SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wants to remind waterfowl hunters that the general-season duck hunt begins on Saturday, Oct. 4 and goes until Jan. 17, 2026. In Utah’s northern zone it runs from Oct. 11 to Jan. 24, 2026, in the southern zone. The youth waterfowl hunts in northern zone will take place on Saturday, Sept. 20, and the in the southern zone it will begin on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Those who hunt in Utah might want to check out DWR’s Utah Waterfowl and Migratory Game Birds Guidebook for the boundaries of the two zones and to see the bag limits for ducks.
Requirements
Tundra swans require a permit from the hunt drawing that ended July 16. The rest of the Waterfowl hunts in Utah are open to anyone with a hunting or combination license.
Hunters are required to have a Harvest Information Program (HIP) number to hunt any waterfowl or migratory game bird species
Waterfowl hunters 16 years old or older must also obtain a federal migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp (duck stamp) for ducks, geese and tundra swans.
DWR Waterfowl and Migratory Game Birds Coordinator Jason Jones said Federal duck stamps help fund wildlife conservation across the U.S., with 98% of the purchase fee going directly to help acquire and protect wetland habitat and purchase conservation easements for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Local duck populations in Utah are doing great this year, and DWR wetland managers have reported excellent duck production on several of the waterfowl management areas.
“Many prairie pothole regions in North America that are of critical importance to breeding waterfowl species were dry last year, due to drought,” Jones said. “These conditions have persisted over several years, so generally waterfowl production has been below average the last few years.”
Waterfowl numbers usually peak in mid-September in Utah. Dabblers generally arrive first, and the divers usually migrate through a bit later in October.
“Utah waterfowl hunters may experience fewer birds coming through Utah this hunting season, compared to the last 10 years,” he said. “However, water conditions in the managed wetland areas on the eastern shores of the Great Salt Lake are in great condition, and local duck production (especially cinnamon teal) was excellent this year.”
Typically, there are about 15 duck species found in Utah.
“Hunters can greatly improve their success during the duck hunt by spending some time scouting before each hunt,” Jones said. “Learning where and when birds are in a specific location can allow hunters to be where the birds want to be, when they want to be there, and will greatly increase the number of birds they harvest.”
“Think about the species you are hunting and then look for them in the habitats they want to be in,” Jones said. “If you aren’t finding the species you are targeting, move around to different areas until you find them.”
Geese
“Hunters should see plenty of geese early in the season,” Jones said. “Migrating geese will begin showing up around mid-to-late November. Geese continue to increase in the Pacific Flyway, and hunting should be good this year. However, snow goose numbers have seen a slight decrease in the Pacific Flyway over the last few years.”
An important tip for success while hunting geese is to use a good call.
“Calling is a very important part of goose hunting,” Jones said. “Geese are very social birds, so being able to sound like a goose can help hunters harvest more birds.”
Dark and white-fronted geese season dates:
- Northern area: Oct. 4-11 and Oct. 27 to Jan. 31, 2026
Light geese season dates:
- Eastern Box Elder, Northern and Wasatch Front goose areas: Oct. 15 to Dec. 22 and Feb. 2 to March 10, 2026
Hunters should make sure to get documented permission from landowners before hunting on their property.
Swans
“Swans migrate and stop over at the same locations each year,” Jones said. “Traditional staging areas, such as Public Shooting Grounds WMA and the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, will hold swans beginning in late October to early November, and they typically stay in the area until the wetlands freeze and food becomes difficult to find.”
Tundra swans will leave resting areas to feed during the morning and late afternoon, and also throughout the day as temperatures get colder..
“Hunting along a swan’s flight path, or in their feeding locations, will increase your odds of harvesting a swan,” Jones said. “Only tundra swan hunting permits are issued to hunters.”
Hunters are still required to check in any harvested swans at a DWR office or at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (open on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 2-7 p.m.).
Youth who harvest a trumpeter swan must wait three years until they can apply for a tundra swan permit, and adults must wait five years.
The tundra swan season runs from Oct. 4 to Dec. 14. However, if the federal quota of 20 trumpeter swans is met before Dec. 14, the swan hunting season will close early.
Places to go waterfowl hunting
There are more than 20 waterfowl management areas throughout Utah that are owned and managed by the DWR. Waterfowl management areas in Utah typically open for scouting on the Thursday before the northern zone youth waterfowl hunt, which is Sept. 20 this year.
“Food resources and access around the associated wetlands of the Great Salt Lake are still suffering due to long-term drought conditions,” Jones said. “Because of that, waterfowl may migrate through Utah quicker this year, which will make hunting more difficult later in the season.”
The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge — managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — is another great location for waterfowl hunting in Utah.
“We are doing everything we can to provide quality habitat and access for hunters,” Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Manager Carl Millegan said. “However, the effects of the drought are still being felt, and we want to ensure everyone is prepared for potentially limited watercraft access in some areas.”
Utah Waterfowl Slam
For a fun challenge in addition to hunting try the Utah Waterfowl Slam. Hunters earn a slam by completing different harvesting of a group of species in a certain time period or location. There are currently 10 slams with different levels of difficulty, so you can find a variety of fun, unique challenges.
The money earned from the slam is used for habitat-improvement projects on the different WMAs across the state. Learn more about the Utah Waterfowl Slam on the DWR website.