2025-26 Atlantic Flyway Duck Hunting Forecast
Posted 2025-09-03 by
Check out our Duck Hunting Nation grades from the Northeast to the Deep South
Ringnecks are an extremely important duck for Atlantic Flyway hunters. Photo by Lecia Michelle.
With duck season looming throughout much of the tradition-rich Atlantic Flyway, hunters are anxious to see what the campaign will bring. Success might hinge on the vagaries of weather and migration, but one thing is for sure: There will be plenty of opportunity, from the frigid coasts of Maine south to the balmy swamps of Florida.
Check out Realtree’s 2025 Duck Hunting Nation grades for each Atlantic Flyway State, and dig into more detail with each link.
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CONNECTICUT
The Constitution State doesn’t receive much duck hunting press, but it produces some good hunting for geese, puddle ducks and even sea ducks. Its Duck Hunting Nation grade might not be great, but there is a silver lining: low hunting pressure.
DELAWARE
When you discuss major waterfowl wintering areas in North America, the Delmarva Peninsula is always near the top of the list. Delaware has some critically important national wildlife refuges and offers good hunting for geese and puddle ducks. Its solid Duck Hunting Nation grade reflects that.
FLORIDA
There might not be a more exotic North American waterfowling destination than the Sunshine State. From coastal divers to mottled ducks and whistling ducks, opportunities abound. Plus, Florida has many public lakes and limited-access waterfowl hunting properties.
GEORGIA
The Peach State might be an Atlantic Flyway sleeper, with solid action for wood ducks and divers — especially ringnecks. Plus, hunters have lots of public options to explore. Duck Hunting Nation approves.
MAINE
The Pine Tree State is rightfully famous for sea ducks, especially eiders, but it also features good inland action for woodies, black ducks, and more. And Duck Hunting Nation loves seafood, so Maine gets a high mark.
MARYLAND
The Eastern Shore. Chesapeake Bay. Both are hallowed ground for waterfowlers, so Maryland gets a high Duck Hunting Nation grade. And with lots of wildlife management areas, hunters have room to roam when chasing ducks, geese, and brant.
MASSACHUSETTS
Urban sprawl and hunting pressure limit the Bay State’s Duck Hunting Nation grade, but hunters can still find opportunity here. Plus, Massachusetts has great variety, including scoters, longtails, eiders and brant on saltwater, plus puddlers and geese inland.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Waterfowling can be good in the Granite State, but opportunities are somewhat limited, which explains its ho-hum Duck Hunting Nation grade. Still, hunters can find variety, with woodies and black ducks inland, and eiders and scoters along the state’s 18 miles of ocean waterfront.
NEW JERSEY
Whoever sang about the swamps of Jersey surely must have been thinking about duck hunting. The state has hundreds of miles of coastline, plus abundant inland and coastal lakes, ponds and marshes. And about one-third of the Atlantic Flyway’s black ducks and two-thirds of North America’s Atlantic brant winter in the state. Duck Hunting Nation responds with an A mark.
NEW YORK
The Empire State might be better known for deer and turkeys, but it features solid waterfowl hunting, including great goose action, brant hunting on the coast, and plenty of puddlers and divers. And New York has plenty of public land to hunt, too.
NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heel State might get overlooked by some folks, but harvest numbers confirm that it’s a major waterfowl hunting powerhouse. Pamlico Sound is a major stopover for many types of waterfowl, and the state has a tundra swan season. When you add in wood ducks, divers, geese, brant, and sea ducks, North Carolina merits an A rating.
PENNSYLVANIA
Like New York, the Keystone State is better known for upland game. But with excellent goose hunting and many lakes, streams and rivers that attract a variety of puddlers and divers, it’s a bona fide waterfowl destination.
RHODE ISLAND
You probably won’t find many hunters who travel to the nation’s smallest state to hunt waterfowl, but it’s a matter of scale. Actually, Rhode Island offers good opportunities for geese and puddle ducks inland, plus sea ducks on the saltwater.
SOUTH CAROLINA
The Palmetto State might be overshadowed by its northern neighbor, but it features solid duck hunting and some good public areas. The coastal region produces good action for many types of puddle ducks and divers. In all, it nets a solid Duck Hunting Nation grade.
VERMONT
Low hunting pressure and diverse opportunities earn the Green Mountain State a good Duck Hunting Nation mark. Goose hunters do well here, and duck hunters take a mixed bag of puddlers and divers on big water.
VIRGINIA
With the famous Chesapeake Bay and good inland opportunities for puddle ducks, Virginia scores a solid Duck Hunting Nation grade. Hunters can also pursue swans, and many do well on divers and scoters on the coast.
WEST VIRGINIA
Duck Hunting Nation might seem harsh with its grade for the Mountain State, but that mark simply reflects the overall lack of waterfowl habitat here. Hunters actually take decent numbers of mallards, wood ducks and geese, but overall, West Virginia really isn’t great duck country.
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