ATLANTA — The Georgia duck hunting season is officially here and the first set of hunting dates start Saturday.
From Nov. 23 to Dec. 1, waterfowl-hunting enthusiasts will have nine days to hit their favorite hunting grounds.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division says that while hunting season has opened, there are some changes in how hunters are licensed.
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This year, DNR said that the Duck Stamp Modernization Act made it so you no longer need a physical copy of the Federal Duck Stamp to legally hunt.
“Hunters don’t have to carry a physical copy of the Federal Duck Stamp as the electronic Federal Duck Stamp, or e-stamp, is now a legal seasonal license,” Kara Nitschke, a migratory gamebird biologist, said. “The E-stamp can even be purchased at the same place you get your other recreational licenses, GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com. The E-stamp is valid from the date of purchase through June 30 of 2025. Those who purchase the E-stamp will still be mailed a physical Duck Stamp after May 10 of the purchase year.”
In order to hunt waterfowl, like ducks, legally in Georgia, you need a state hunting license, a Georgia migratory bird license and the federal duck stamp.
For both the Nov. 23 hunting week and the longer Dec. 7 to Jan. 26 hunting seasons, there are some rules to know for what you can bag each day.
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According to DNR, here are the migratory birds and duck bag limits for the current hunting season:
- Migratory Birds
- Canada Goose - 5 per day, combined
- Common Snipe/Wilson’s Snipe - 8 per day
- Coot - 15 per day
- Doves - 15 per day
- Ducks - 6 per day, no more than 4 may be sea ducks
- Gallinules - 15 per day
- Mergansers - 5 per day
- Snow Goose and White-fronted Goose - 5 per day
- Sora and Rails - King and Clapper - 15 per day
- Sora and Rails - Sora and Virginia - 25 per day
- Ducks
- Black or Mottled Duck - 1 per day
- Canvasback - 2 per day
- Fulvous Whistling - 1 per day
- Mallard - 2 per day, only 1 may be a hen
- Pintail - 1 per day
- Redhead - 2 per day
- Scaup - 1 per day
- Wood Duck - 3 per day
- Sea Ducks
- Eider - 3 per day, only 1 may be a hen
- Long-tailed duck - 3 per day
- Scoter - 3 per day
The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit, according to officials.
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