Pacific Flyway Duck Season 2026-27: CA, OR & WA Dates

Duck season in the Pacific Flyway is about to open across the West, and the 2026-27 dates are now final in California, Oregon and Washington. Each state layers its own zone structure on top of the federal flyway framework, which means two hunters who live 40 miles apart can have openers nearly three weeks apart. Here is what is actually on the books for 2026-27, zone by zone, along with the bag limits and stamps you need before opening morning.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service framework allows a 107-day duck season in the Pacific Flyway this year, but the split dates and zone lines belong to the states. Confirm everything against your state agency's current regulations before you hunt — emergency orders and shoot-time changes do happen mid-season.

California: Five Duck Zones, Four Different Openers

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife splits the state into five duck zones. The Northeastern Zone is the early one at Oct. 3; the other four all open during the last full week of October and run to the end of January.

Scaup are managed separately from the rest of the duck bag. In the Northeastern Zone they run Oct. 3 – Nov. 29 and Dec. 17 – Jan. 13. In every other zone scaup open Nov. 7 and close with duck season on Jan. 31.

Geese follow their own calendar again. The Balance of State Zone regular goose season is Oct. 24 – Jan. 31, with a short large-Canada-only window Oct. 3-5. Northeastern Zone Canada geese run Oct. 3 – Jan. 10, and that zone's late white goose season closes out the year Feb. 5 – Mar. 10. Coots and moorhens are open concurrent with duck season in each zone at 25 per day.

Oregon: Zone 1 Opens Oct. 17, Zone 2 Opens Oct. 10

Oregon's duck season is a two-zone split with a short break in the middle of each. Zone 2 — roughly central and eastern Oregon — actually opens a week before Zone 1.

The Oregon September Canada goose season has already closed for 2026, but regular goose hunting is coming up fast. The Southwest and Mid-Columbia zones open Oct. 17 for Canada geese, the South Coast Zone opens Oct. 3, and the High Desert and Blue Mountain Zone opens Oct. 10. Brant are a separate permit hunt running Nov. 28 – Dec. 13 statewide at two birds per day.

Oregon has two remaining special waterfowl days worth marking: statewide youth waterfowl Sept. 26-27, and a statewide veterans and active military waterfowl hunt Feb. 6, 2027.

Washington: One Statewide Duck Opener, Oct. 17

Washington keeps duck hunting simple by comparison. The statewide season opens Saturday, Oct. 17 and runs through Oct. 25, then reopens Oct. 28 and continues to Jan. 31. One quirk to note: scaup are closed Oct. 17 – Nov. 6 even though the rest of the duck season is open, so plan your opening-weekend shooting accordingly.

Youth and veteran opportunities come early in Washington. Western Washington youth waterfowl day is Sept. 26 and the eastern Washington youth day is Oct. 3, both limited to Canada and white-fronted geese plus the regular duck bag. A statewide youth, veterans and active military day follows Feb. 6, 2027.

Washington also made one notable change for 2026-27: the statewide daily bag limit for white-fronted geese increased to six birds per day, with an 18-bird possession limit. Waterfowl hunters here also need to be aware that harlequin ducks remain closed statewide except for 52 permit holders.

What a Seven-Duck Bag Actually Allows

All three states run a seven-duck daily bag with the same federal restrictions inside it: no more than seven mallards (and no more than two of those hens), three pintail, two canvasback, two redheads and two scaup. Possession limits are three times the daily bag in California and Oregon, but Washington sets a 21-duck possession limit.

There are regional wrinkles on top of that base bag. Oregon allows one harlequin duck inside the daily limit, though band-tailed pigeons and sea ducks require permits there. Washington hunters in the western part of the state may also take up to three scoters, two long-tailed ducks and three goldeneyes inside the seven-bird limit — a coastal opportunity that inland hunters don't get.

Stamps, Permits and Shot

Every waterfowl hunter 16 and older across all three states needs a federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp in addition to a state license, and each state has its own state-level validation or migratory bird permit requirement. If you're not sure which paper belongs in your wallet, our 2026-27 duck stamp guide breaks down who needs what.

Non-toxic shot is mandatory for all waterfowl, coots and snipe hunting in the Pacific Flyway. Steel is the default, but bismuth and tungsten blends are common where hunters want heavier pellets for late-season birds. Sizing and choke choices make a bigger difference than most hunters expect, and our guide to steel shot sizes and chokes covers the practical side of that decision.

If you're hunting a state or federal wildlife area rather than private ground, check that area's own rules before opening day. Many refuges in the Sacramento Valley, the Columbia Basin and Puget Sound run reservation systems, restricted shooting hours, or specific blinds, and those rules sit on top of everything above. Bag limits and season dates are only the first layer of planning a Pacific Flyway opener.