Ohio Hunting Information Seasons

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Ohio Hunting Seasons

2009 - 2010 Hunting & Trapping Season Dates

Species
Opening date
Closing date

Squirrel
September 1
January 31

Mourning dove
September 1
To Be Announced

Geese
September 1
To Be Announced

White-tailed deer

archery season
September 26
February 7

White-tailed deer

Special-area muzzleloader season
October 19
October 24

White-tailed deer

youth gun season
November 21
November 22

White-tailed deer

gun season
November 30
December 6

White-tailed deer

gun season ¡§C extra weekend
December 19
December 20

White-tailed deer

statewide muzzleloader season
January 9
January 12

Ruffed grouse
October 10
January 31

Wild turkey

fall season
October 10
November 29

Youth upland season for cottontail rabbit, ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail
October 24 and 25 and

October 31 and November 1

Cottontail rabbit
November 6
February 28

Ring-necked pheasant
November 6
January 10

Bobwhite quail
November 6
November 29

Fox, raccoon, skunk

opossum, weasel hunting & trapping
November 10
January 31

Mink & muskrat trapping
November 10
February 28

L E Marsh area ¡§C mink, muskrat, skunk, raccoon, opossum, & weasel trapping
November 10
March 15

Beaver trapping
December 26
February 28

River otter trapping
December 26
February 28

Falconry
September 1
March 10

Crow ¡§C Fri, Sat, Sun only
June 5, 2009
March 14, 2010

Wild turkey

youth season
April 17, 2010
April 18, 2010

Wild turkey

spring season
April 19, 2010

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Youth Hunters' Small Game Season

In an effort to encourage youth participation in hunting, the Division of Wildlife has established a young hunters' season. See the Youth Hunting Section for more information.

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Squirrel Hunting

Daily bag limit is 6. Gray, red, fox, and black squirrels can be taken. Hours are 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset.


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Rabbit Hunting

Daily bag limit is 4. Hours are sunrise to sunset statewide. Rabbit hunters in northeastern Ohio must be aware of the following restriction.


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Restricted Rabbit Hunting Area

From November 6 through December 6, 2009, the following areas are closed to rabbit hunting:

Geauga & Ashtabula Counties: area bounded on the north by U.S. Route 6, on the west by Kile Road, on the south by U.S. Route 322, and on the east by State Route 534.



Ashtabula County: area bounded on the north by Cork-Cold Springs Road, on the west by Windsor-Mechanicsville Road, on the south by New Hudson Road, and on the east by U.S. Route 45.

Division of Wildlife efforts to restore snowshoe hare populations in northeast Ohio require a later opening date for rabbit hunting in a portion of Geauga and Ashtabula counties. This rule is in effect to prevent rabbit hunters from misidentifying and killing snowshoe hares.

SNOWSHOE HARES MAY NOT BE
HUNTED AT ANY TIME IN OHIO

Cottontail rabbits may be hunted in these areas from December 7, 2009 through February 28, 2010.

"Do Not Shoot the Snowshoe Hares!"

Snowshoe hares are protected by Ohio law and may NOT be hunted.

Snowshoe hares are slightly larger than the more familiar cottontail rabbit, and unlike the cottontails, hares turn white during the winter. However, both hares and rabbits will be brown in color at the beginning of Ohio's rabbit hunting season in November. Rabbit hunters in northeastern Ohio must make sure they do not mistake a snowshoe hare for a cottontail rabbit.

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Pheasant Hunting

Daily bag limit is 2 (cocks only). Hours are sunrise to sunset statewide. Only cock pheasants may be harvested. In addition to hunting opportunities on public and private lands, the Division of Wildlife provides put-take pheasant hunting at the Maumee State Forest, North Turkeyfoot area of Mary Jane Thurston State Park, Charlemont Metro Park, Ringneck Ridge in Sandusky County (free permit required, contact Sandusky County Park District at 419-334-4495 or Ranger Office at 419-637-2900), and the following wildlife areas during pheasant hunting season: Delaware, Pleasant Valley, Killdeer Plains, Wyandot, Resthaven, Willard Marsh, Oxbow Lake, Beach City, Berlin, Camp Belden (youth only) Grand River, Highlandtown, Shreve, Spencer, Wellington, West Branch, Zeppernick, Dillon, Salt Fork, Fallsville, Indian Creek, Spring Valley, Rush Run, Caesar Creek, Darke, and Tiffin River. The number of pheasants released will depend upon numbers available. Releases are scheduled during the pheasant season for opening day, the second Saturday, and Thanksgiving Day.


