Ohio is one of the best places to hunt White- tailed deer, Turkeys and Furbearers. But before hunting you must be aware of Ohio hunting seasons, rules, and regulations in advance.
This article is all about hunting season and dates in Ohio for the hunters. You can check out the details mentioned below or visit the official website (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) for more information.
Let’s begin..
Ohio White-Tailed Deer Season
The White- tailed deer found in a very few states and Ohio is one of them. You can hunt White- tailed deer in this special State by following hunting rules and regulations declared by Department.
| SEASON Type | OPENING DATE | CLOSING DATE | STATEWIDE LIMIT |
| Archery | Sept. 30, 2023 | Feb. 4, 2024 | Only one may be antlered. Statewide limit is six deer. Hunters may combine individual county harvests to reach |
| Youth Gun | Nov. 18, 2023 | Nov. 19, 2023 | |
| Gun | Nov. 27, 2023 Dec. 16, 2023 | Dec. 3, 2023 Dec. 17, 2023 | |
| Muzzleloader | Jan. 6, 2024 | Jan. 9, 2024 | |
| DSA Archery | Sept. 9, 2023 | Feb. 4, 2024 | DSA Counties: Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot. |
| DSA Early Gun | Oct. 7, 2023 | Oct. 9, 2023 | |
Ohio Wild Turkey Seasons
Ohio is also very popular for wild turkeys and hunters like this season to hunt wild Turkeys. The seasons and dates for hunting Turkeys in Ohio are given below. Visit the official website to know more about it.
| SEASON Type | OPENING DATE | CLOSING DATE | BAG LIMIT |
| Fall Wild Turkey: Select Counties | Oct. 14, 2023 | Nov. 12, 2023 | 1 (either sex) |
| Spring Wild Turkey | To be announced | ||
Ohio Small Game Seasons
Ohio small game seasons allows Hunting Coyotes, Ground Hog, Feral Swine, Squirrel, Cottontail Rabbit, Fox, Raccoon, and many more. Knowing the hunting seasons, dates, and daily limit for Small game is important. The Small game Seasons in Ohio is also called Furbearer Seasons.
Ohio Furbearer Seasons
Ohio Furbearer seasons and dates are given below, please read it carefully. You can also visit Official website (Ohio Department of natural Resources) for more information.
| SEASON Type | OPENING DATE | CLOSING DATE | DAILY LIMIT |
| Squirrel (red, gray, black, fox) | Sept. 1, 2023 | Jan. 31, 2024 | 6 |
| Ruffed Grouse | To be announced | ||
| Cottontail Rabbit | Nov. 3, 2023 | Feb. 29, 2024 | 4 |
| Ring-necked Pheasant and Chukar Partridge | Nov. 3, 2023 | Jan. 14, 2024 | 2 (males only for pheasant) |
| Bobwhite Quail: Select counties and wildlife areas | Nov. 3, 2023 | Nov. 26, 2023 | 2 |
| Fox, Raccoon, Skunk, Opossum, Weasel | Nov. 10, 2023 | Jan. 31, 2024 | No Limit |
| Crow: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday only | June 2, 2023 | March 3, 2024 | No Limit |
| Coyote | No closed season | No Limit | |
| Feral Swine (wild boar) | No closed season | No Limit | |
| Groundhog | No closed season | No Limit | |
| Youth Small Game | Oct. 21, 2023 Oct. 28, 2023 | Oct. 22, 2023 Oct. 29, 2023 | Same as the regular season |
Furbearer Trapping Seasons
Knowing about trapping seasons and dates of Furbearer animals is also important. Please go through the table given below.
