Duck Hunting States To Explore
As you look for duck hunting spots, you’ll want to consider areas with access, diversity, and strong populations of migratory birds. Learn more about what various states have to offer.
Migratory Flyways
North America has four flyways that migratory birds use as highway systems from their breeding ground to wintering areas each year:
Atlantic Flyway
The Atlantic Flyway stretches more than 3,000 miles from the coast of Maine to the Gulf of Mexico and has exceptional public hunting opportunities for divers, dabblers, and geese. Though it is the most densely populated of the four flyways, there are still great spots to find birds in flight on cool mornings.
Mississippi Flyway
Covering every mile between northern Minnesota and the wetlands of Louisiana, the Mississippi Flyway is a storied corridor through which most migratory and other birds fly. At 2,300 miles long, covering 1.5 million square miles, and anchored by the Mississippi River, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to hit bag limits hunting states along this flyway.
Central Flyway
The Central Flyway follows the Great Plains from the Canadian prairies to the Gulf of Mexico. If you’re looking for species diversity, this is a good one—nearly 400 different species use this corridor.
Pacific Flyway
At least a billion birds from 350 different species fly along the Pacific flyway each year, which stretches from Alaska to Patagonia. Hunting anywhere along here will give you access to a lot of different waterfowl and hunting conditions, from Washington state widgeons to California pintails.
The Best States for Waterfowl Hunting
Arkansas: Best for Flooded Timber Ducks
Arkansas has one of the highest duck hunting success rates with nearly 1 million ducks harvested every year at the rate of 16.2 ducks per hunter. Many of these ducks and hunters find themselves in flooded timberlands in the early mornings of the season. The thrill of finding backwaters or a good hole with a break in the canopy puts Arkansas on our must-hunt list for waterfowl.
“It’s all about the big groups of mallards coming into the timber. It’s one of the most unique scenes in waterfowling and no place offers that opportunity like Arkansas. We have tons of public land scattered all over the state, and lots of guide services, so there is something for everybody who wants to chase mallards in the timber.”
– Jake Maxwell, Chasing Green
Kansas: Best for Ducks and Geese
Over the last few years, about 219,000 ducks have been harvested in Kansas annually, with an average hunter success rate of about 11 ducks per hunter in a season.
Kansas also has healthy populations of different geese, including cackling, Canada, small Canada, snow, white-fronted, specklebelly, and others. So for fancy-feathered geese or speedy canvasbacks, get ready to go big before going home here.
“Kansas is a phenomenal waterfowl state for two reasons. The first is that we have a ton of agriculture and are able to hold birds here all winter long. The second is the fact we are in the middle of the country so we get cold enough for birds to push down to us, but not cold enough for them to head further south. These two pieces line up to create the perfect storm for waterfowlers.”
– Ben Webster, Big Kansas Outdoors
Maryland: Best for Sea Ducks
Receiving an “A” from Realtree’s Duck Hunting Nation, Maryland is the best state for hunting sea ducks. Many come to Maryland because the Canada goose hunting can be unparalleled, but going after sea ducks is what draws a sizable contingent of almost 30,000 waterfowlers Maryland hosts each season. Although there’s no hunting on Sundays here, you’ll still have six days to go after eiders, scoters, and long-tailed ducks.
Texas: Best for Sandhill Cranes
Texas has been a go-to for sandhill cranes, even as it’s often overshadowed by the excellent dove and duck hunting. But many argue that sandhill cranes are a better-tasting alternative, and weighing 18 pounds each, there’s more meat to go around.
Most of the state is open to hunting sandhill cranes, except for eastern Texas and a small parcel along the Gulf of Mexico. Texas is about 96 percent private land, so you’ll likely need to knock on some doors to get permission to hunt, but there’s no shortage of opportunities to call in your first crane or two (bag limits are between 2-3 a day).
