WV · Waterfowl
Mergansers (Hooded / Common / RB) in West Virginia hunting regulations.
Hunting regulations change. The information on this page reflects what we know about species presence and hunt availability based on state agency listings. For current season dates, bag limits, weapon restrictions, tag requirements, and reporting obligations, verify directly with WV Division of Natural Resources. You are responsible for confirming current regulations before hunting.
What we know
Mergansers (Hooded / Common / RB) is general season in West Virginia. WV Division of Natural Resources sets season dates, bag limits, and weapon restrictions. Verify with the agency before hunting — Bield Hunt does not yet ship those specifics.
About the species
Hooded, common, and red-breasted mergansers are the three North American merganser species, all fish-eating divers with serrated bills. Hoodies are small inland-water birds; commons are larger and migrate widely; red-breasted are typically saltwater coastal birds. Their fish diet makes them less popular as table fare than most ducks.
Bag limits typically allow mergansers within the aggregate duck bag, sometimes with a sub-limit on hooded mergansers. They're handsome birds and decoy moderately well; many hunters take them opportunistically rather than targeting them specifically.
Other waterfowl in West Virginia
Pattern mergansers (hooded / common / rb) in West Virginia.
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