with species sub-limits: no more than four mallards (only two of which can be hens), one mottled duck, two black ducks, one pintail, three wood ducks, two canvasbacks, and two redheads.7Federal Register. Migratory Bird Hunting; Final 2023-24 Frameworks for Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations Sub-limits shift year to year with population data, so check the current regulations before you leave.
Possession limits are generally three times the daily bag — 18 ducks when the daily is six — with the same species restrictions multiplied accordingly.7Federal Register. Migratory Bird Hunting; Final 2023-24 Frameworks for Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations
Shooting Hours, Shot, and Equipment
Legal shooting hours for ducks, geese, teal, and coots run from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. The light-goose conservation order extends shooting hours to one-half hour after sunset. On Wildlife Management Areas, hunting after 2 p.m. is prohibited on all WMAs except Atchafalaya Delta and Pass-a-Loutre.8Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Louisiana 2025-2026 Hunting and WMA Regulations That early cutoff catches a lot of hunters used to private-land rules.
Lead shot is banned nationwide for waterfowl. You must use approved non-toxic shot containing less than one percent residual lead when hunting ducks, geese, coots, or any species sharing an aggregate bag in a concurrent season.9eCFR. 50 CFR Part 20 – Migratory Bird Hunting Steel is most common, with bismuth, tungsten, and several other compositions also approved. If you reload, verify your components meet the approval standards.
Your shotgun cannot hold more than three shells total. If the magazine holds more, it must be plugged with a one-piece filler that can’t be removed without disassembling the gun.10eCFR. 50 CFR 20.21 – What Hunting Methods Are Illegal? The plug requirement is lifted during a light-goose-only conservation order season when all other waterfowl and crane seasons are closed.
Recorded or electronically amplified calls are illegal in regular duck and goose seasons, and live decoys are prohibited.10eCFR. 50 CFR 20.21 – What Hunting Methods Are Illegal? Electronic calls and unplugged shotguns are both permitted during the light goose conservation order. Mouth-blown and hand-operated calls are always legal.
Baiting Rules That Trip Hunters Up
Federal law makes it illegal to hunt waterfowl over any baited area where you know, or reasonably should know, that bait has been placed.10eCFR. 50 CFR 20.21 – What Hunting Methods Are Illegal? Bait means salt, grain, or feed placed, exposed, or scattered to attract waterfowl where hunters are trying to take them.11U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Waterfowl Hunting and Baiting
You can legally hunt waterfowl over standing crops, flooded standing crops, and fields where grain was scattered solely as a result of normal planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulation.10eCFR. 50 CFR 20.21 – What Hunting Methods Are Illegal? You cannot hunt waterfowl over a crop that has been mowed, disced, rolled, or knocked down before a normal harvest. A corn field flattened by a vehicle or trampled by livestock before harvest becomes a baited area.11U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Waterfowl Hunting and Baiting
Manipulated natural vegetation is treated differently. If you manage wetlands and manipulate native plants to attract waterfowl, that’s legal. The ban on pre-harvest manipulation applies only to agricultural crops, not to natural or naturalized vegetation.11U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Waterfowl Hunting and Baiting If you have any doubt about a field’s status, don’t hunt it.
Transporting and Tagging Birds
One fully feathered wing or the head must stay attached to each duck during transport from the kill site until it reaches your home or a bird preservation facility.12eCFR. 50 CFR 20.43 – Species Identification Requirement Enforcement officers use that attached wing or head to verify species and sex against your sub-limits. Breasting birds out in the field is a quick way to get cited.
If you leave birds anywhere other than your own home, or hand them off for cleaning, processing, shipping, or storage, each bird or lot must carry a tag with your signature, address, the number and species of birds, and the date killed.13eCFR. 50 CFR 20.36 – Tagging Requirement
Facilities that store or process migratory birds must keep records of species, where taken, date received, and the name and address of both the person who brought the birds in and the person who picks them up, retained for at least one year after the last entry.14eCFR. 50 CFR Part 20, Subpart I – Migratory Bird Preservation Facilities Hunting clubs that don’t fully process birds (meaning both head and wings are removed) are exempt from the facility recordkeeping rules, but the individual tag still has to go on any birds you leave in someone else’s custody.
You also have to make a reasonable effort to retrieve every bird you kill or cripple. Once retrieved, the bird must stay in your actual custody until it reaches your vehicle, home, a preservation facility, a post office, or a common carrier.15eCFR. 50 CFR 20.25 – Wanton Waste of Migratory Game Birds Leaving downed birds is a federal violation even if you’ve already hit your limit.
Hunting Public Land
LDWF manages more than 1.6 million acres of Wildlife Management Areas, refuges, and conservation areas open to hunting.16Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Wildlife Management Areas, Refuges, and Conservation Areas Anyone entering a WMA for any reason must have a Self-Clearing Permit, which is free but requires check-in and check-out each visit, done either at a physical station or through the LDWF Check-In/Check-Out app or web portal.17Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. WMA/Refuge/Conservation Area Licenses and Permits Some WMA waterfowl hunts are run as lotteries with limited permits.
National wildlife refuges in Louisiana operate under U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service management and have their own rules that can differ from state WMAs. The Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex, for example, issues separate hunting regulations each season.18U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex Hunting Regulations 2025-2026 Check the specific refuge’s rules before you go, because access points, allowed equipment, and shooting hours can all differ.
What a Violation Costs
Louisiana sorts wildlife violations into offense classes, and waterfowl infractions can land in several of them. Class One violations carry a first-offense fine of $50. Class Four violations start at $400 to $950 for a first offense and can include up to 120 days of imprisonment.19Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 56 – Wildlife and Fisheries 56-31 – Class One Violations20Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 56 – Wildlife and Fisheries 56-34 – Class Four Violation Repeat offenses escalate across all classes, with higher fines and mandatory jail time.
Serious violations like hunting with prohibited methods or equipment can bring license revocation, equipment confiscation, and restitution for the value of illegally taken wildlife. Federal charges can stack on top: baiting, wanton waste, and over-limit kills all violate the Migratory Bird Treaty Act’s implementing regulations, and federal officers patrol Louisiana’s hunting areas alongside LDWF agents. One bad decision in the blind can generate a state citation and a federal one at the same time.