Waterfowl

Mergansers (Hooded / Common / RB) hunting regulations.

Huntable in 49 states · 49 with a general season.

Verify before hunting

Hunting regulations change. The information on this page reflects what we know about species presence and hunt availability based on state agency listings. For current season dates, bag limits, weapon restrictions, tag requirements, and reporting obligations, verify directly with your state wildlife agency. You are responsible for confirming current regulations before hunting.

State by state

Where mergansers (hooded / common / rb) is huntable.

Tap a state for mergansers (hooded / common / rb)-specific regulations and a link to the agency. Bield does not yet ship specific season dates or bag limits — verify with the agency before hunting.

About the species

Hooded, common, and red-breasted mergansers are the three North American merganser species, all fish-eating divers with serrated bills. Hoodies are small inland-water birds; commons are larger and migrate widely; red-breasted are typically saltwater coastal birds. Their fish diet makes them less popular as table fare than most ducks.

Bag limits typically allow mergansers within the aggregate duck bag, sometimes with a sub-limit on hooded mergansers. They're handsome birds and decoy moderately well; many hunters take them opportunistically rather than targeting them specifically.

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