Hunting & Trapping Seasons

Check the Code

This is NOT a legal document. Regulations are subject to revision during the current year.

Refer to the Wildlife Code

Pheasant: Hunting: Youth

Season Not Open
October 28, 2023 to October 29, 2023
Notes

Open to youths age 6 through 15. Youths who are not hunter-education certified must hunt in the immediate presence of a properly licensed adult; however, the adult may not hunt pheasants.

Only male pheasants may be taken. A foot or fully-feathered head must be left attached during transportation and storage.

Daily limit: 2 male pheasants
Possession limit: 4 male pheasants

Small Game Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting and Fishing Permit
Lifetime Conservation Partner (Hunting and Fishing) Permit (residents only)
Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit (residents only)

Pheasant: Hunting: Allowed Methods

Shotgun

Additional Info

Special Provision During the Firearms Deer Season: During the November portion statewide and antlerless portion in open counties, shot must be no larger than No. 4. This restriction does not apply to landowners hunting on land they own.

Learn more about the species
Photo of a male ring-necked pheasant walking on the ground.
Pheasant
Hunting

Crow: Hunting

Season Not Open
November 1, 2023 to March 3, 2024
Hours

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Daily limit: Any number
Possession limit: Any number

Small Game Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting and Fishing Permit
Nonresident Daily Small Game Permit
Lifetime Conservation Partner (Hunting and Fishing) Permit (residents only)
Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit (residents only)
Military Reduced Cost Permit

Crow: Hunting: Allowed Methods

Pistols

Revolvers

Rifles

Shotguns

Electronic calls or electronically activated calls may be used

Additional Info

Special Provision During the Firearms Deer Season: During the November portion statewide and antlerless portion in open counties, only pistols, revolvers, rifles, or shotguns may be used. These firearms must fire .22 caliber or smaller rimfire cartridges or shot no larger than No. 4. This restriction does not apply to landowners hunting on land they own.

Learn more about the species
Photograph of American Crow
Crow
Hunting

Pheasant: Hunting

Season Not Open
November 1, 2023 to January 15, 2024
Notes

Only male pheasants may be taken. A foot or fully-feathered head must be left attached during transportation and storage.

Daily limit: 2 male pheasants
Possession limit: 4 male pheasants

Small Game Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting and Fishing Permit
Nonresident Daily Small Game Permit
Lifetime Conservation Partner (Hunting and Fishing) Permit (residents only)
Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit (residents only)
Military Reduced Cost Permit

Pheasant: Hunting: Allowed Methods

Shotgun

Additional Info

Special Provision During the Firearms Deer Season: During the November portion statewide and antlerless portion in open counties, shot must be no larger than No. 4. This restriction does not apply to landowners hunting on land they own.

Learn more about the species
Photo of a male ring-necked pheasant walking on the ground.
Pheasant
Hunting

Quail: Hunting

Season Not Open
November 1, 2023 to January 15, 2024

Daily limit: 8
Possession limit: 16

Small Game Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting and Fishing Permit
Nonresident Daily Small Game Permit
Lifetime Conservation Partner (Hunting and Fishing) Permit (residents only)
Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit (residents only)
Military Reduced Cost Permit

Quail: Hunting: Allowed Methods

Shotgun

Additional Info

Special Provision During the Firearms Deer Season: During the November portion statewide and antlerless portion in open counties, shot must be no larger than No. 4. This restriction does not apply to landowners hunting on land they own.

Learn more about the species
Photo of male northern bobwhite
Quail
Hunting

Ducks and Coots Hunting: Middle Zone

Season Not Open
November 4, 2023 to November 12, 2023
November 18, 2023 to January 7, 2024
Hours

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Notes

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

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

Limit of 6 per species: American wigeon, blue-winged teal, gadwall, green-winged teal, Northern shoveler, ring-necked duck

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

Three permits are required.

  1. Small Game Hunting Permit
  2. Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
  3. Federal Duck Stamp
Federal Duck Stamp
Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting and Fishing Permit
Nonresident Daily Small Game Permit
Lifetime Conservation Partner (Hunting and Fishing) Permit (residents only)
Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit (residents only)
Military Reduced Cost Permit

Waterfowl: Hunting: Allowed Methods

Shotguns, 10 gauge or smaller. Must not hold more than 3 shells in the magazine and chamber combined. Use nontoxic shot only.

Hunting dogs

Motor boats or sailboats may be used, but only if the motor has been shut off and/or the sails furled, and the boat’s progress therefrom has stopped.

