Waterfowl Season Dates

  Ducks, Coots, and Mergansers
  Regular Duck Season:

  Oct. 15 - Oct. 22

  Nov. 12 - Nov. 25

  Dec. 13 - Jan. 28 

  Black Duck Season:

  Nov. 12 - Nov. 25
 
  Dec. 13 - Jan. 28

Daily Bag and Possession Limits 6 ducks (including mergansers) per day which may include no more than: 5 long-tailed ducks, 4 scoters, 4 mallards (max. 2 hen mallards), 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 scaup, 2 hooded mergansers, 2 pintails, 1 canvasback, 1 fulvous tree duck, 1 mottled duck, and 1 black duck (during black duck season). No open season for harlequin ducks. In addition to the duck bag limit, hunters may take 15 coots per day.
 
Sea Ducks (Scoters, Long-tailed Duck, and Eiders)
Season Dates:

Oct. 1 - Jan. 28

Daily Bag Limit: 5 (no more than 4 scoters) per day

Atlantic Population Canada Geese

Season Dates: Nov. 19 - Nov. 25

Dec. 15 - Jan. 28

Daily Bag Limit: 2 per day

 
Unlawful Methods:  Migratory game birds may not be taken with traps, snares, nets,
    crossbows, rifles, pistols, swivel guns, fish hooks, poisons, drugs, explosives or
    stupefying substances. Migratory game birds may not be taken with a shotgun
    capable of holding more than 3 shells unless it is plugged with a one piece filler
    which is incapable of removal without disassembling the shotgun. Shotguns larger
    than 10 gauge may not be used to hunt migratory game birds. 

    Nontoxic Shot and Unlawful Shot:  Non-toxic shot is required for hunting waterfowl,
    coots, rails, and snipe. Hunters may not use or possess nontoxic shot larger than
    size number T (0.20 inches in diameter). Hunters may not use or possess shotshells
    loaded with a material other than steel, bismuth, tungsten-iron, tungsten-polymer,
    tungsten-matrix, or other shot determined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to
    be nontoxic.

    STEEL SHOT SIZE & CHOKE RECOMMENDATIONS
    Bird                        Range                            Shot Size                     Choke                               
    Teal                        All distances                 6,5                                Improved Cyl., Modified
Ducks                    under 40 yards             6,5,4,3                          Improved Cylinder      
  Ducks                    30 to 50 yards               4,3,2                             Improved Cyl., Modified
    Ducks                    beyond 50 yards            2,1                                Modified, Imp.-Mod., Full
 Brant                     under 50 yards              1, BB                           Improved Cyl., Modified
    Snowgeese            under 50 yards              1, BB                           Improved Cyl., Modified  
    Canada geese       all distances                   BB, BBB, T                Modified, Imp.-Modified  
    All geese               beyond 50 yards            BB, BBB, T                Modified, Imp.-Modified  

   For Maryland Waterfowl Hunting Season information go to:

www.dnr.state.md.us
  Guidelines for late seasons, such as regular duck and goose seasons,
  are available in August and become final in early September.
  Hunting for migratory game birds (dove, rails, coot, snipe, woodcock,
  ducks, brant, geese and swans) is regulated by the federal government
  under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Each year, the U.S. Fish and
  Wildlife Service (USFWS) establishes hunting season guidelines for 
  migratory game birds after reviewing data on population trends and
  reproductive success. Guidelines include maximum number of hunting
  days, maximum bag limit, and the earliest and latest dates the season
  can start and end. States are allowed to select season dates and bag
  limits from within these guidelines. State selections can be
  more restrictive than the federal guidelines.