1501:31-15-17. Seasons for game birds, game quadrupeds and furbearing animals

(A) There shall be no open hunting season on wild animals unless expressly set forth in this rule or other rules of the Administrative Code or the Revised Code.

(B) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt or take a bobcat, bear, badger, fisher, porcupine or a snowshoe hare at any time.

(C) Hungarian partridge may not be taken or possessed at any time except when taken from a commercial bird shooting preserve, a bona fide dog training area, or a shooting field trial.

(D) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take, or possess red, gray, black and fox squirrels, except from September first through January thirty-first.

(E) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take, or possess grouse, except during the open hunting season set forth in this paragraph.

(1) Grouse may be hunted, taken, or possessed from the second Saturday in October through the Sunday immediately following Thanksgiving on any state-owned or administered lands designated as public hunting areas in rule 1501:31-15-04 of the Administrative Code.

(2) Grouse may be hunted, taken, or possessed from the second Saturday in October through the first day of January on lands not designated as public hunting areas in rule 1501:31-15-04 of the Administrative Code.

(F) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take, or possess rabbits, except from the first Friday in November through the last day of February.

(G) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take, or possess pheasants or chukar partridge, except cock pheasants and chukar partridge may be hunted, taken or possessed from the first Friday in November through the second Sunday in January.

(H) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess quail except from the first Friday in November through the Sunday immediately following Thanksgiving on lands not designated as public hunting areas in rule 1501:31-15-04 of the Administrative Code in the following counties: Adams, Athens, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Montgomery, Muskingum, Pike, Preble, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, and Warren.

(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess quail on any state-owned or administered lands designated as public hunting areas in rule 1501:31-15-04 of the Administrative Code, except as provided in paragraph (H)(2) or (H)(3) of this rule.

(2) It shall be unlawful to hunt, take, or possess quail in Muskingum county, except on the Tri Valley wildlife area.

(3) It shall be unlawful to hunt, take, or possess quail in Gallia or Lawrence county, except:

(a) On the Crown City wildlife area.

(b) When authorized by the chief of the division of wildlife.

(I) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt or take crows at any time except on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from June 5, 2020 through March 6, 2021 and from June 4, 2021 through March 5, 2022, one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

(J) Wild boar and woodchucks or groundhogs may be hunted year-round and coyotes may be hunted and trapped year-round unless otherwise prohibited by division rule.

(K) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt or possess a raccoon, opossum, skunk, or weasel at any time except from November tenth through midnight, January thirty-first. The furbearing animals listed in this chapter may be possessed during the respective season through the next immediate June fifteenth or may be possessed by a person having a permit issued by the division of wildlife.

(L) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take, or possess a fox at any time other than from November tenth through January thirty-first.

(M) It shall be unlawful for any person to trap a raccoon except from November tenth through January thirty-first. The trapping season for all furbearing animals except fox is extended through March fifteenth in the following counties: Lucas (east of the Maumee river), Ottawa, Sandusky, and Erie.

(N) It shall be unlawful for any person to trap fox, opossum, skunk, or weasel at any time except from November tenth through January thirty-first.

(O) It shall be unlawful for any person to trap or possess a beaver except from December twenty-sixth through the last day of February.

(P) It shall be unlawful to trap or possess mink or muskrat except from November tenth through the last day of February. The trapping season for all furbearing animals except fox is extended through March fifteenth in the following counties: Lucas east of the Maumee river, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Erie.

(Q) The falconry seasons shall correspond with the dates for each game animal mentioned in this rule. It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt or take any of the animals mentioned in this rule while using a raptor on any date other than those listed in this rule. Except properly licensed falconers may hunt, take, and possess the following wild animals during the following extended season:

(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess quail except from September first through March tenth in the following counties: Adams, Athens, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Highland, Jackson, Meigs, Montgomery, Muskingum, Pike, Preble, Ross, Scioto, Vinton and Warren. It shall be unlawful to hunt, take, or possess quail in Muskingum county, except on the Tri Valley wildlife area.

(2) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess pheasants except cock pheasants may be hunted, taken, or possessed from September first through March tenth.

(3) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess red, gray, black and fox squirrels, except from September first through March tenth.

(4) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess grouse, except from September first through March tenth.

(5) It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess rabbits, except from September first through March tenth.

(6) All possession and daily limits listed for game animals shall apply except migratory birds of which the daily limit is three, singly or in the aggregate.

