The Ohio Wildlife Council has received proposed dates for the 2025-2026 hunting and trapping seasons, according to a release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
Key Details:
- The proposed dates and rule adjustments for the 2025 hunting and trapping seasons have been submitted to the Ohio Wildlife Council.
- Public comments on the proposals will be accepted from February 24 through March 26.
- A public hearing will take place on April 2 regarding the proposed regulations.
- If approved, the new rules will take effect on June 30, 2025.
The ODNR encourages hunters to submit their feedback online during the designated comment period. The release also reminded hunters of the following guidelines: only one antlered deer can be harvested, and hunting hours are from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
The proposed dates for the 2025-2026 season are as follows:
- Deer Archery: Sept. 27, 2025 – Feb. 1, 2026
- Youth Deer Gun: Nov. 22-23, 2025
- Deer Gun: Dec. 1-8, 2025; Dec. 20-21, 2025
- Deer Muzzleloader: Jan. 3-6, 2026
Other proposals presented to the council include:
- Increasing antlerless deer limits in public hunting areas to two.
- Allowing deer management permits for hunting or taking deer from public areas.
- Reducing the deer bag limit to two in Defiance and Paulding counties.
- Expanding the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance area to additional townships.
For areas impacted by the CWD surveillance expansion (if approved), the following additional hunting dates would apply:
- Early Deer Archery: Sept. 13, 2025 – Feb. 1, 2026
- Early Deer Gun: Oct. 11-13, 2025
