Mallard hunting (Anas platyrhynchos)
From September onwards the hunting on pulling can be complemented by shooting the ducks on the water and coots in the daytime. Both hunting methods attract a lot of foreign visitors to Hungary, many of them are hunters with dogs, having a lot of fun with their four-legged companions at the hunts organised at the shores of lakes and rivers.
Hunting bred ducks is very popular with our guests too, since it’s independent of the hatching problems the wild duck stock might have. When shooting bred ducks, there is no daily limit on the number of ducks shot. Hunting wild ducks at the end of the summer or at the beginning of the autumn can be combined very well with dove shooting, and later on with shooting pheasants and other small game.
Geese hunting in Hungary (Anseridae)
In some areas of our country it’s also possible to hunt for wild geese. The Duna, Tisza and Dráva rivers are all excellent waters for geese hunting, and so are the largest fishing lakes, such as the ones at Hortobágy, Biharugra, Fehértó, Tata etc.
Wild geese flocks overnight on the water surface sometimes in masses of thousands, and in the early morning they start off with a huge noise to head for the cornfields and massive grain fields.
Professional hunters, who have a good knowledge about the migration paths, sometimes observe the movement of the flocks for days as they prepare successful geese huntings for their guests with digging so called “hunting ditches”. Geese hunting might prove especially successful in foggy weather, when the wild geese are flying much lower than usual.
It can be combined with hunting other small games, for example brown hares or pheasants, but also with hunting big game.
Hunting season
| Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) | 15 August – 31 January |
| Coot (Fulica atra) | 01 September – 31 January |
| Semi wild duck | All year around |
| Bean goose (Anser fabalis) | 01 October – 31 January |
| Greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) | 01 October – 31 January |
| Canada goose (Branta canadensis) | 01 October – 31 January |
| Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) | 01 October – 31 January |
| Greylag goose (Anser anser) | 01 October – 31 December |
