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This year, the federal waterfowl season dates were set earlier than normal. In turn, DEC has set the dates for New York State earlier than usual.

Youth Hunts
Youth waterfowl hunts kick off the Duck hunting season for each region in the state. These special hunts are awesome opportunities for New York's young hunters ages 12-15. As a reminder, each young hunter must be accompanied by a licensed adult hunter, who is not carrying a firearm. Here are the dates by zone:

• Northeastern Zone - September 17-18

• Lake Champlain Zone - September 24-25

• Southeastern Zone - September 17-18

• Western Zone - October 1-2

• Long Island Zone - November 12-13

NOTE: The daily bag limit during youth hunts are the same as regular season bag limits. These limits and much more are in the this year's Hunting and Trapping Guide.

Duck Season
There are a few changes to the regular duck season worth noting. For the first time, hunting in the Southern Zone will open before the Northern zone. The dates are Oct 1 and Oct 8, respectively.

In addition, the "Special Sea Duck Season" in coastal waters of Long Island has been eliminated due to concerns over the sea duck population. The rationale  behind this and other details of the Waterfowl Hunting Seasons can be found on the DEC website.

Goose and Brant Season
Hunting for Canada goose begins throughout Upstate New York on September 1. For those hunting on central and eastern Long Island, your opening day is set for September 6. For more information on the goose season, be sure to view the maps and dates here.

Finally, higher than anticipated mid-winter brant counts, DEC has increased the daily bag limit from one bird to two birds and the season length has increased from 30 days to 60 days.

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