COLUMBUS, Ga. - Georgia's 2026-27 duck season opens Saturday, Nov. 21, and hunters under 16 and eligible veterans and active-duty service members get a head start the weekend before, on Nov. 14-15, according to published season guides. The state Wildlife Resources Division says the first segment runs nine days, from the Saturday before the late-November holiday through the Sunday after, which puts it at Nov. 21 through Nov. 29. Georgia has one statewide duck season with no zones, so the same dates apply in Columbus and Muscogee County as in the rest of the state.

This guide is a planning checklist, not an official regulation. The state's own page lists the opening date and the nine-day structure but did not list youth days, bag limits or fees when it was reviewed, so those figures come from a secondary season guide and should be confirmed with the Wildlife Resources Division before anyone hunts. Dates, limits and fees can change, and the state's rules control.

The 2026-27 calendar

The state's page does not list the second segment's 2026-27 dates, and sources disagree. One guide gives Dec. 12 through Jan. 31, which matches the 60-day federal maximum with one split, while another lists Dec. 5 through Jan. 24. Hunters should check georgiawildlife.com for the final dates before planning a late-season trip.

Bag limits

The StateOutdoors guide lists a daily limit of six ducks, with caps on individual species. The possession limit is 18, which is three times the daily limit, though in the field a hunter may hold no more than one day's limit. Regular bag limits apply on the youth and veteran days.

What a hunter needs

Hunters age 16 and older generally need a Georgia hunting license, a Georgia migratory bird (waterfowl) license, a federal duck stamp and registration in the Harvest Information Program, known as HIP. The StateOutdoors guide lists the resident hunting license at $15, the Georgia waterfowl license at $5, the federal stamp at $25 for paper or $29 for an e-stamp, and HIP registration as free. Those prices were not confirmed on the state's page, so confirm them when buying.

The Wildlife Resources Division directs license buyers to gooutdoorsgeorgia.com and lists a license line at 800-366-2661. Hunters under 16 are exempt from the license and stamp requirements, according to the StateOutdoors guide, but they must follow all season, bag and method rules. Veterans and active-duty members on Nov. 14-15 are not excused from licenses, stamps or HIP.

Where hunters should check rules

Public land and lake rules vary. The StateOutdoors guide advises hunters to check wildlife management area and lake-specific rules for the property they plan to use. Lakes and public lands along the Chattahoochee River near Columbus each have their own owners and rules, and this guide did not verify duck-hunting rules at any of them. A hunter who plans to use a particular lake, wildlife management area or private tract should ask the managing agency or landowner first.

Alabama sets its own seasons and licenses, so Phenix City-area hunters who cross the river should check Alabama's regulations rather than relying on Georgia dates. Fort Benning's training lands also have their own access rules. This guide did not review the rules for either.

A short checklist before opening day

• Confirm the segment dates and bag limits on georgiawildlife.com.
• Buy the Georgia hunting license and the Georgia waterfowl license, and the federal duck stamp, if you are 16 or older.
• Register for HIP each year.
• Plan the youth or veteran weekend, Nov. 14-15, with an eligible hunter and an adult who will not hunt.
• Check the rules for the exact property where you will hunt.
• Learn the species caps before you go, especially the one-hen mallard rule and the single-bird pintail and scaup limits.

Season dates can shift in the final regulations each year, and the state posts updates on its migratory bird page. The Columbus Times will update this guide if the Wildlife Resources Division publishes more detail. Anyone with questions can call the license line listed above.