Hunting & Trapping Digest 2025-2026Ducks, Mergansers & Coots

Seasons for Ducks, Sea Ducks, Coots and Mergansers run concurrently, but each of the state’s four zones has its own opening and closing dates.

Waterfowl hunting is closed on Sundays.

The daily bag limit of six ducks or sea ducks is combined for any species with an open season, except for the following restrictions. Only 4 sea ducks may be taken daily. Daily limit may not include more than:

DUCKS

6 daily, 18 in possession

4 mallards
*No more than 2 hens
1 scaup (2 scaup at times)
2 black ducks
3 wood ducks
2 redheads
2 canvasbacks
3 pintail

SEA DUCKS

4 daily, 12 in possession

3 eiders
*No more than 1 hen
3 scoters
3 long-tailed ducks

Possession limits are triple the daily limits.
There is no open season for Harlequin Ducks

MERGANSERS

5 daily, 15 in possession

Hooded mergansers are now part of overall merganser limit.

COOTS

15 daily, 45 in possession

DUCK ZONE BOUNDARIES

Lake Erie Zone

Lake Erie, Presque Isle and the area within 150 yards of the Lake Erie shoreline.

Northwest Zone

The area bounded on the north by the Lake Erie Zone and including all of Erie and Crawford counties and all of Mercer and Venango counties north of I-80.

North Zone

The area east of the Northwest Zone and north of I-80 to Route 220, north from I-80 to I-180, north and east of I-180 from Route 220 to I-80, north of I-80 from I-180 to the Delaware River.

South Zone

All of state not in the Lake Erie, Northwest and North Zones.

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