Texas Duck Hunting 2026: Season Dates, Zones, License Costs & Complete Guide

Texas duck hunting in 2026-27 is split across the High Plains Mallard Management Unit, North Zone, and South Zone, with no draw. Early teal runs September 19–27. High Plains regular season is October 24–25 and October 30 – January 31; North Zone is November 14–29 and December 5 – January 31; South Zone is November 7–29 and December 12 – January 31. Nonresidents need a $315 general hunting license plus a $7 migratory endorsement. Always confirm at TPWD.

• Early teal: September 19–27, 2026 (statewide)
• High Plains regular: October 24–25 and October 30, 2026 – January 31, 2027
• North regular: November 14–29 and December 5, 2026 – January 31, 2027
• South regular: November 7–29 and December 12, 2026 – January 31, 2027
• Nonresident stack: $315 license + $7 endorsement + $25 Federal Duck Stamp

Quick Facts: Texas Duck 2026-27

Dates and bag limits above are from the TPWD 2026-27 Outdoor Annual. Season dates and public-area rules can change; confirm with TPWD before you hunt.

Why Texas for Ducks

Texas offers more duck hunting habitat diversity than any other single state in the country, spanning three distinct duck zones across a landmass larger than most nations. The Gulf Coast marshes from Sabine Lake to the Laguna Madre hold wintering redheads, pintail, and gadwall in numbers that rival Louisiana's famous coastal marsh. The High Plains Mallard Management Unit in the Panhandle centers on the region's playa lakes — shallow, seasonal wetlands that concentrate migrating mallards and pintail in a landscape otherwise defined by dryland agriculture. And the vast rice-and-prairie country of the upper coast, combined with East Texas timber-bottom hunting, rounds out a genuinely complete duck hunting state.

Texas is also a straightforward nonresident state structurally: no draw, no lottery, no application deadline for duck tags. A nonresident general hunting license plus the migratory bird endorsement covers the entire state's duck seasons across all three zones, subject to zone-specific date windows.

What Are the Three Texas Duck Zones?

Understanding zone geography is the first step to planning a Texas duck trip, since season dates differ across each zone. Boundaries below follow the TPWD 2026-27 Outdoor Annual.

High Plains Mallard Management Unit

West of a line from the International Toll Bridge at Del Rio, north along U.S. 277 to Abilene, State Highway 351 and State Highway 6 to Albany, and U.S. 283 to Vernon, then east along U.S. 183 to the Texas-Oklahoma line. This zone is built around playa lake wetlands — shallow, temporary lakes that fill with rain and concentrate migrating waterfowl, particularly mallards and pintail, during peak migration.

North Zone

The remainder of the state outside the High Plains unit and the South Zone — from the Panhandle's eastern edge through North and Central Texas down to the Interstate 10 / U.S. 90 line.

South Zone

South of a line from the International Bridge and U.S. 277 Spur at Del Rio, east along U.S. 90 to San Antonio, then east along Interstate 10 to the Texas-Louisiana line. This zone includes the coastal marsh hunting around the Laguna Madre, Matagorda Bay, and the lower coastal bend.

When Is Texas Duck Season in 2026-27?

Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Early Teal Season

September 19–27, 2026, statewide. Only blue-winged, green-winged, and cinnamon teal may be taken. The early teal daily bag is 6 in the aggregate.

High Plains Mallard Management Unit

• Youth-only and Veterans/Active Duty: October 17–18, 2026
• Regular Season: October 24–25, 2026, then October 30, 2026 – January 31, 2027
• Dusky ducks legal: October 31, 2026 – January 31, 2027

North Zone

• Youth-only and Veterans/Active Duty: November 7–8, 2026
• Regular Season: November 14–29, 2026, and December 5, 2026 – January 31, 2027
• Dusky ducks legal: November 19–29, 2026, and December 5, 2026 – January 31, 2027

South Zone

• Youth-only and Veterans/Active Duty: October 31 – November 1, 2026
• Regular Season: November 7–29, 2026, and December 12, 2026 – January 31, 2027
• Dusky ducks legal: November 12–29, 2026, and December 12, 2026 – January 31, 2027

Dusky duck restriction: Mottled duck, Mexican duck, black duck, and their hybrids are closed for the first five days of the regular season in each zone. Dusky ducks are legal during the youth-only and veteran special seasons. Youth hunters must be 16 or younger and accompanied by an adult at least 18. Veterans and active-duty military (including National Guard and Reserve on active duty other than for training) must carry proof of eligibility.

What Is the Texas Duck Bag Limit?

• Daily bag limit: 6 ducks in aggregate, including mergansers, with species sub-limits:
• No more than 5 mallards (only 2 of which may be hens)
• No more than 3 wood ducks
• No more than 3 pintail
• No more than 2 redheads
• No more than 2 canvasback
• No more than 1 scaup
• No more than 1 dusky duck (mottled duck, Mexican duck, black duck, and hybrids — closed the first 5 days of each zone's regular season)
• All other species not specifically listed: up to 6
• Early teal daily bag: 6 blue-winged, green-winged, and cinnamon teal in the aggregate
• Coot daily bag limit: 15
• Possession limit: three times the daily bag limit

What Licenses and Stamps Do You Need?