| SEASON | OPENING DATE | CLOSING DATE | BAG LIMIT |
| Fox, Raccoon, Opossum, Skunk, Weasel | Nov. 10, 2023 | Jan. 31, 2024 | No limit |
| Mink, Muskrat | Nov. 10, 2023 | Feb. 29, 2024 | No limit |
| Mink, Muskrat, Raccoon, Opossum, Skunk, Weasel: Erie, Ottawa, Sandusky, & Lucas counties east of Maumee River | Nov. 10, 2023 | March 15, 2024 | No limit |
| Beaver | Dec. 26, 2023 | Feb. 29, 2024 | No limit |
| River Otter | Dec. 26, 2023 | Feb. 29, 2024 | See page 29 |
Ohio Waterfowl & Migratory Bird Seasons
Ohio Migratory Bird seasons or Waterfowl seasons runs from September to December. The seasons and dates are mentioned below.
| SEASONS Type | OPENING DATE | CLOSING DATE | DAILY LIMIT |
| Dove (Mourning and Eurasian collared) | Sept. 1, 2023 Dec. 9, 2023 | Nov. 5, 2023 Jan. 1, 2024 | 15 |
| EARLY: Canada Goose | Sept. 2, 2023 | Sept. 10, 2023 | 5 |
| EARLY: Teal (Blue-winged, Green-winged, & Cinnamon) | Sept. 2, 2023 | Sept. 17, 2023 | 6 |
| Rail (Virginia, Sora) | Sept. 1, 2023 | Nov. 9, 2023 | 25 |
| Common Gallinules | Sept. 1, 2023 | Nov. 9, 2023 | 15 |
| Wilson’s Snipe | Sept. 1, 2023 Dec. 9, 2023 | Nov. 22, 2023 Jan. 1, 2024 | 8 |
| American Woodcock | Oct. 13, 2023 | Nov. 26, 2023 | 3 |
Waterfowl Seasons Zone- wise
The Zone wise Waterfowl season is mentioned below, Please read the dates carefully.
| WATERFOWL SEASONS | OPENING DATE | CLOSING DATE | DAILY LIMIT |
| Youth Waterfowl Season | Sept. 30, 2023 | Oct. 1, 2023 | Same as the regular season |
| Military Waterfowl Season | Sept. 30, 2023 | Oct. 1, 2023 | Same as the regular season |
| Oct. 14, 2023 | Oct. 29, 2023 | Geese 5 combined: Canada goose, white-fronted goose, and no more than 1 brant. 10 combined: snow goose, blue goose, Ross’s goose. Ducks The daily bag limit is 6 ducks, which may include no more than 4 mallards (only 2 hens), 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks, 1 pintail, 2 black ducks, or 1 mottled duck. One scaup during the first 15 days of the season; two scaup during the next 45 days. Coots 5 mergansers (only 2 hooded), and 15 coots. | |
| LAKE ERIE MARSH ZONE: Geese | Nov. 4, 2023 Dec. 31, 2023 | Dec. 17, 2023 Feb. 4, 2024 | |
| LAKE ERIE MARSH ZONE: Ducks, Coots, & Mergansers | Oct. 14, 2023 Nov. 4, 2023 | Oct. 29, 2023 Dec. 17, 2023 | |
| NORTH ZONE: Geese | Oct. 21, 2023 Nov. 11, 2023 | Oct. 29, 2023 Feb. 5, 2024 | |
| NORTH ZONE: Ducks, Coots, & Mergansers | Oct. 21, 2023 Nov. 11, 2023 | Oct. 29, 2023 Dec. 31, 2023 | |
| SOUTH ZONE: Geese | Oct. 21, 2023 Nov. 18, 2023 | Oct. 29, 2023 Feb. 12, 2024 | |
| SOUTH ZONE: Ducks, Coots, & Mergansers | Oct. 21, 2023 Dec. 9, 2023 | Oct. 29, 2023 Jan. 28, 2024 |
Final Remarks
If you are a hunter and want to hunt in Ohio, Please read the seasons and dates very carefully. The seasons and dates are the part of rules and regulations set by Ohio Department of natural Resources.
If you have any doubts related to rules, regulations, seasons, and dates, it is recommended to visit the Official Website (Ohio Department of natural Resources).