North Dakota: Best for a DIY Hunt
North Dakota is our pick for the best DIY hunt because out-of-state hunters can buy over-the-counter licenses, the state offers great access through the PLOTS program (Private Land Open To Sportsmen), and it has plenty of grass, water, and grain that ducks and geese love.
Hunters have harvested an average of about 360,000 ducks and over 100,000 geese every season over the last few years. The hunter success ratio sits around 12.2 ducks per licensed hunter.
“North Dakota is a great state to freelance waterfowl hunt in because of the unposted land law. Use onX Hunt when scouting waterfowl to find landowner names of posted or electronically posted land. Get permission that way, or if it isn’t posted, you can legally hunt.”
– Cory Loeffler, DRC Call Co
California: Best for Pintails
For hunters, who harvest about a million ducks a year at an average success rate of 20 ducks per hunter, California is for dreamin’ big about the elusive pintails. These elegant, long-necked ducks continue to have storied ups and downs in their recovery in California, but for now, there are healthy, huntable populations and hunters have harvested an average of about 80,000 pintails annually over the last few years.
“With a long hunting season, a diverse and robust bird population, as well as a number of different types of hunts available across the state, California should be on any waterfowlers destination list.”
– Corey Mulhair, Split Reed
Washington: Best for a Scenic Hunt
Washington has seven distinct physiographic regions, from the rocky Pacific coastline and volcanic peaks of the Cascades to the green fields of the Columbia Basin, and equal to these gorgeous landscapes is an abundance of ducks and geese to complement the skyline.
Washington is also the only state in the lower 48 where a hunter can harvest a harlequin duck, arguably the most spectacular species of waterfowl in North America.
For hunter success rates, Washington has averaged 14.6 ducks and 5.1 geese harvested per person for the last few years.
“The variety of hunting scenarios makes Washington an exciting place to be a waterfowler. Whether it’s hunting over habitat, cropland, or off the coast, Washington is absolutely worth a visit if you’re a duck and goose hunter.
– Nick Costas, Split Reed
Oklahoma: Best Up-and-Coming Waterfowl Hunting State
Oklahoma offers more than a million publicly accessible acres to explore. Spread that over WMAs, wetland developmental areas, and 24 properties under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District, and you start painting a picture of a great duck hunting destination.
Michigan: Best Waterfowl Stopover State
Michigan is a key stopover point for migrating waterfowl coming from breeding areas in the Prairie Pothole and Great Lakes regions. Ducks and geese have access to the Great Lakes and thousands of inland lakes, with diverse habitats that support a variety of species. Another great reason to try waterfowl hunting in Michigan? The amount of water and shoreline that’s accessible to the public for hunting.
Missouri: Best Mid-Migration State
Two major river systems—the Mississippi and the Missouri—bring ducks and geese into Missouri right when waterfowl season can get a little wonky. Mid-season can be tough hunting at times because ducks and geese are starting to get savvy to decoys and calls, or they have simply moved on from where you had seen them days earlier. While Missouri is good for waterfowl all season long, it’s definitely the state you want to be in when other places just aren’t producing.
Access is also good in Missouri, especially with the state’s “Managed Hunts” program.
Minnesota: Best State for Divers
Minnesota’s long list of diving ducks includes the canvasback, redhead, ringneck (or ringbill), scaup (or bluebill), goldeneye, bufflehead, merganser, and the ruddy duck. There is an abundance of publicly accessible water to get into a diver shoot, from the thousands of lakes dotting Northern Minnesota to the famed Mississippi River.
Louisiana: Best Cast and Blast State
Louisiana has 8,000 square miles of water. Many believe the state was essentially designed for ducks. From coastal marshes to flooded grain fields and flooded timber, you can hunt a hundred different ways and catch fish along the way.
Over the last few years, an average of 636,800 ducks have been harvested annually, with just under 40,000 licensed waterfowl hunters going after them. There’s no shortage of public lands available, so access isn’t going to be the challenge.
