Decide which of the small-game species you would like to hunt. The hunting regulations for the small-game species (including birds) are published in a combined regulation brochure. This brochure and others are distributed for free, available online and also where licenses are sold:. Small Game & Waterfowl (Small-game ani. Nebraska offers excellent mixed bag opportunities for the small game hunter. A diversity of species can be pursued from charismatic upland game birds like pheasant, quail, or prairie grouse to webless migratory birds and other small game such as dove (view 2020 Mourning Dove Hunting Fact Sheet), snipe, squirrel, cottontail, and more.Hunters can explore publicly accessible lands across a wide.
Migratory Game Bird Seasons
| Species | Area | 2020-2021 Season Dates | Daily Bag Limit | Possession Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duck* | Western Washington Youth | Sept. 26 (Youth Hunting Onlya) | 7b | 7b |
| Duck* | Eastern Washington Youth | Oct. 3 (Youth Hunting Onlya) | 7b | 7b |
| Duck* | Youth, Veterans, and Active Military (Statewide) | Feb. 6 | 7b | 7b |
| Duck* | Statewide | Oct. 17-25 & Oct. 28 - Jan. 31, except Scaup season closed Oct. 17 - Nov. 6 | 7b | 21b |
| Coot | Western Washington Youth | Sept. 26 (Youth Hunting Onlya) | 25 | 25 |
| Coot | Eastern Washington Youth | Oct. 3 (Youth Hunting Onlya) | 25 | 25 |
| Coot | Youth, Veterans & Active Military | Feb. 6 | 25 | 25 |
| Coot | Statewide | Oct. 17-25 & Oct. 28 - Jan. 31 | 25 | 75 |
| Snipe | Statewide | Oct. 17-25 & Oct. 28 - Jan. 31 | 8 | 24 |
| Band-tailed Pigeon ** | Statewide | Sept. 15-23 | 2 | 6 |
| Mourning Dove | Statewide | Sept. 1 - Oct. 30 | 15 | 45 |
| Swans | Statewide | CLOSED | 0 | 0 |
Notes
* For seaduck authorization reporting requirements, see pamphlet.
** For authorization reporting requirements, see pamphlet.
Canada Goose (Early Seasons)
| Area | 2020-2021 Season Dates | Daily Bag Limit | Possession Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goose Mgmt Areas 1 & 3 | Sept. 5-10 | 5c | 15c |
| Goose Mgmt Area 2 | Sept. 5-13 | 5c,d | 15c,d |
| Goose Mgmt Areas 4 & 5 | Sept. 5-6 | 5c | 10c |
Goose (Except Brant)
Note: Canada Geese are all types of Canada geese including cackling, Taverner's, and Aleutian geese. White geese are snow and Ross' geese. Dusky Canada goose season is closed.
| Area | 2020-2021 Season Dates | Canada Geese Daily Bag Limit | White-Fronted Geese Daily Bag Limit | White Geese Daily Bag Limit | Canada Geese Possession Limit | White-Fronted Geese Possession Limit | White Geese Possession Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Washington Youth (Goose Mgmt Areas 1, 2, & 3) | Sept. 26 (Canada and white-fronted goose only) | 4 | 10 | - | 4 | 10 | - |
| Eastern Washington Youth (Goose Mgmt Areas 4 & 5) | Oct 3 (Canada and white-fronted goose only) | 4 | 10 | - | 4 | 10 | - |
| Youth, Veterans, and Active Military (statewide) | Feb. 6 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 6 |
| Goose Mgmt Area 1e For snow goose authorization reporting requirements, see page 6. | Regular Season (all goose types): Oct. 17 - Nov. 29 and Dec. 12 - Jan. 31 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 30 | 18 |
| Late Season (white goose only): Feb. 13-23. See pamphlet for details. | - | - | 6 | - | - | 18 | |
Goose Mgmt Area 2 - Coastf For authorization requirements, see pamphlet. During Feb. 13 - 24, National Wildlife Refuges and WDFW Wildlife Areas are closed to goose hunting in this management area. | All areas except Willapa National Wildlife Refuge: | 4g | 10 | 6 | 12g | 30 | 18 |
| Willapa National Wildlife Refuge: Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday only Oct. 17 - Nov. 1, Nov. 4 - Dec. 6, and Dec. 23 - Jan. 24 | |||||||
Goose Mgmt Area 2 - Inlandf For authorization requirements, see pamphlet. Dusky Canada Goose season is closed in GMA 2. During Feb. 13 - Mar. 10, National Wildlife Refuges and WDFW Wildlife Areas are closed to goose hunting in this management area. | All areas except Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge: | 4g | 10 | 6 | 12g | 30 | 18 |
| Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge: Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays only Oct. 17- Nov. 1 and Nov. 25 - Jan. 16 | |||||||
| Goose Mgmt Area 3 | Oct. 17-29 & Nov. 7 - Jan. 31 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 30 | 18 |
Goose Mgmt Area 4 (Delayed white goose opener) | Saturdays, Sundays, & Wednesdays only during: (Canada & white-fronted goose only) | 4 | 10 | - | 12 | 30 | - |
| Saturdays, Sundays, & Wednesdays only during: (all goose types) Nov. 7 - Jan. 31; Everyday Jan. 25 - 31; Additional hunt days include: Nov. 26 and 27; Dec. 24, 25, 28, 29 and 31; and Jan. 1 and 18. | 4 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 30 | 18 | |
| Late Season (white goose only): Feb. 13 - March 3. | - | - | 6 | - | - | 18 | |
| Goose Mgmt Area 5 | Oct. 17- Nov. 2 & Nov. 7 - Jan. 31 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 30 | 18 |
Brant
For authorization reporting requirements, see page 6.