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Quail Hunting

Daily bag limit is 4. Hours are sunrise to sunset. Quail hunting will be open only in the following counties; Adams, Athens, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Highland, Jackson, Meigs, Montgomery, Pike, Preble, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, Warren counties.



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Dove Hunting

The USFWS sets the framework for hunting doves, so refer to Publication 298, Migratory Game Bird Hunting Seasons for details. This publication will be available at wildlife district offices, license outlets, and online prior to the season.

Hours for dove hunting are sunrise to sunset, except for those wildlife areas which have been posted with special regulations.

Doves may not be hunted with a shotgun capable of holding more than three shells, unless it is plugged with a one-piece filler which limits the capacity of the gun to three shells. The filler must be such that it cannot be removed without disassembling the gun.

Doves may be hunted on areas that have been manipulated (i.e., "bush hogged") for wildlife management purposes in addition to areas that have been planted or harvested in a normal agricultural manner. Neither waterfowl nor doves may be hunted on areas where grain or other feed has been distributed once it has been removed from or stored on the field where grown. Contact a Division of Wildlife district office or a state wildlife officer for clarification on baiting regulations before you hunt.

Special Dove Hunting Regulations!

The Division of Wildlife is planning to operate controlled dove hunts at Fallsville, Rush Run, Spring Valley, Indian Creek, and Bott wildlife areas and St. Marys Fish Hatchery. These controlled hunts will occur during the first 2 days of the season (Tuesday, September 1st - Wednesday, September 2nd); hunting hours will be noon to sunset.

Drawings for opening day dove hunts at these 6 public hunting areas will be held on Saturday, August 22rd (noon) at the respective public area headquarters.

Please contact the District Five Office (937-372-9261) for dove hunting information, drawing details, and locations for these controlled dove hunts.

2009 Special Controlled Dove Hunting in District Five Wildlife Areas
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Other Small Game

Grouse - Daily bag limit is 2. Hours are 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset.

Fox, raccoon, skunk, opossum, and weasel - No daily bag limit. No restrictions on hours except during deer gun season. Hunters must purchase a Hunting License and a Fur Taker Permit to hunt these species. These species may not be hunted between 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset during the deer gun season.

Crow - No daily bag limit. Hours are 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, only. State and federal stamps are not required to hunt crow.

Coyote - No daily bag limit, no closed season. If hunted during the deer gun season, hours and legal hunting devices are the same as for deer gun season.

Wild Boar - No daily bag limit. If hunted during the deer gun season, hours, and legal hunting devices are the same as for deer gun season.

Wild boar have established breeding populations in several locations around Ohio. They can do extensive damage to the forest habitat in a short amount of time competing with native wildlife species like wild turkey and deer. The Division of Wildlife does not want wild boar in Ohio and encourages eradication. Ohio hunters are encouraged to kill wild boar in areas where they have permission to hunt. Please call 1-800-WILDLIFE and report the known location(s) of wild boar.


Persons hunting coyote or wild boar during the youth deer gun season, the deer gun season, and during the early muzzleloader deer season in October (on three designated areas) must possess a valid hunting license and deer permit with the tag attached and must be using a gun and ammunition legal for deer hunting during that season. Hunter orange must be worn during the youth deer gun season, deer gun season, statewide muzzleloader deer season, and during the early muzzleloader deer season in October (on three designated areas).

Persons hunting coyotes or wild boar during the statewide muzzleloader deer season must have a deer permit that is valid for the zone or unit in which they hunt. However, you may also hunt coyote and wild boar during the statewide muzzleloader deer season with shot no larger than #4 without a valid deer permit.

See additional resources on wild boar in Ohio

Groundhog - No daily bag limit. No restriction on hours; closed only during deer gun season.