Waterfowl: Hunting: Prohibited Methods

Lead shot or other shot that has not been listed as nontoxic by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Rifles and pistols

Firearms that propel a single projectile at one discharge

Punt guns, battery guns, swivel guns, fully automatic firearms, traps, snares, nets, fish hooks, poisons, drugs, explosives, and stupefying substances

Motor vehicles or aircraft. Paraplegics and people missing one or both legs may hunt from a stationary vehicle

Sink boxes or any other type of low-floating device that conceals the hunter beneath the surface of the water

Electronic calls or electronically activated calls

Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

Night vision or thermal imagery equipment

Live decoys

Bait

Learn more about the species
Waterfowl in water
Waterfowl
Hunting
Canada goose in water
Goose
Hunting

Brant Geese: Hunting

Season Not Open
October 7, 2023 to October 15, 2023
November 11, 2023 to February 6, 2024
Hours

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Daily limit: 3
Possession limit: 9

Daily and possession limits are brant and Canada geese combined.

Three permits are required.

  1. Small Game Hunting Permit
  2. Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
  3. Federal Duck Stamp
Federal Duck Stamp
Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting and Fishing Permit
Nonresident Daily Small Game Permit
Lifetime Conservation Partner (Hunting and Fishing) Permit (residents only)
Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit (residents only)
Military Reduced Cost Permit

Waterfowl: Hunting: Allowed Methods

Shotguns, 10 gauge or smaller. Must not hold more than 3 shells in the magazine and chamber combined. Use nontoxic shot only.

Hunting dogs

Motor boats or sailboats may be used, but only if the motor has been shut off and/or the sails furled, and the boat’s progress therefrom has stopped.

Waterfowl: Hunting: Prohibited Methods

Lead shot or other shot that has not been listed as nontoxic by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Rifles and pistols

Firearms that propel a single projectile at one discharge

Punt guns, battery guns, swivel guns, fully automatic firearms, traps, snares, nets, fish hooks, poisons, drugs, explosives, and stupefying substances

Motor vehicles or aircraft. Paraplegics and people missing one or both legs may hunt from a stationary vehicle

Sink boxes or any other type of low-floating device that conceals the hunter beneath the surface of the water

Electronic calls or electronically activated calls

Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

Night vision or thermal imagery equipment

Live decoys

Bait

Learn more about the species
Canada goose in water
Goose
Hunting
Waterfowl in water
Waterfowl
Hunting

Deer: Firearms: November Portion

Season Not Open
November 11, 2023 to November 21, 2023
Hours

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

Notes

An antler-point restriction applies in some counties.

If you harvest a deer from certain counties in the CWD Management Zone during the opening weekend, Nov. 11-12, you must take your deer to a designated CWD sampling station.

  • 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.
  • An antler-point restriction applies in some counties.
  • Each county limits the number of antlerless deer hunting permits you can fill during the entire firearms season. See map.

A resident or nonresident youth age 6-15 are eligible to purchase a half-priced Resident Firearms Any-Deer Permit or Resident Antlerless Deer Hunting Permit.

Firearms Any-Deer Hunting Permit
Firearms Antlerless Deer Hunting Permit

Deer: Firearms: Allowed Methods

Centerfire pistols, revolvers or rifles using expanding-type bullets; legal ammunition includes lead bullets, copper bullets and bullets made of other material designed to expand.

Shotguns (including .410) with slugs only

Air-powered firearms, .40 caliber or larger, charged only from an external high compression power source (external hand pump, air tank, or air compressor)

Muzzleloading or cap-and-ball firearms, .40 caliber or larger and capable of firing only a single projectile at one discharge; in-lines and scopes are allowed.

Multiple-barreled muzzleloading or cap-and-ball firearms and/or muzzleloading or cap-and-ball handguns, including revolvers, .40 caliber or larger, are allowed and may be carried in addition to a muzzleloading or cap-and-ball rifle.

Longbows, compound bows, and recurve bows of any draw weight; hand-held string releasing devices, illuminated sights, scopes, and quickpoint sights are allowed.

Crossbows

Atlatls

Deer: Firearms: Prohibited Methods

Self-loading firearms with capacity of more than 11 cartridges in magazine and chamber combined

Ammunition propelling more than one projectile at a single discharge (such as buckshot)

Full hard metal case projectiles

Fully automatic firearms

Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

Electronic calls or electronically activated calls

Night vision equipment

Use of bait

Use of dogs

Additional methods may be prohibited by local ordinances.

Motor driven conveyances may not be used to take, drive or molest wildlife. Deer may not be hunted from a boat with a motor attached.

Learn more about the species
deer
Deer
Hunting

Light Geese Hunting

Season Not Open
November 11, 2023 to February 6, 2024
Hours

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Notes

Hunting is limited to snow geese white and blue phases), and Ross's geese.

Daily limit: 20
No possession limit.

