Waterfowl Season Opens Across Most of California Saturday, Oct. 18

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

California’s 2025-26 waterfowl hunting season begins Saturday, October 18, 2025, in most zones. Detailed information about specific opening and closing dates, daily bag and possession limits can be found in the 2025-26 California Waterfowl, Upland Game, and Public Use of Department Lands Regulations booklet (PDF).

“With wetland conditions looking favorable across much of the state, waterfowl hunters can look forward to a strong start to the season,” said Melanie Weaver, Waterfowl Coordinator with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Public hunting opportunities can be found on more than two dozen public hunt areas.

CDFW has implemented several changes at public hunt area check-stations. A few key changes to note for the upcoming season are:

Hunters requiring a hunting pass must present photo identification at the time of entry.
Reservations will be accepted in numerical order, except for the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area.
Party leaders must have a valid GO ID and hunting license to enter a party in the in-person vacancy draw (lottery).
For properties requiring all members to be listed on an in-person vacancy draw (lottery) application, only one member from each party will be required to be present to enter the draw.
Hunters may only enter one in-person vacancy draw (lottery) per hunt day.

For more information regarding season updates and to view additional changes, please review the 2025 Waterfowl Hunting Newsletter (PDF).

Hunters are encouraged to review area-specific regulations and plan ahead as licenses, validations and passes must be purchased in advance. Updates about wildlife area and refuge closures will be posted on CDFW’s Closures page. Licenses, validations and passes can be purchased at select CDFW License Sales Offices, online through CDFW’s Online License Sales and Services, in-person at a license agent, or through telephone license sales at (800) 565-1458.

Hunters should also take precautions when handling harvested birds and cleaning equipment as avian influenza H5N1 continues to circulate among wild waterbirds and typically re-emerges during the fall migration. While the risk to humans remains low, hunters are still encouraged to follow safety tips and review information related to avian influenza. Importantly, dress wild game in a well-ventilated area and away from chickens and other pet birds. Do not feed dogs or other animals raw meat or organs from harvested waterfowl.

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Media Contacts: 
Taylor Williams – Recruit, Retain, Reactivate (R3) Manager
Melanie Weaver – Statewide Waterfowl Coordinator

Prime Wetland Conditions Awaiting Waterfowl Hunters at State-Operated Public Hunt Areas

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 11:31:05 GMT

California’s statewide waterfowl season opens Saturday, Oct. 26, and waterfowl hunters headed to public hunting areas this season will encounter some of the best habitat and wetland conditions in years.

“Overall, it should be a great year to get out and enjoy your public wildlife areas and refuges,” said Jeff Kohl, Wetland Conservation Program Habitat Coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). “The majority of wetlands in California received close to a full water allocation this year, so hunters should generally expect habitat conditions across the state to be in pretty good shape for this fall.”

Opening and closing dates of waterfowl seasons vary by zone. Waterfowl season for the Balance of the State, Southern San Joaquin Valley and Southern California zones all open Oct. 26 and extend through Jan. 31, 2025. The Colorado River Zone opened Oct. 23 while the Northeastern Zone kicked off on Oct. 5.

CDFW waterfowl biologists and habitat specialists offered the following highlights of wetland conditions at some of California’s most popular waterfowl hunting areas throughout the state:

Sacramento Valley

Thanks to significant upgrades and improvements to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area’s water conveyance infrastructure in recent years, CDFW was able to irrigate close to 2,000 acres of seasonal wetlands this summer, particularly on the east side.

At the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, the Sacramento, Delevan and Colusa refuges received 100 percent of their base water allocations, which allowed staff to irrigate close to 6,000 acres. Flooding wetlands seasonally, particularly in the spring and summer months, can stimulate food growth and provide habitat for waterfowl broods.

Suisun Marsh/Delta

Hunters will notice significant improvements at the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area in the Suisun Marsh, starting with a long-overdue sprucing up and facelift of the hunter check station. Several habitat projects have been completed over the past couple of years, including the complete rebuild of Pond 12, several levee and water infrastructure improvements and a new water lift station that will be able to flood acres in the hunting zones that haven’t seen water in over two decades. Grizzly Island should be close to fully flooded for the opener.

At the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, staff were able to flood up the landscape much earlier than normal, which should allow for more hunter opportunities earlier in the season than in the past. Staff were able to irrigate close to 1,000 acres this spring and summer.

San Joaquin Valley/Southern California

Habitat conditions in the San Joaquin Valley have recovered nicely after a multiyear drought and last year’s flooding events. Having received 100 percent of their water allocations, the North Grasslands, Los Banos and Mendota wildlife areas were able to irrigate several thousand acres of seasonal wetlands collectively. Favorite duck foods such as watergrass and smartweed responded well. Habitat conditions at the San Luis and Merced national wildlife refuges are mostly positive with significant food growth in units that were disced recently.

Farther south, CDFW staff and California Waterfowl have been working together on a major overhaul of wetland units at the Imperial Wildlife Area in Imperial County to produce more wetland acreage and improve habitat quality overall.

California waterfowl hunters are reminded to obtain a HIP Validation, California Duck Validation and a signed Federal Duck Stamp along with a valid hunting license before entering the field or visiting a state-operated wildlife area to hunt.

A wildlife area pass is often required to hunt many of these state-operated lands. Licenses, validations and passes are not sold at wildlife areas or federal refuges so hunters must purchase these items in advance.

Waterfowl hunting and public land regulations are available within CDFW’s 2024-2025 California Waterfowl, Upland Game, and Public Use of Department Lands Regulations (PDF) digital booklet.

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Media Contacts:
Melanie Weaver, CDFW Wildlife Branch, (916) 502-1139
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858

CDFW News

Waterfowl Season Opens Across Most of California Saturday, Oct. 18

Prime Wetland Conditions Awaiting Waterfowl Hunters at State-Operated Public Hunt Areas

Sacramento Valley

Suisun Marsh/Delta

San Joaquin Valley/Southern California