State migratory game bird hunting dates announced
Specialized camo breaks up the human silhouette and mimics surroundings allowing hunters to blend in to open or semi-open environments.
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VTFW) has announced the 2026-2027 migratory game bird hunting season dates and bag limits.
A printable copy of the Migratory Bird Syllabus can be downloaded from the VTFW website under “Hunt” – “Waterfowl.” A printed version also will be available from license agents and post offices in August.
A statewide Vermont open hunting season for resident Canada geese will occur Tuesday, September 1 through Friday. September 25. The daily bag limit this season is five Canada geese in the Connecticut River Zone and eight in the rest of the state. The purpose of the September season is to help control Vermont’s resident Canada goose population prior to the arrival of migrating Canada geese.
A second Canada goose hunting season for resident and migrant geese will be held Saturday, October 10 through Monday, November 23 in the Lake Champlain and Interior Zones, with a daily bag limit of three Canada geese.
In the Connecticut River Zone, the second Canada goose season will be Tuesday, October 13 through Wednesday, November 11 and Wednesday, November 25 through Thursday, December 24, with a daily bag limit of two Canada geese.
A late Canada goose season will be held Tuesday, December 1 through Monday, January 4 in the Lake Champlain and Interior Vermont Zones, and Friday, December 25 through January 4 in the Vermont land of the Connecticut River Zone; this does not include Connecticut River waters. The daily bag limit in all three zones will be five Canada geese.
Duck season this fall opens on October 10 in the Lake Champlain and Interior Vermont Zones and on October 13 in the Connecticut River Zone. The Lake Champlain Zone has a split season of October 10 through Sunday, November 1 and Saturday, November 21 through Sunday, December 27. The Interior Vermont Zone has a straight season of October 10 through Tuesday, December 8.
Scaup daily bag limits vary by season dates. The Lake Champlain (October 10 through Sunday, November 1 and Saturday, November 21 through Monday, December 7) and Interior (October 10 through Wednesday, November 18) zones allow the harvest of one scaup daily. The remainder of the season, hunters are allowed two scaup daily. Within the Connecticut River Zone, hunters are allowed only one scaup daily for the entire season.
Vermont’s youth waterfowl hunting weekend will be Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27. On those dates, resident and nonresident hunters, 17 years of age or younger, may hunt ducks and geese within the Lake Champlain and Interior Vermont Zones while accompanied by an adult 18 or older. In the Connecticut River Zone, youth must be 15 years of age or younger on those dates. Both adult and youth must have Vermont hunting licenses. The adult may not hunt or carry a firearm. Youth ages 16 and 17 must have a Vermont Migratory Waterfowl tag and federal duck stamp.
Woodcock hunting season is Saturday, September 26 through Monday, November 9 statewide, with a three-bird bag limit.
In addition to a hunting license, a waterfowl hunter 16 or older must carry a current federal duck stamp and Vermont Migratory Waterfowl tag to hunt waterfowl in Vermont. Federal stamps are sold at post offices, federal refuges or online from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. State Migratory Waterfowl tags are available on the VTFW website and from license agents. The hunter must sign the federal duck stamp.
All migratory game bird (woodcock, ducks, and geese) hunters must also be registered with the Harvest Information Program (HIP) in each state. Register on the VTFW website or call (877) 306-7091.
After providing some basic information, registrants will receive an annual HIP registration number, which is then recorded on the hunting license.
The hunting season dates, bag limits, and related regulations for all migratory birds are set annually within a framework established by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and in coordination with New York and New Hampshire.
Waterfowl season dates and bag limits are set in three zones: Lake Champlain, Interior Vermont, and Connecticut River. The NH Fish and Game Department sets the season dates and bag limits for the Connecticut River Zone.
