Georgia Duck Regs Approved For 2020-21 Season

A hooded merganser taken in Georgia by Shane Turpen.

Hunters can now begin making plans for Georgia’s 2020-2021 waterfowl seasons as the migratory bird hunting dates and regulations were recently approved by the Board of Natural Resources.

A big change for the upcoming season is the addition of two extra days of hunting for active duty and military veterans, who will be allowed to hunt during the early weekend Youth Waterfowl dates.

DNR Commissioner Mark Williams said, “Georgia is the best state in the nation for our active duty military, veterans, and sportsmen and sportswomen alike. We are proud to give back and say thank you to those men and women who put everything on the line to serve our country. By expanding duck hunting opportunities for these brave heroes, this shows our gratitude through action and words together. Good hunting in November!”

Youth, Veteran, and Active Duty Military Waterfowl Days are Nov. 14-15, 2020. On these two days, veterans, active duty military and youth age 16 or younger may hunt specific migratory birds, such as ducks, Canada geese and mergansers. Youth must be accompanied by an adult of at least 18 years of age (only the youth may hunt, unless the adult is a veteran or active duty military).

“Recent federal legislation—the Natural Resources Management Act—allows Georgia to offer two additional days of duck hunting to active duty military and veterans,” said Greg Balkcom, state waterfowl biologist for the Wildlife Resources Division. “The duck hunting season will end on the fixed date of Jan. 31 like last year. The daily bag limit for mallards remains at two this year, with no more than one hen, and the scaup bag limit dropped to one. The bag limit change for scaup is responsive to a population decline for this species.”

The general hunting season for ducks is Nov. 21-29 and Dec. 12 to Jan. 31.

Some other need-to-know dates and details for waterfowl season are the September Canada goose season, which will be Sept. 5-27, and the early September teal season, which is Sept. 12-27. Canada goose hunting has three additional seasons: Oct. 10-25, Nov. 21–29, and Dec. 12 to Jan. 31.

A complete summary of migratory bird hunting season dates and bag limits is online at https://georgiawildlife.com/migratory-bird-info.

State license fees help support wildlife conservation in Georgia. The state receives federal funds from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program, based on a number of factors, including the number of paid sporting licenses. In Georgia, these funds are approximately $14 million a year and have helped restore habitat and improve wildlife populations, among other conservation efforts. Hunters may purchase licenses online at www.GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com, by phone at 800.366.2661 or at more than 800 license agent locations.

For more information, visit https://georgiawildlife.com/hunting/hunter-resources.