Rule 1501:31-7-06 | Seasons and limits on ducks, brant, geese, mergansers, and coots.
(A) Throughout the state, it shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, kill, wound, take, or attempt to take or to possess any of the birds specified in this rule except as provided in this rule or other rules in the Administrative Code. For the purpose of this rule, the state is divided into the waterfowl zones established under rule 1501:31-7-07 of the Administrative Code for the hunting of ducks, brant, mergansers, coots, and geese.
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt ducks, brant, geese, coots, and mergansers at any time except from one half hour before sunrise to sunset during the open season.
(2) Coots, mergansers and ducks may be hunted in zone A from October 17, 2026, through November 1, 2026, and from November 14, 2026, through December 27, 2026; coots, mergansers and ducks may be hunted in zone B from October 17, 2026, through October 25, 2026, and from November 21, 2026, through January 10, 2027; coots, mergansers and ducks may be hunted in zone C from October 17, 2026, through October 25, 2026, and from December 12, 2026, through January 31, 2027.
(3) Brant and geese may be hunted in zone A from October 17, 2026, through November 1, 2026, and from November 14, 2026, through February 1, 2027. Brant and geese may be hunted in zone B from October 17, 2026, through October 25, 2026, and from November 21, 2026, through February 15, 2027. Brant and geese may be hunted in zone C from October 17, 2026, through October 25, 2026, and from November 21, 2026, through February 15, 2027.
(4) Licensed falconers may hunt ducks, geese, mergansers and coots when the respective waterfowl zone is open to goose hunting.
(B) It shall be unlawful for any person to take or possess more than six ducks per day or possess at any time after the second day more than eighteen ducks, except as hereinafter expressly provided.
(1) The daily bag limit of six ducks shall not include more of the following species than:
(a) Four mallard ducks of which no more than two may be female;
(b) Three wood ducks;
(c) Two black duck;
(d) Two redhead ducks;
(e) Three pintail ducks;
(f) One mottled duck;
(g) One scaup during the first fifteen days of the open season for ducks in each waterfowl zone as designated in paragraph (A) of this rule or two scaup during the last forty-five days of the open season for ducks in each waterfowl zone as designated in paragraph (A) of this rule;
(h) Two canvasback.
(2) The possession limit of eighteen ducks after the second day shall not include more of the following species than:
(a) Twelve mallard ducks of which no more than six may be female;
(b) Nine wood ducks;
(c) Six black ducks;
(d) Six redhead ducks;
(e) Nine pintail ducks;
(f) Three mottled ducks;
(g) Three scaup during the first fifteen days of the open season for ducks in each waterfowl zone as designated in paragraph (A) of this rule or six scaup during the last forty-five days of the open season for ducks in each waterfowl zone as designated in paragraph (A) of this rule;
(h) Six canvasbacks.
(C) It shall be unlawful for any person in any one day to take more than any of the following: five in the aggregate of Canada geese, cackling geese, brant, or white-fronted geese of which no more than one may be a brant; or ten snow, blue, or Ross' geese singly or in the aggregate.
(D) It shall be unlawful for any person after the second day to possess more than any of the following: fifteen Canada geese cackling geese, and white-fronted geese combined; three brant; or thirty snow, blue, or Ross' geese singly or in the aggregate.
(E) In addition to the daily bag and maximum possession limit on other ducks, it shall be unlawful for any person to take more than five mergansers in any one day of which no more than two may be a hooded merganser, or possess after the second day more than fifteen mergansers singly or in the aggregate, except that not more than six hooded mergansers may be included in the maximum possession limit.
(F) It shall be unlawful for any person to take more than fifteen coots in any one day or possess after the opening day more than forty-five coots at any time.
(G) It shall be unlawful for any person to possess more than the daily limit of migratory game birds, or the aggregate daily bag limit, whichever applies, at or between the place where taken and one's principal or ordinary home or dwelling place, one's temporary or transient place of lodging, a migratory bird preservation facility, or a post office or common carrier facility.
