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What is in season to hunt, trap or take in Ohio — small game

1 of the 8 on this chart is in season in Ohio today, 21 August.

  • American Crowopen, shuts 31 December

Opening in the next fortnight

  • Gray Squirrelseason opens 1 September
  • Fox Squirrelseason opens 1 September
  • Red Squirrelseason opens 1 September
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Small game Gray SquirrelSciurus carolinensis · Hunting · Where: statewide; mature hardwood woodlots and river corridorsSeason open — Sep 1 to Dec 31Season open — Jan 1 to Jan 31 Fox SquirrelSciurus niger · Hunting · Where: statewide; farm woodlots, fencerows and open edgeSeason open — Sep 1 to Dec 31Season open — Jan 1 to Jan 31 Red SquirrelTamiasciurus hudsonicus · Hunting · Where: northeast Ohio conifer stands and hemlock gorgesSeason open — Sep 1 to Dec 31Season open — Jan 1 to Jan 31 Eastern CottontailSylvilagus floridanus · Hunting · Where: statewide; brushy fencerows, CRP grass and old fieldSeason open — Nov 6 to Dec 31Season open — Jan 1 to Feb 28 Ring-necked Pheasant ✦Phasianus colchicus · Hunting · Where: statewide, but effectively the stocked public wildlife areas · Not native to OhioSeason open — Nov 6 to Dec 31Season open — Jan 1 to Jan 10 Chukar ✦Alectoris chukar · Hunting · Where: released birds on licensed preserves and some wildlife areas · Not native to OhioSeason open — Nov 6 to Dec 31Season open — Jan 1 to Jan 10 Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus · Hunting · Where: select southwest counties and designated wildlife areas onlySeason open — Nov 6 to Nov 29 American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos · Hunting — Friday, Saturday and Sunday only · Where: statewideSeason open — Jun 5 to Dec 31Season open — Jan 1 to Mar 7
Season openTodayA bar is an open season, not a curve — the last day of a season is as open as the middle of it. ✦ marks a species that is not native to Ohio. Waterfowl bars are Zone A dates. Hover a name for the method and the zone. Check the regulations booklet before you go.
# Ohio Gray Squirrel Season The first season of the Ohio year to open, and by five weeks. A closed-canopy hardwood animal, quieter and more cautious than the fox squirrel, and the one most likely to be hunted by sitting still under a hickory at first light. ## The 2026-27 season | Open | Closes | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 September | 31 December | | | 1 January | 31 January | | **Method.** Hunting **Where.** statewide; mature hardwood woodlots and river corridors

The first season of the Ohio year to open, and by five weeks. Daily limit six, in combination with the other squirrels.

The rest of this group

Small game share the chart above. The others on it are fox squirrel, red squirrel, eastern cottontail, ring-necked pheasant, chukar, northern bobwhite, american crow.

Read this with the regulations, not instead of them

This page is a calendar. It does not carry bag limits, zone maps, permit requirements, hunter-orange rules, legal hunting hours, or the county-level variations that apply to several of these seasons. Waterfowl dates here are Zone A. Every date is transcribed from the Ohio Division of Wildlife's own publication for the current licence year and is reproduced without warranty.