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

 

 

 

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 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 1, 2006 2005 through January 31, 2007.2006.

 

(E)    It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take, or possess grouse, except from October 14, 20068, 2005 through February 28, 200728, 2006.

 

(F)    It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take, or possess rabbits, except from November 3, 20064, 2005 through February 28, 200728, 2006. Except in portions of Geauga and Ashtabula counties in an area bounded on the north by United States route 6, and on the west by Geauga county road 44 (Kile road), and on the south by United States route 322, and on the east by State route 534 and in Ashtabula county in an area bounded on the north by Cork Cold Springs Road and on the west by Windsor Mechanicsville Road, and on the south by New Hudson Road, and on the east by United States route 45, where the season shall be December 4, 20065, 2005 through February 28, 20072006.

 

(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 November 3, 20064, 2005 through January 7, 20072, 2006.

 

(H)    It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess quail except from November 3, 20064, 2005 through November 26, 200627, 2005 in the following counties: Adams, Athens, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Highland, Jackson, Meigs, Montgomery, Pike, Preble, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, and Warren.

 

(I)  It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt or take crows at any time except on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from June 9, 200610, 2005 through March 18, 200719, 2006, 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.

(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to release wild boar in Ohio without first obtaining written permission from the chief of the division of wildlife or his representative, except on a licensed wild animal hunting preserve.

(2) It shall be lawful to live trap wild boar at any time provided that the wild boar are immediately euthanized at the trap location.

(3) It shall be unlawful to use a foot hold trap or a snare to live trap wild boar.

(K)   It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt or possess a raccoon, opossum, skunk, or weasel at any time except from November 10, 20062005 through midnight, January 31, 20072006. The furbearing animals listed in this paragraph taken by trapping may be possessed during the trapping season 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 10, 20062005 through January 31, 20072006.

(M)    It shall be unlawful for any person to trap a raccoon except from November 10, 20062005 through January 31, 20072006. However the trapping season for all furbearing animals except fox is extended through March 15, 20072006 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 10, 20062005 through January 31, 20072006.

(O)   It shall be unlawful for any person to trap or possess a beaver except from December 26, 20062005 through February 28, 20072006..

(P)    It shall be unlawful to trap or possess mink or muskrat except from November 10, 20062005 through February 28, 20072006. The trapping season for all furbearing animals except fox is extended through March 15, 20072006 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 1, 20062005 through March 10, 20072006 in the following counties: Adams, Athens, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Highland, Jackson, Meigs, Montgomery, Pike, Preble, Ross, Scioto, Vinton and Warren.

(2)    It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess pheasants except cock pheasants may be hunted, taken, or possessed fromform September 1, 20062005 through March 10, 20072006.

(3)   It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess red, gray, black and fox squirrels, except from September 1, 20062005 through March 10, 20072006.

(4)   It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess grouse, except from September 1, 20062005 through March 10, 20072006..

(5)   It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, take or possess rabbits, except from September 1, 20062005 through March 10, 20072006.

(6)   All possession and daily limits listed for game animals shall apply.

(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 26, 20062005 through February 28, 20072006.

(2)     The following counties are in river otter zone A: Allen, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Drake, Defiance, Erie, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Hancock, Henry, Highland, Huron, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Paulding, Preble, Putman, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Summit, Union, Van Wert, Warren, Williams, Wood and Wyandot. This zone is closed season to river otter trapping.

(3)    The following counties are in river otter zone B: Adams, Ashland, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Morrow, Pickaway, Pike, Richland, and Ross. The river otter bag limit is one per season in this zone.

(4)    The following counties are in river otter zone C: Athens, Ashtabula, Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Gallia, Geauga, Guernsey, Harrison, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lake, Lawrence, Mahoning, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Portage, Scioto, Stark, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Vinton, 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)   All definitions set forth in rule 1501:31-1-02 of the Administrative Code shall apply to this rule.

Effective:                                                     07/01/2006

R.C. 119.032 review dates:                         02/03/2006 and 07/01/2011

CERTIFIED ELECTRONICALLY

Certification

05/16/2006

Date

Promulgated Under:                           119.03

Statutory Authority:                           1631.06, 1531.08, 1531.10

Rule Amplifies:                                  1631.06, 1531.08, 1531.10

Prior Effective Dates:                         6/1/77(TEMP), 6/1/78(TEMP), 6/1/79(TEMP),

6/1/80(TEMP)6/1/81(TEMP), 6/1/82(TEMP),

11/12/82(TEMP), 5/31/83(TEMP),

5/31/84(TEMP)10/22/84(TEMP), 6/1/85(TEMP),

6/1/86(TEMP), 6/1/87(TEMP), 6/1/88,

7/14/88(EMER), 10/17/88(TEMP), 6/25/89(TEMP),

6/25/90(TEMP)10/18/90(TEMP), 7/27/91(TEMP),

7/25/92(TEMP), 12/1/92(TEMP), 8/1/93(TEMP),

8/15/94(TEMP), 10/23/94(TEMP), 8/15/95(TEMP),

10/30/95(TEMP), 8/10/96(TEMP), 8/10/97(TEMP),

8/10/98(TEMP), 6/30/04(NEW), 5/27/05