(H) It is lawful for persons seventeen years of age or younger to hunt, take, and possess ducks, mergansers, geese and coots on October 4 and 5, 2025, statewide in accordance with this rule. This season is designated as the youth waterfowl season. All persons seventeen years of age and younger must be accompanied by a non-hunting person eighteen years of age or older. Provided further, persons eighteen years of age or older and eligible to hunt under paragraph (I) of this rule may hunt and accompany a person hunting under this paragraph.
(I) It is lawful for veterans and members of the armed forces on active duty, including members of the national guard and reserves on active duty, to hunt, take, and possess ducks, mergansers, geese and coots on October 3 and 4, 2026, statewide in accordance with this rule. For the purpose of this rule "veteran," "active duty," and "armed forces" have the same meaning as defined in 38 C.F.R 101(2017).
(J) Special early Canada goose and teal seasons.
It shall be unlawful to:
(1) Hunt or take teal, Canada geese, or cackling geese at any time during the special early Canada goose and teal seasons, except from sunrise to sunset daily;
(2) Hunt or take Canada geese or cackling geese, except Canada geese and cackling geese may be hunted and taken statewide from September 5, 2026, through September 13, 2026, and during the open season for geese as specified in this rule;
(3) Take more than five Canada geese and cackling geese combined in one day or possess more than fifteen Canada geese and cackling geese combined at any time after the second day during the special early goose season;
(4) Hunt, or take teal, except teal may be hunted and taken statewide from September 5, 2026, through September 13, 2026, and during the open season for ducks as specified in this rule;
(5) Take more than six teal in one day or possess more than eighteen teal at any time after the second day during the special early teal season.
(K) All definitions set forth in rule 1501:31-1-02 of the Administrative Code apply to this rule.
Last updated June 30, 2026 at 1:02 AM
Supplemental Information
Amplifies: 1531.06, 1531.08, 1533.02
Five Year Review Date: 6/30/2031
Prior Effective Dates: 8/31/1974 (Temp.), 9/20/1975 (Temp.), 9/10/1976 (Temp.), 2/5/1977 (Temp.), 9/22/1977 (Temp.), 9/16/1978 (Temp.), 9/16/1979 (Temp.), 9/17/1980 (Temp.), 9/16/1981 (Temp.), 9/16/1982 (Temp.), 9/20/1983 (Temp.), 9/20/1984 (Temp.), 9/19/1985 (Temp.), 12/12/1985 (Temp.), 9/20/1986 (Temp.), 9/20/1987 (Temp.), 9/25/1988 (Temp.), 9/26/1989 (Temp.), 9/26/1990 (Temp.), 9/30/1991 (Temp.), 9/30/1992 (Temp.), 10/11/1992 (Temp.), 9/29/1993 (Temp.), 10/1/1994 (Temp.), 9/30/1995 (Temp.), 9/20/1996 (Temp.), 9/20/1997 (Temp.), 9/20/1998 (Temp.), 9/28/1999 (Temp.), 10/4/2000 (Temp.), 10/1/2001 (Emer.), 11/30/2001, 11/13/2002, 10/18/2003, 10/8/2004 (Emer.), 11/22/2004, 10/1/2005 (Emer.), 11/18/2005, 10/20/2006 (Emer.), 11/27/2006, 7/1/2007, 9/1/2007 (Emer.), 11/8/2007, 9/1/2008 (Emer.), 11/24/2008, 9/1/2009 (Emer.), 9/1/2010 (Emer.), 11/4/2010, 9/1/2011 (Emer.), 11/10/2011, 8/30/2012 (Emer.), 11/12/2012, 9/1/2013 (Emer.), 11/24/2013, 8/28/2014 (Emer.), 9/18/2014 (Emer.), 11/7/2014, 8/31/2015 (Emer.), 11/9/2015, 7/1/2016, 7/1/2017, 1/1/2018, 7/7/2018, 7/1/2019, 7/1/2020, 7/1/2021, 7/1/2022, 6/30/2023, 6/30/2024, 6/30/2025