Northern California
Bag Limits Guide

Your quick-reference guide to daily bag & possession limits for the 2026–27 season

Northern California Bag Limits — 2026–27 Season

A quick reference to daily bag and possession limits for Northern California's game birds this season. Daily bag is the most you may take in one day; possession is the most you may have on hand — in California, triple the daily bag unless noted. Waterfowl and quail dates change by zone, so the two Northern zones are shown where they apply.

At a glance

• Dove (mourning & white-winged): Daily bag 15, Possession 45, Season Sep 1–15 & Nov 14–Dec 28

• Duck: Daily bag 7, Possession 21, Season Oct 3–Jan 13 (NE) · Oct 24–Jan 31 (BOS)

• Geese: Daily bag 30, Possession 90, Season Oct 3–Jan 10 (NE) · Oct 24–Jan 31 (BOS)

• Pheasant: Daily bag 2–3 males, Possession 9, Season Nov 14–Dec 27

• Quail: Daily bag 10, Possession 30, Season Sep 12–Jan 31 (varies by zone)

Migratory · Webless

Dove — mourning & white-winged

• Daily bag: 15 per day · Possession: 45

• Within the 15: no more than 10 white-winged doves

• Season: Sep 1–15 & Nov 14–Dec 28 (statewide, two segments)

• Also open: spotted, ringed turtle & Eurasian collared-dove — no limit (collared-dove open all year)

• You'll need: hunting license + free HIP validation

Migratory · Waterfowl

Requires a hunting license, California Duck Validation, and (age 16+) a Federal Duck Stamp, plus a free HIP validation.

Duck

• Daily bag: 7 per day · Possession: 21

• Within the 7: up to 7 mallards (no more than 2 hens), 3 pintail, 2 canvasback, 2 redheads, 2 scaup

• Coots & moorhens: 25 per day (75 in possession)

• Scaup: shorter window than the general duck season — check your zone's scaup dates

Duck season by Northern zone

• Northeastern: Oct 3 – Jan 13

• Balance of State: Oct 24 – Jan 31

Geese

• Daily bag: 30 per day · Possession: 90

• Within the 30: up to 20 white geese + up to 10 dark geese

• Dark-goose caps: no more than 6 white-fronted; no more than 3 Large Canada (Northeastern)

• Sacramento Valley Special Management Area: only 3 white-fronted geese per day

Regular goose season by Northern zone

• Northeastern: Canada Oct 3 – Jan 10 · white & white-fronted Oct 3 – Nov 29 and Jan 1 – Jan 13

• Balance of State: Oct 24 – Jan 31 (late seasons run into February)

Upland Game

Requires a hunting license and an Upland Game Bird Validation (waived under a Junior license).

Pheasant

• Daily bag: 2 males per day for the first two days, then 3 males · Possession: 9

• Season: Nov 14 – Dec 27 (statewide, general/firearm)

• Archery & falconry: separate dates and either-sex allowances — see CDFW

Quail — California valley & mountain quail

• Daily bag: 10 per day, any combination of species · Possession: 30

Quail season by Northern zone

• Q1 — mountain quail only: Sep 12 – Oct 16

• Q1 — all quail: Oct 17 – Jan 31

• Q2 — north coast: Sep 26 – Jan 31

• Q3 — rest of state: Oct 17 – Jan 31

Zones: Q2 covers Marin, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Lake & Mendocino. Q1 is the northeastern & mountain counties. Everything else is Q3.

A Few More Afield

• Chukar: Daily bag 6, Season Oct 17 – Jan 31, Statewide

• Snipe: Daily bag 8, Season Oct 17 – Jan 31, HIP validation required

• Band-tailed pigeon: Daily bag 2, Season Sep 19 – 27 (North zone), HIP validation required

• Sooty / ruffed grouse: Daily bag 2, Season Sep 12 – Oct 12, All of one species or mixed

• Wild turkey (fall): Daily bag 1 either sex, Season Nov 14 – Dec 13, 2 per season

• Sage-grouse: Closed, No permits adopted for 2026–27

Before You Go

• Hunting license — required for everyone; carry it in the field.

• HIP validation — free; for dove, duck, geese, band-tailed pigeon, snipe & coots.

• Upland Game Bird validation — for pheasant, quail, chukar, grouse, turkey & more.

• California Duck validation — for all waterfowl (waived under a Junior license).

• Federal Duck Stamp — waterfowl hunters age 16 and older.

• Written landowner permission — required before hunting on private land.

Nonlead ammunition is mandatory when taking any wildlife with a firearm anywhere in California. Shoot time for most birds is one half-hour before sunrise to sunset.

This is a plain-language summary for quick reference, not the legal regulation. Bag limits, zones and season dates are set annually and can change — always confirm the current rules in the CDFW regulations booklet or the Fish & Game Commission's adopted language before you hunt.

Source: California Department of Fish & Wildlife, 2026–27 Waterfowl and Upland Game regulations (wildlife.ca.gov). Compiled August 2026.