Hunting Seasons (at a Glance)

Season Dates Hours Limits/Notes
Badger: Hunting and Trapping -

Daily limit: Any number
Possession limit: Any number

Bear: Season -

One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset

One black bear of either sex with the following restrictions:

  • You are required to call 800-668-4045 to determine the daily season quota/closure status prior to hunting each day. In addition, if the harvest has reached or exceeded 80 percent of the harvest quota, the director of the Conservation Department may close hunting within that Black Bear Management Zone on the following day.
  • Once the harvest quota is met or the Director closes the season for the BMZ in which you are hunting, the season is over, and you may not harvest a black bear.
  • Black bears that have taken refuge in a den may not be harvested or harassed.
  • Only lone black bears may be harvested. You may not harvest a bear that is with one or more other bears, including female bears with cubs.
Beaver and Nutria: Trapping -

Daily limit: Any number
Possession limit: Any number

Bobcat: Hunting and Trapping -

Daily limit: Any number
Possession limit: Any number

Bobcat pelts must be registered or tagged. Tagged bobcats and otters or their pelts may be possessed by the taker throughout the year.

Bullfrog and Green Frog: Hunting -

Season opens at sunset on opening day. Check sunrise and sunset times in your area.

Daily limit: 8 (combined total of both species)
Possession limit: 16

Only the daily limit may be possessed on waters and banks of waters being fished or hunted.

Common Snipe: Hunting -

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Daily limit: 8
Possession limit: 24

Coyote: Hunting -

Coyotes may not be taken during the daylight hours from April 1 through the day prior to the beginning of the Spring Turkey Hunting season

Daily limit: Any number
Possession limit: Any number

Coyotes, except as otherwise provided in this section, may be taken by hunting, and pelts and carcasses may be possessed, transported, and sold in any numbers throughout the year.

Special method restrictions apply during spring turkey season, elk season and deer season. See Allowed & Prohibited methods.

Coyote: Trapping -

Daily limit: Any number
Possession limit: Any number

Extended trapping season on private land from March 1 to April 14. Only foot-hold traps, foot-enclosing traps, and cage-type traps may be used.

Crow: Hunting -

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Daily limit: Any number
Possession limit: Any number

Deer: Archery -

-

One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset

  • Archer's Hunting Permit: two deer of either sex. Only one antlered deer may be taken before the November firearms portion.
  • Hunters may purchase and fill any number of archery antlerless deer hunting permits.
  • You may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer hunting seasons combined.
Deer: Firearms: Alternative Methods -

One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset

  • You may take only one antlered deer during the entire firearms season (all portions combined).
  • You may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer hunting seasons combined.
  • Each county limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the entire firearms season (all portions). See map.
Deer: Firearms: Antlerless Portions -

-

One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset

  • Only antlerless deer may be harvested during the Antlerless. 
  • Each county limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the entire firearms season. See antlerless regulations.
Deer: Firearms: CWD Portion -

One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset

  • You may take only one antlered deer during the entire firearms season (all portions combined).
  • You may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer hunting seasons combined.
  • Each county limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the entire firearms season (all portions). See map.
Deer: Firearms: November Portion -

One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset

  • Only one antlered deer may be taken during the entire firearms season (all portions combined).
  • You may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer hunting seasons combined.
  • Each county limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the entire firearms season. See map.
Deer: Firearms: Youth Portions -

-

One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset

  • Only one deer (of either sex) may be taken during the early youth portion. If you have more than one permit, you must use them in another portion.
  • Only one antlered deer may be taken during the entire firearms season (all portions combined).
  • You may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer hunting seasons combined.
  • Each county limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the entire firearms season. See map.
  • To participate, you must be at least 6 and no older than 15 on the opening day of the early youth portion.
  • Hunters who are 15 years or younger on Sept. 15 of the current year are exempt from the antler-point restriction during the archery deer season and all portions of the firearms deer season.
Dove: Falconry -

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Daily limit: 3
Possession limit: 9

Any ducks, coots, or mergansers taken by falconers must be included in these limits.

