Macon County duck hunters get their first shot of the regular season Saturday, Oct. 31, one day earlier than last year. The mallards they are waiting on come from a breeding population the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated this spring at its lowest since 1993.
The whole county sits in Missouri's North Zone, where the season runs Oct. 31 through Dec. 29, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. Last year's North Zone season ran Nov. 1 through Dec. 30, 2025.
Youth hunters 15 and younger get two days of their own, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24 and 25, in the immediate presence of an adult 18 or older. The adult may not hunt ducks those days.
New zone lines stop short of Macon County
The Fish and Wildlife Service lets states change the number and location of their duck zones every five years. In late 2025, MDC held 13 public meetings and surveyed waterfowl hunters by mail and email, then moved the North/Middle Zone line in two places for 2026 through 2030.
One change affects Saline, Cooper, Chariton, Howard, Randolph, and Boone counties. The new line follows Interstate 70 to U.S. 63, runs north on U.S. 63 to U.S. 24 at Moberly, then west on U.S. 24. The old line turned north at U.S. 65 instead.
All of Macon County lies north of U.S. 24, so the county stays in the North Zone under both the old and new maps. Hunters who cross into southern Randolph or Chariton County should check the MDC zone map before they go.
Elsewhere in the state, the Middle Zone runs Nov. 7 through Dec. 13 and Dec. 19 through Jan. 10, 2027. The South Zone runs Nov. 26 through 29 and Dec. 7 through Jan. 31, 2027.
Limits stay the same
The daily limit is six ducks, the same as last year. Within that six, hunters may take no more than four mallards, with no more than two hens; three pintails; three wood ducks; two each of black ducks, canvasbacks, hooded mergansers, and redheads; and one mottled duck. Scaup are limited to two a day for the first 45 days and one a day for the last 15. The coot limit is 15 a day. Possession limits are three times the daily limit.
Fewer mallards
The Fish and Wildlife Service's spring breeding survey put the total duck population about where it was in 2025, MDC said. The number of water-filled breeding ponds counted in May rose 14%.
Mallards are the exception. The survey estimated about 5.9 million breeding mallards, 11% fewer than in 2025 and 26% below the long-term average. That is the lowest estimate since 1993, according to MDC and the service's 2026 population report.
Paper stamp gone
Hunters need three permits: a small game hunting permit, a migratory bird hunting permit, and a federal duck stamp. The federal stamp is now digital under the Federal Duck Stamp Modernization Act of 2023. Hunters no longer have to carry a paper stamp, but they must have the digital version with them.
The state migratory bird permit also changed this year. MDC replaced it with separate resident and nonresident permits and raised permit prices.
Shells used for waterfowl and coots must carry nontoxic shot approved by the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Where to hunt close to home
The closest public marsh hunting for most of the county is Atlanta Conservation Area, 4,809 acres in two tracts north of Macon. The 2,454-acre Long Branch tract, managed by MDC under a license from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since 1978, takes in the upper reaches of Long Branch Lake, where the East Fork of the Little Chariton River runs through it. The area has three managed marshes covering about 90 acres, plus several natural oxbow lakes, and MDC lists waterfowl hunting among its uses.
To reach the Atlanta tract, take U.S. 63 north from Macon 5 miles, then Route AX west 2 miles and Jupiter Avenue north 2.5 miles. The area office number is 660-785-2420.
MDC's 2026-2027 Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest is available where permits are sold and at mdc.mo.gov.