What You Need to Know as Fall Hunting Season Begins in Ohio

Squirrels, a common animal almost as prevalent as fast-food restaurant droppings amid suburban and urban splendor, will soon become easy prey for hunters across the state.

The start of legal squirrel hunting at half past five in the morning on September 1 marks the beginning of the annual hunting season, which will begin soon.

Dove hunting also will begin statewide next Sunday, although legal shooting won’t begin until sunrise. Doves, Wilson’s snipe and rails can also be hunted starting at sunrise on Sunday.

Following these seasons, on September 7, the Canada goose and teal hunting season will begin.

Before September ends, Ohio’s four-month hunting season begins on September 28th – the archery deer season. A two-day waterfowl hunt is scheduled for September 28-29th, for both youth and military service members.

Hunting opportunities expand in regular order after that: fall turkey, woodcock, duck and goose, rabbit, quail, pheasant, capercaillie, fox, raccoon, skunk, opossum, weasel. Deer firearm seasons begin in December and January.

Detailed information on upcoming opportunities can be found in the Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2024-25 brochure and on the Ohio Division of Wildlife website: wildohio.gov.

Rules and regulations vary by season and sometimes between seasons, depending on the status of the animal.

For example, the early Canada goose season in Ohio is intended at least in part to reduce the population of a certain waterfowl species whose reintroduction many years ago had created a nuisance population in some areas.

On the other hand, the season for the seriously endangered capercaillie population has been shortened to one month and one bird a day, after a period of prosperity during which the season lasted as long as four months and the daily limit was three birds.

Anyone hunting or trapping in Ohio must have a valid hunting license, which can be purchased for one or multiple years. Youths 17 and under pay $10 for an annual license, and adult residents pay $19 for an annual license.

Senior citizens receive a discount, non-residents pay a higher premium, and landowners and certain relatives are largely exempt from having to purchase a license or permit required to hunt turkey and deer.

Most first-time license buyers must complete a hunter education course. Youth under 16 are not allowed to hunt without adult supervision.

Hunting sometimes requires additional permits. Migratory bird hunting requires a mandatory Harvest Information Program certificate. Waterfowl hunting requires an Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp for those 18 and older, and a federal Duck Stamp for hunters 16 and older.

Upcoming seasons synopsis:

• Squirrel, from September 1 to January 31, half an hour before sunrise until sunset, with a daily limit of six red, grey, black or fox squirrels.

• Pigeon, 1 September–3 November and 7 December–1 January, hours from sunrise to sunset, with a daily limit of 15 Turtle Doves or Collared Doves.

• Gallinule, September 1–November 9, hours from sunrise to sunset, with a daily limit of 15 hours.

• Rail, from September 1 to November 9, hours from sunrise to sunset, with a daily limit of 25 water lions and/or Soran water lions.

• Wilson’s bekasik, September 1–November 20 and December 7–January 1, hours from sunrise to sunset, with a daily limit of eight.

• Early Canada Geese, September 7–15, sunrise to sunset, with a five-hour daily limit.

• Early Teal, September 7–22, hours from sunrise to sunset, with a daily limit of up to six Blue-winged, Green-winged and/or Cinnamon Teal.

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This article originally appeared in The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio’s Fall Hunting Season: What You Need to Know