| Area | 2020-2021 Season Dates | Daily Bag Limit | Possession Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skagit County | Jan. 16 and 23 Additional season dates to be determined by aerial survey results. Season updates will be provided by WDFW news release. | 2 | 6 |
| Clallam & Whatcom | Jan. 16, 20 and 23 | 2 | 6 |
| Pacific County | Jan. 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 28, 30 and 31 | 2 | 6 |
| Youth, Veterans, & Active Military (Skagit, Clallam, Whatcom, & Pacific) | Feb. 6 | 2 | 2 |
Notes
a Special hunting dates: Youth is open to hunters under 16 years of age (must be accompanied by an adult at least 18 years old who is not hunting unless eligible); Veterans and Active Military is open to: veterans must have served in the active military, naval, or air service, and discharged or released under Honorable conditions, Active duty military includes members of the National Guard and Reserves on active duty (other than for training). Must have one of the following, or a copy of, during the hunt: DD214, Veteran Benefit Card, Retired Active Military I.D., or Active Duty I.D. card.
b Daily Bag Limit: 7 ducks, to include not more than 2 hen mallard, 1 pintail, 2 scaup, 2 canvasback, and 2 redhead statewide; and to include not more than 1 harlequin, 2 scoter, 2 long-tailed duck, & 2 goldeneye in western Washington.
Washington State Small Game Hunting Regulations
Possession limit (Youth, Veteran and Active Military Dates): Same as daily bag limit.
Possession limit (Regular Season): 21 ducks, to include not more than 6 hen mallard, 3 pintail, 6 scaup, 6 canvasback, and 6 redhead statewide; and to include not more than 1 harlequin, 6 scoter, 6 long-tailed duck, and 6 goldeneye in western Washington.
Season limit: 1 harlequin in western Washington.
c Daily bag and possession limits: to include Canada geese only.
d Daily bag and possession limits in Pacific County are 15/45 during the September Canada goose season.
e Skagit County Special Restrictions: While hunting snow geese, if a hunter is convicted of a) trespass, b) shooting from, across, or along the maintained part of any public highway, c) discharging a firearm for the purpose of hunting waterfowl within 100 feet of any paved public road on Fir Island or discharging a firearm for the purpose of hunting snow geese within 100 feet of any paved public road in other areas of Skagit County, or d) exceeding the daily bag limit for snow geese, authorization will be invalidated for the remainder of the current snow goose season and an authorization will not be issued for the subsequent snow goose season.
f In Goose Management Area 2, legal hunting hours for geese are 30 minutes after the start of the official waterfowl hunting hours to 30 minutes before the end of official waterfowl hunting hours. See the inside back cover for hunting hours.
g Dusky Canada goose season closed.
A dusky Canada goose is defined as a dark breasted (Munsell 10 YR, 5 or less) Canada goose with a culmen (bill) length of 40-50 mm.
Washington is home to at least 35 types of waterfowl and more than a dozen other gamebirds available for harvest across a landscape of lakes, sloughs, bays, beaver ponds, grasslands, scrub-steppe, farmlands, and other diverse habitat. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife works hard to make sure hunters can enjoy the natural resources and opportunities the state has to offer.
2020-2021 Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game Seasons and Rules
This regulation pamphlet details rules for migratory waterfowl and upland game.
Official Hunting Hours
Legal hunting hours for migratory game birds, upland game birds, and turkeys
Non-toxic shot requirements
Washington Small Game Regulations
To protect wildlife species, nontoxic shot is required for all upland bird hunting on all pheasant release sites statewide.
Goose identification testing
Certain hunters, including new hunters, need to pass an exam to hunt geese in southwest Washington.
Hunter orange requirements
Washington Small Game Hunting Regulations
State rules require hunters to wear fluorescent hunter orange clothing under specific conditions.