Montana is part of the Central Flyway, one of four major migratory bird corridors in North America. The 2025–2026 waterfowl season runs from September 1 through January 28, 2026, with 45 distinct season segments covering ducks, geese, coots, and other migratory game birds. Season dates and bag limits are set annually by the Fish, Wildlife and Parks within frameworks established by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Flyway Zone 11,2 | Oct 4 – Jan 8 | 6 | 18 |
| Oct 4 – Jan 8 Regular Season | |||
| Central Flyway Zone 21,3,4,5 | Oct 4 – Oct 12 First Split | 6 | 18 |
| Oct 25 – Jan 20 Second Split | |||
| Pacific Flyway6,7,8,9 | Oct 4 – Dec 28 Regular Season - First Segment | 7 | 21 |
| Dec 29 – Jan 16 Regular Season - Second Segment |
| Species | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|
| Hooded Merganser | 2 | 6 |
| Canvasback | 2 | 6 |
| Lesser Scaup | 2 | 6 |
| Mallard max 2 hens | 7 | 21 |
| Redhead | 2 | 6 |
| Pintail (Northern) | 1 | 3 |
| Wood Duck | 2 | 6 |
1Max 5 mallards (2 hens max), 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 hooded mergansers, 3 pintail, 2 canvasbacks, 1 scaup. First 9 days (Oct. 4-12) may include 2 additional blue-winged teal. Possession limit 3x daily bag per species/sex.
2Includes mergansers. No split season for Zone 1.
3Includes mergansers. Zone 2 has a split season.
4Max 5 mallards (2 hens max), 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 hooded mergansers, 3 pintail, 2 canvasbacks, 1 scaup. Possession limit 3x daily bag per species/sex.
5Includes mergansers. Zone 2 has a split season with gap Oct. 13-24.
6Max 2 hen mallards, 3 pintail, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks, 2 scaup. Scaup season closes Dec. 28. Canyon Ferry: Oct. 4-10 hours are 1/2 hour before sunrise to noon. Cochrane, Morony, Ryan Reservoirs (Cascade Co.) closed.
7Includes mergansers. Possession limit is 3x daily bag limit per species/sex.
8Max 2 hen mallards, 3 pintail, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks. Scaup excluded (scaup season closed Dec. 28). Canyon Ferry exceptions apply.
9Standard bag limit excluding scaup. Includes mergansers.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Flyway Zone 11 | Oct 4 – Jan 16 Regular Season | 5 | 15 |
| Oct 4 – Jan 16 | |||
| Central Flyway Zone 21,2 | Oct 4 – Oct 12 First Split | 5 | 15 |
| Oct 25 – Jan 28 Second Split | |||
| Pacific Flyway3,4 | Oct 4 – Jan 16 | 5 | 15 |
| Oct 4 – Jan 16 |
15 dark geese (all other geese) daily. Possession limit 3x daily bag.
2Zone 2 split season.
35 dark geese (all other geese) daily. Possession limit is 3x daily bag.
4Canyon Ferry and other exceptions apply per Pacific Flyway Geese section.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Flyway Zone 11,2 | Oct 4 – Jan 16 | 20 | 60 |
| Oct 4 – Jan 16 Regular Season | |||
| Central Flyway Zone 22,3 | Oct 4 – Oct 12 First Split | 20 | 60 |
| Oct 25 – Jan 28 Second Split | |||
| Pacific Flyway1,4,5 | Oct 4 – Jan 16 | 20 | 60 |
| Oct 4 – Jan 16 |
1[Bulk fix: possession_limit set to NULL — light geese have no federal possession limit in any flyway]
220 white geese (Snow, Blue, Ross's) daily. Possession limit 3x daily bag.
3Zone 2 split season.
420 white geese (Snow, Blue, Ross's) daily. Possession limit is 3x daily bag.
5Canyon Ferry and other exceptions apply per Pacific Flyway Geese section.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Flyway Zone 11 | Oct 4 – Jan 8 Regular Season | 15 | 45 |
| Oct 4 – Jan 8 | |||
| Central Flyway Zone 22,3 | Oct 4 – Oct 12 First Split | 15 | 45 |
| Oct 25 – Jan 20 Second Split | |||
| Pacific Flyway4,5 | Oct 4 – Jan 16 | 25 | 25 |
| Oct 4 – Jan 16 |
1Possession limit is 3x daily bag.
2Zone 2 split season; gap Oct. 13-24.
3Zone 2 split season.
4Canyon Ferry: Oct. 4-10 shooting hours 1/2 hour before sunrise to noon.
525 daily and in possession. Possession limit stated as 25 (same as daily bag).
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2,3,4 | Sep 1 – Oct 30 Special Drawing License 380-01 (Beaverhead, Gallatin, Jefferson, Madison counties) | 2 | – |
| Sep 1 – Oct 30 Special Drawing License 390-01 (Broadwater County) | |||
| Sep 1 – Oct 30 Special Drawing License 480-01 (Cascade and Teton counties) | |||
| Central Flyway Zone 25,6 | Sep 1 – Oct 30 Special Drawing License 599-00 (Carbon County) | 2 | – |
| Central Flyway Zone 17,8,9,10 | Sep 1 – Oct 30 Special Drawing License 586-01 (Golden Valley, Wheatland, Meagher counties and portions of Sweetgrass/Stillwater north of I-90) | 2 | – |
| Oct 4 – Nov 30 Over-the-Counter Permit | |||
| Pacific Flyway2,11,12,13 | Sep 1 – Oct 30 Special Drawing License 280-01 (Warm Springs, Deer Lodge Co.) | 1 | – |
| Sep 1 – Oct 30 Special Drawing License 284-01 (Ovando-Helmville) |
1License 380-01, quota 150. Only valid in Beaverhead, Gallatin, Jefferson, and Madison counties. Successful applicants receive two 380-01 licenses.