Three permits are required.

  1. Small Game Hunting Permit
  2. Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
  3. Federal Duck Stamp
Federal Duck Stamp
Small Game Hunting Permit
Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting and Fishing Permit
Nonresident Daily Small Game Permit
Lifetime Conservation Partner (Hunting and Fishing) Permit (residents only)
Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit (residents only)
Military Reduced Cost Permit

Waterfowl: Hunting: Allowed Methods

Shotguns, 10 gauge or smaller. Must not hold more than 3 shells in the magazine and chamber combined. Use nontoxic shot only.

Hunting dogs

Motor boats or sailboats may be used, but only if the motor has been shut off and/or the sails furled, and the boat’s progress therefrom has stopped.

Waterfowl: Hunting: Prohibited Methods

Lead shot or other shot that has not been listed as nontoxic by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Rifles and pistols

Firearms that propel a single projectile at one discharge

Punt guns, battery guns, swivel guns, fully automatic firearms, traps, snares, nets, fish hooks, poisons, drugs, explosives, and stupefying substances

Motor vehicles or aircraft. Paraplegics and people missing one or both legs may hunt from a stationary vehicle

Sink boxes or any other type of low-floating device that conceals the hunter beneath the surface of the water

Electronic calls or electronically activated calls

Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

Night vision or thermal imagery equipment

Live decoys

Bait

Learn more about the species
Waterfowl in water
Waterfowl
Hunting
Canada goose in water
Goose
Hunting

Canada Geese: Hunting

Season Not Open
October 7, 2023 to October 15, 2023
November 11, 2023 to February 6, 2024
Hours

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Daily limit: 3
Possession limit: 9

Daily and possession limits are brant and Canada geese combined.

Three permits are required.

  • Small Game Hunting Permit
  • Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
  • Federal Duck Stamp
Federal Duck Stamp
Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting and Fishing Permit
Nonresident Daily Small Game Permit
Lifetime Conservation Partner (Hunting and Fishing) Permit (residents only)
Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit (residents only)
Military Reduced Cost Permit

Waterfowl: Hunting: Allowed Methods

Shotguns, 10 gauge or smaller. Must not hold more than 3 shells in the magazine and chamber combined. Use nontoxic shot only.

Hunting dogs

Motor boats or sailboats may be used, but only if the motor has been shut off and/or the sails furled, and the boat’s progress therefrom has stopped.

Waterfowl: Hunting: Prohibited Methods

Lead shot or other shot that has not been listed as nontoxic by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Rifles and pistols

Firearms that propel a single projectile at one discharge

Punt guns, battery guns, swivel guns, fully automatic firearms, traps, snares, nets, fish hooks, poisons, drugs, explosives, and stupefying substances

Motor vehicles or aircraft. Paraplegics and people missing one or both legs may hunt from a stationary vehicle

Sink boxes or any other type of low-floating device that conceals the hunter beneath the surface of the water

Electronic calls or electronically activated calls

Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

Night vision or thermal imagery equipment

Live decoys

Bait

Learn more about the species
Canada goose in water
Goose
Hunting

Greater White-Fronted Geese: Hunting

Season Not Open
November 11, 2023 to February 6, 2024
Hours

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset

Daily limit: 2 
Possession limit: 6

Three permits are required.

  1. Small Game Hunting Permit
  2. Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
  3. Federal Duck Stamp
Federal Duck Stamp
Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting Permit
Small Game Hunting and Fishing Permit
Nonresident Daily Small Game Permit
Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit (residents only)
Lifetime Conservation Partner (Hunting and Fishing) Permit (residents only)
Military Reduced Cost Permit

Waterfowl: Hunting: Allowed Methods

Shotguns, 10 gauge or smaller. Must not hold more than 3 shells in the magazine and chamber combined. Use nontoxic shot only.

Hunting dogs

Motor boats or sailboats may be used, but only if the motor has been shut off and/or the sails furled, and the boat’s progress therefrom has stopped.

Waterfowl: Hunting: Prohibited Methods

Lead shot or other shot that has not been listed as nontoxic by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Rifles and pistols

Firearms that propel a single projectile at one discharge

Punt guns, battery guns, swivel guns, fully automatic firearms, traps, snares, nets, fish hooks, poisons, drugs, explosives, and stupefying substances

Motor vehicles or aircraft. Paraplegics and people missing one or both legs may hunt from a stationary vehicle

Sink boxes or any other type of low-floating device that conceals the hunter beneath the surface of the water

Electronic calls or electronically activated calls

Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

Night vision or thermal imagery equipment

Live decoys

Bait

Learn more about the species
Canada goose in water
Goose
Hunting
Waterfowl in water
Waterfowl
Hunting