The nonresident general hunting license covers legal birds and animals, including deer, which makes it efficient for a multi-species trip. The migratory endorsement is a separate $7 add-on — it is not bundled into the $315 license. Endorsements are not required for hunters under 17. Licenses are valid through August 31, 2027.

Hunter education is required for hunters born on or after September 2, 1971. Complete it at tpwd.texas.gov/education/hunter-education.

Purchase licenses at tpwd.texas.gov/business/licenses or through the Texas Hunt & Fish app.

Where to Hunt Texas Ducks

The Upper Texas Coast

Chambers, Jefferson, and Liberty counties east of Houston hold some of the most productive coastal marsh and rice-prairie duck habitat in the state. This region blends flooded rice agriculture with coastal marsh, drawing pintail, gadwall, teal, and wigeon. A deep guide and lease culture exists here, particularly around Anahuac and the rice belt. Much of this country falls in the South Zone once you are south of Interstate 10.

The Lower Laguna Madre and South Texas Coast

The hypersaline Laguna Madre and surrounding South Texas coastal bend hold exceptional numbers of redhead ducks — this region is globally significant for wintering redhead populations, alongside strong pintail and other diving duck numbers. South Zone season timing is built around this coastal wintering pattern.

Panhandle Playa Lakes (High Plains Unit)

The seasonal playa lakes scattered across the Texas Panhandle and South Plains concentrate migrating mallards and pintail in a dryland agricultural landscape. This is a different hunting style from coastal marsh — field-edge and playa-lake pass-shooting and decoy spreads over shallow, often ephemeral water.

East Texas Timber and Bottomland

The forested river bottoms of East Texas — particularly along the Trinity, Neches, and Sabine rivers — hold wood ducks and mallards in flooded timber, closer to green-timber hunting than the state's coastal marsh reputation suggests. Much of this country is North Zone.

Public Land Access

TPWD manages Wildlife Management Areas with waterfowl hunting, including J.D. Murphree WMA and Justin Hurst WMA on the coast. WMA dates and rules often differ from the statewide framework. Find locations and access rules at tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/wma.

How Do You Hunt Ducks in Texas as a Nonresident?

Texas is one of the most straightforward large duck states for nonresidents — no draw, no application, and all three zones on one license stack.

What nonresidents need:

• Nonresident General Hunting License: $315
• Migratory Game Bird Endorsement: $7
• HIP Certification: free, complete in Texas before hunting (another state's HIP is not valid)
• Federal Duck Stamp: $25 plus fulfillment, age 16+
• Hunter education certificate: required if born on or after September 2, 1971

Total estimated nonresident duck hunting cost: approximately $347 before Federal Duck Stamp fulfillment fees, covering the full season in whichever zone you hunt.

Access reality: The state's best duck hunting — particularly premium coastal marsh — is largely private and reached through guided hunts or leases. Public WMA access exists but is limited relative to the state's overall waterfowl habitat. For a first Texas duck trip, a guided hunt on the upper or lower coast is the most reliable path without navigating unfamiliar coastal marsh alone.

Combine with deer season: Duck seasons overlap the general deer season (firearms opens November 7, 2026). Combination hunts are common on ranches and with outfitters that offer both. See the Texas whitetail deer hunting guide.

Key Resources

• TPWD Duck Hunting (official): tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/animals/duck
• 2026-27 season date table: tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/2026-2027-hunting-season-dates
• License purchase: tpwd.texas.gov/business/licenses
• Texas Hunt & Fish app: iOS and Android
• WMA locations and access: tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/wma
• Federal Duck Stamp: fws.gov/service/duck-stamps

For more waterfowl guides by state, visit The Inside Spread State Guides. See the Texas hunting guide, the Texas whitetail deer hunting guide for a combination fall trip, and Louisiana duck hunting 2026.

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Sources

1. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "Duck." TPWD Outdoor Annual, tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/animals/duck. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.
2. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "2026–2027 Hunting Season Dates." TPWD, tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/2026-2027-hunting-season-dates. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.
3. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "2026-2027 Hunting, Fishing, and Boating Regulations." TPWD, tpwd.texas.gov/documents/237/pwd_bk_l2000_1170a.pdf. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.
4. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "Hunting Endorsements." TPWD, tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/hunting-licenses-and-permits/hunting-endorsements. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.
5. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "Hunting Licenses." TPWD, tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/hunting-licenses-and-permits/hunting-licenses. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.
6. Unsplash. "Mallard Drake Swimming." Unsplash, unsplash.com/photos/vssGYH9oIag. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.
7. Unsplash. "Mallard Drake on Water." Unsplash, unsplash.com/photos/uTizgtoJZtk. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.