2Special drawing license; apply by June 1.
3License 390-01, quota 25. Only valid in Broadwater County. Successful applicants receive two 390-01 licenses.
4License 480-01, quota 30. Only valid in Cascade and Teton counties. Successful applicants receive two 480-01 licenses.
5License 599-00, quota 30. Only valid in Carbon County. Successful applicants receive two 599-00 licenses.
6Special drawing license; apply by June 1. Carbon County is south/west of I-90 and closed to general OTC sandhill crane hunting.
7Free OTC permit required. Excludes area south and west of I-90 (closed except Carbon County with 599-00). Golden Valley, Wheatland, Meagher, and portions of Stillwater/Sweetgrass north of I-90 require 586-01 license only.
8Applies to Central Flyway outside special license drawing areas. Free permit from FWP offices/license providers.
9License 586-01, quota 70. Only valid in Golden Valley, Wheatland, and Meagher counties and those portions of Sweetgrass and Stillwater counties north of I-90. Successful applicants receive two 586-01 licenses.
10Special drawing license; apply by June 1. This area is not covered by the OTC permit.
11License 280-01, quota 5. Only valid in Warm Springs portion of Deer Lodge County (specific boundary described).
12Special drawing license; apply by June 1 at ols.fwp.mt.gov or FWP office.
13License 284-01, quota 40. Only valid in Ovando-Helmville area (Powell County). Successful applicants receive two 284-01 licenses.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Flyway Zone 11,2 | Oct 4 – Jan 8 Swan - Special License Only (License 684-20) | 1 | 1 |
| Pacific Flyway3,4 | Oct 11 – Dec 5 Swan - Drawing Only (License 481-20) | 1 | 1 |
1Drawing only - License 684-20, quota 500. Must apply in only one flyway. 72-hour bill measurement card reporting required.
2Surplus licenses available first-come, first-served beginning Aug. 12.
3Drawing only - License 481-20, quota 500. Valid in Cascade, Chouteau, Liberty, Hill, Toole, and portions of Teton and Pondera counties. Must have watercraft, retrieving dog, or chest-high waders. 72-hour bill measurement card reporting required.
4Portions of Teton and Pondera counties west of US Hwy 287/89 closed. Remainder of Pacific Flyway closed to swan hunting.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1 | Sep 27 – Sep 28 | 7 | 21 |
| Central Flyway Zone 22,3 | Sep 27 – Sep 28 Special Two-Day Youth Waterfowl Season | 6 | 18 |
| Central Flyway Zone 13,4 | Sep 27 – Sep 28 Special Two-Day Youth Waterfowl Season | 6 | 18 |
| Pacific Flyway5,6 | Sep 27 – Sep 28 Special Two-Day Youth Waterfowl Season | 7 | 21 |
1Statewide. Youth 15 and under. Bag/possession follows regular season limits for each zone.
2Youth ages 15 and under only. Same bag limits as regular season apply.
3Statewide youth season applies to all zones.
4Youth ages 15 and under only. Same bag limits as regular season: 6 ducks/mergansers (5 mallards max, 2 hen max, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 hooded mergansers, 3 pintail, 2 canvasbacks, 1 scaup). Coots: 15 daily. Geese: 20 white/5 dark.
5Youth ages 15 and under only. Ducks/mergansers: 7 daily (2 hen mallards, 3 pintail, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks, 2 scaup). Coots: 25 daily. Geese: 20 white geese, 5 dark geese. Canyon Ferry exception: shooting hours 1/2 hour before sunrise to noon.
6Lawfully licensed youth ages 15 and under statewide. Same bag limits as regular season apply.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Flyway Zone 11,2 | Sep 24 – Jan 8 Falconry - Ducks/Coots | 2 | 6 |
| Oct 4 – Jan 16 Falconry - Geese | |||
| Central Flyway Zone 21,3 | Sep 24 – Oct 12 Falconry Ducks/Coots - First Split | 2 | 6 |
| Oct 4 – Oct 12 Falconry Geese - First Split | |||
| Oct 25 – Jan 20 Falconry Ducks/Coots - Second Split | |||
| Oct 25 – Jan 28 Falconry Geese - Second Split | |||
| Pacific Flyway1,4 | Oct 4 – Jan 16 Falconry - Ducks, Mergansers, Coots, Geese | 2 | 6 |
12 daily and 6 in possession singly or in aggregate for all permitted migratory birds.
2Falconry season starts earlier (Sept. 24) than regular season.
3Falconry season starts Sept. 24 for Zone 2.
4Falconry bag limit applies during regular hunting season.
Season dates and bag limits are verified against official state wildlife agency publications and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Data shown is for the 2025-2026 season. This data was verified on April 26, 2026. Always confirm with your state's official regulations before hunting.