(7) It shall be lawful to take all legal wild birds or wild quadrupeds by falconry during all deer seasons.

(R) It shall be unlawful to trap or possess river otter at any time except in accordance with this paragraph and other provisions of wildlife rules.

(1) River otter season opens December twenty-sixth through the last day of February.

(2) The following counties are in river otter zone A: This zone is closed season to river otter trapping.

(3) The following counties are in river otter zone B: Adams, Allen, Ashland, Athens, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Darke, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Gallia, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Highland, Hocking, Huron, Jackson, Knox, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Medina, Meigs, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Morrow, Ottawa, Paulding, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Preble, Putnam, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Summit, Union, Van Wert, Vinton, Warren, Williams, Wood and Wyandot. The river otter bag limit is one per season in this zone.

(4) The following counties are in river otter zone C: Ashtabula, Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Geauga, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Lake, Mahoning, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Portage, Stark, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Washington and Wayne. The river otter bag limit is three per season in this zone.

(5) It shall be unlawful to take or trap more than three river otters per season of which no more than one may be taken in zone B.

(S) The chief of the division of wildlife or their designee may issue a permit to hunt or take deer with a firearm listed in paragraph (C) of rule 1501:31-15-11 of the Administrative Code on the third Saturday and Sunday in October. Such permit may only be issued to bona-fide not-for-profit organizations conducting a special hunt for a minimum of twelve persons seventeen years of age and younger and/or handicapped persons. All applications must be received by August first immediately preceding the requested hunting opportunity. This permit does not supersede requirements for any applicable hunting license or deer permits.

It shall be unlawful for persons acting under the authority of said permit issued by the chief of the division of wildlife or their designee to hunt or take deer:

(1) On any property or area not listed on the permit

(2) Contrary to or in violation of any conditions or terms listed on the permit.

(T) The chief of the division of wildlife or their designee may issue a permit to hunt or take game birds, other than turkey and migratory game birds, during a period specified on the permit between the dates of September first through the last day of February. Such permit may only be issued to bona-fide not-for-profit organizations conducting a special hunt for a minimum of twelve persons seventeen years of age and younger and/or handicapped persons. All applications will be submitted a minimum of fifteen days preceding the requested hunting opportunity. This permit does not supersede requirements for any applicable hunting license or permits.

It shall be unlawful for persons acting under the authority of said permit issued by the chief of the division of wildlife or their designee to hunt or take game birds:

(1) On any area listed in rule 1501:31-15-04 of the Administrative Code or on any property or area not listed on the permit

(2) Contrary to or in violation of any conditions or terms listed on the permit

(3) Or other wild animals not listed on the permit or for which there is no current open season.

(U) The chief of the division of wildlife or their designee may issue a permit to hunt or take wild turkey, during a period specified on the permit between the dates of April eight through April twenty. Such permit may only be issued to bona-fide not-for-profit organizations conducting a special hunt for a minimum of twelve persons seventeen years of age and younger and/or handicapped persons. All applications must be received by January first immediately preceding the requested hunting opportunity. This permit does not supersede requirements for any applicable hunting license or wild turkey permits.

It shall be unlawful for persons acting under the authority of said permit issued by the chief of the division of wildlife or their designee to hunt or take wild turkey:

(1) On any property or area not listed on the permit

(2) Contrary to or in violation of any conditions or terms listed on the permit.

(V) There shall be a youth hunting season on the two Saturdays and Sundays immediately prior to the first Friday in November whereby cottontail rabbits, pheasants, chukar partridge and bobwhite quail may be taken according to division rule. Provided further, quail may only be taken in accordance with paragraph (H) of this rule.

(W) All definitions set forth in rule 1501:31-1-02 of the Administrative Code shall apply to this rule.

Effective: 7/1/2020
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 3/23/2020 and 07/01/2025
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 1531.06, 1531.08, 1531.10
Rule Amplifies: 1531.06, 1531.08, 1531.10 , 1533.02
Prior Effective Dates: 06/01/1977 (Temp.), 06/01/1978 (Temp.), 06/01/1979 (Temp.), 06/01/1980 (Temp.), 06/01/1981 (Temp.), 07/01/2006, 07/01/2007, 07/01/2008, 07/01/2009, 07/01/2010, 07/01/2011, 01/01/2012, 07/01/2012, 07/11/2013, 07/01/2014, 01/01/2015, 07/01/2015, 07/01/2016, 07/01/2017, 07/27/2018, 07/01/2019