 

Dove: Hunting -

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Daily limit: 15
Possession limit: 45

Combined total of all dove species

Ducks and Coots Hunting: Middle Zone -

-

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Ducks: Daily limit of 6 with species restrictions below, possession limit of 18
Mallards: 4 (no more than 2 females)
Scaup: 2 scaup for first 45 days and 1 scaup for last 15 days
Wood ducks: 3
Hooded mergansers: 2
Redheads: 2
Canvasback: 2
Black duck: 2
Mottled duck: 1
​Pintails: 1

Coots: Daily limit of 15, possession limit of 45.

See the zone boundary map for areas in the middle zone.

Ducks and Coots Hunting: North Zone -

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Ducks: Daily limit of 6 with species restrictions below, possession limit of 18
Mallards: 4 (no more than 2 females)
Scaup: 2 scaup for first 45 days and 1 scaup for last 15 days
Wood ducks: 3
Hooded mergansers: 2
Redheads: 2
Canvasback: 2
Black duck: 2
Mottled duck: 1
​Pintails: 1

Coots: Daily limit of 15, possession limit of 45.

See the zone boundary map for areas in the north zone.

Ducks and Coots Hunting: South Zone -

-

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Ducks: Daily limit of 6 with species restrictions below, possession limit of 18
Mallards: 4 (no more than 2 females)
Scaup: 2 scaup for first 45 days and 1 scaup for last 15 days
Wood ducks: 3
Hooded mergansers: 2
Redheads: 2
Canvasback: 2
Black duck: 2
Mottled duck: 1
Pintails: 1

Coots: Daily limit of 15, possession limit of 45.

See the zone boundary map for areas in the south zone.

Ducks, Coots, and Geese Hunting: Youth: Middle Zone -

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Ducks: Daily limit of 6 with species restrictions below, possession limit of 18
Mallards: 4 (no more than 2 females)
Scaup:
Wood ducks: 3
Hooded mergansers: 2
Redheads: 2
Canvasback: 2
Black duck: 2
Mottled duck: 1
Pintails: 1

Coots: Daily limit of 15, possession limit of 45.

Geese
Light geese: Daily limit 20, no possession limit
Canada/brant geese (combined): Daily limit 3, possession limit 9
White-fronted geese: Daily limit 2, possession limit 6

See the zone boundary map for areas in the middle zone.

Youth hunters must be age 15 or younger and accompanied by an adult 18 years old or older who is not allowed to hunt ducks but who can participate in other open seasons. 

Ducks, Coots, and Geese Hunting: Youth: North Zone -

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Ducks: Daily limit of 6 with species restrictions below, possession limit of 18
Mallards: 4 (no more than 2 females)
Scaup:
Wood ducks: 3
Hooded mergansers: 2
Redheads: 2
Canvasback: 2
Black duck: 2
Mottled duck: 1
Pintails: 1

Coots: Daily limit of 15, possession limit of 45.

Geese
Light geese: Daily limit 20, no possession limit
Canada/brant geese (combined): Daily limit 3, possession limit 9
White-fronted geese: Daily limit 2, possession limit 6

See the zone boundary map for areas in the north zone.

Youth hunters must be age 15 or younger and accompanied by an adult 18 years old or older who is not allowed to hunt ducks but who can participate in other open seasons.

Ducks, Coots, and Geese Hunting: Youth: South Zone -

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Ducks: Daily limit of 6 with species restrictions below, possession limit of 18
Mallards: 4 (no more than 2 females)
Scaup:
Wood ducks: 3
Hooded mergansers: 2
Redheads: 2
Canvasback: 2
Black duck: 2
Mottled duck: 1
Pintails: 1

Coots: Daily limit of 15, possession limit of 45.

Geese
Light geese: Daily limit 20, no possession limit
Canada/brant geese (combined): Daily limit 3, possession limit 9
White-fronted geese: Daily limit 2, possession limit 6

See the zone boundary map for areas in the south zone.

Youth hunters must be age 15 or younger and accompanied by an adult 18 years old or older who is not allowed to hunt ducks but who can participate in other open seasons.

Ducks, Coots, and Mergansers: Falconry -

Sunrise to sunset during the September teal season, one-half hour before sunrise to sunset during the remaining seasons.

Daily limit: 3 birds, combined total of doves, ducks, and coots.
Possession limit: 9 birds, combined total of doves, ducks, and coots.

Season is also open during the regular duck-hunting seasons, including teal and youth waterfowl seasons.

Early Canada Goose and Brant: Hunting -

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Daily limit: 3
Possession limit: 9

Daily and possession limits are brant and Canada geese combined.