{"id":48316,"date":"2026-08-31T14:38:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T18:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=48316"},"modified":"2026-08-31T14:38:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T18:38:49","slug":"maryland-migratory-game-bird-hunting-seasons-begin-for-2026-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/08\/31\/maryland-migratory-game-bird-hunting-seasons-begin-for-2026-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Migratory Game Bird Hunting Seasons Begin for 2026-2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mourning dove, early resident Canada goose seasons begin Sept. 1<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Woman

Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo<\/p><\/div>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>Maryland Department of Natural Resources<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has announced the following dates for the state\u2019s 2026-2027 migratory game bird hunting seasons, which begins Sept. 1.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bag limits, season dates, and shooting hours can be found in the\u00a0<\/span>2026-2027 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSeptember marks the beginning of the fall migration period, and with that comes opportunities for hunters as seasons open for mourning doves and early resident Canada geese,\u201d said Wildlife and Heritage Director Karina Stonesifer. \u201cThe department encourages experienced hunters to share their experience with a novice hunter, so more people can experience all that Maryland\u2019s outdoors has to offer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Unless otherwise noted, official shooting hours begin 30 minutes before sunrise and end at sunset for all early migratory game bird hunting seasons. Season dates are as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

Dove, split season<\/b>
\n<\/b>
\n<\/b>First Season: Sept. 1 \u2013 Oct. 17 (note: shooting hours for this segment are noon to sunset)<\/span><\/p>\n

Second Season: Oct. 24 \u2013 Nov. 27<\/span><\/p>\n

Third Season: Dec. 19 \u2013 Jan. 9, 2027<\/span><\/p>\n

The DNR website includes a <\/span>list of public dove hunting fields<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Woodcock, split season<\/b><\/p>\n

First Season: Oct. 24 \u2013 Nov. 27<\/span><\/p>\n

Second Season: Jan. 11 \u2013 27, 2027<\/span><\/p>\n

Early resident Canada Goose Season<\/b><\/p>\n

Eastern zone: Sept. 1\u201315<\/span><\/p>\n

Western zone: Sept. 1\u201325<\/span><\/p>\n

For Early Canada goose season, hunters are allowed to use shotguns capable of holding more than three shells. Shooting hours are extended to a half-hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset.<\/span><\/p>\n

Teal, September Season<\/b><\/p>\n

Sept. 17\u201326<\/span><\/p>\n

Shooting hours will be a half-hour before sunrise to sunset. The daily bag limit is six teal.<\/span><\/p>\n

All migratory bird hunters, including landowners who are license-exempt, must purchase a\u00a0<\/span>Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp\/Harvest Information Program Permit<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and possess the printed receipt while hunting. All waterfowl hunters, ages 16 and older, must possess a printed receipt of the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (federal duck stamp). Licenses, permits, and stamps can be purchased online, by phone at 855-855-3906, at a\u00a0<\/span>department service center<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or any of the 250\u00a0<\/span>sport license agents<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hunters are encouraged to\u00a0<\/span>report banded migratory game birds online<\/span><\/a>. After reporting the banded bird, hunters will receive a certificate of appreciation that includes all known biological information on the bird they harvested.<\/span><\/p>\n

An <\/span>interactive map of Maryland\u2019s waterfowl hunting zones<\/span><\/a> is available on the DNR website.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hunters with questions may contact the department at 410-260-8540.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mourning dove, early resident Canada goose seasons begin Sept. 1 The\u00a0Maryland Department of Natural Resources\u00a0has announced the following dates for the state\u2019s 2026-2027 migratory game bird hunting seasons, which begins Sept. 1. Bag limits, season dates, and shooting hours can be found in the\u00a02026-2027 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,3172],"tags":[3076,4960,3071,3077],"class_list":["post-48316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appnews","category-hunting","tag-canada-goose","tag-hunting","tag-migratory-game-bird-hunting-seasons","tag-mourning-dove"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48316"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48320,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48316\/revisions\/48320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}