Furbearers
Beaver hunting in Alabama
Seasons, bag limits, license prices and where to hunt beavers in 2026-27.
Photo: Maria Brindle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Beaver hunting overview
ADCNR lists beavers with no closed season, so the only dates that matter are the license year and any night or trapping limits. Limit for beavers: No bag limit.
Beaver: the key lines
- Limit: No limit.
- Season shape: Year-round, daylight hunting; trapping year-round.
From ADCNR page (as of Nov 1, 2026), checked November 1, 2026.
GearHeading out for a hunt? Hunting gear checklists by season →
Every beaver season row
Every county shares the same beaver dates this season.
| Season | Zone | Bag | From | To | Days | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver, nutria, groundhog | Statewide | No limit. | No closed season | Year-round | ||
| Nuisance trapping, trapping | Statewide | No limit. | No closed season | Year-round |
Beaver row details
- No closed season (license year shown).
- Coyote and feral swine may be trapped by the landowner or agent; feral swine killed at the trap site.
From ADCNR page and ADCNR page, checked November 1, 2026.
The Alabama beaver bag
Alabama sets the beaver limit in these rows; a crippled bird or animal that is retrieved counts toward the bag (220-2-.13).
| Row | Limit |
|---|---|
| Opossum, beaver, nutria, groundhog, bobcat, coyote, fox, feral swine | No bag limit. |
From 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest p. 31, checked November 1, 2026.
Beaver trapping season
| Row | Begins | Ends | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver, coyote, nutria, feral swine, raccoon and opossum | Sep 1, 2026 | Aug 31, 2027 | No closed season (license year shown). Coyote and feral swine may be trapped by the landowner or agent; feral swine killed at the trap site. |
A Fur Catcher's License ($28.70 resident) is needed to trap beavers; bobcat and otter pelts are tagged within 14 days.
From ADCNR Regulation Book p. 51 and ADCNR page, checked November 1, 2026.
Beaver: guns, bows and methods
| Rule | Legal arms | Banned |
|---|---|---|
| Predators and hogs | For beavers: Rifles any caliber; handguns; shotguns 10 ga or smaller; PCP air guns .25+; bows/crossbows; muzzleloaders any caliber; PCP arrow rifles; spear or sharpened blade; permitted raptors. | For beavers, not: lights/night vision except in the nighttime swine/coyote season with the license. |
- Traps, snares, poisons (beaver): No pitfalls, deadfalls, cages, nets, snares, poison or explosives for protected birds/animals (licensed fur catchers may trap furbearers under 220-2-.30).
- Fire, smoke, chemicals (beaver): No hunting with fire or smoke; no gasoline or noxious chemicals to drive wildlife from dens.
Reasonable effort to retrieve a crippled beaver is required, and it counts in the bag.
From 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest p. 34, Code of Alabama 9-11-245 and ADCNR Regulation Book p. 45, checked November 1, 2026.
Beaver on WMAs, forests and refuges
2 public places carry a beaver season in their 2026-27 permit or rule text; the biggest are below.
| Area | Type | Counties | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swan Creek WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Limestone | 8,870 |
| Mallard-Fox Creek WMA | Wildlife Management Area | Lawrence, Morgan | 1,742 |
From lands.json (ADCNR WMA AREA Permits, SOA page, federal rules) and the ADCNR SOA page, checked November 1, 2026.
Beaver: licenses, stamps and permits
Residents 16-64 hunting land they do not own need a license; residents 65+ and all under 16 do not; resident landowners and immediate family (spouse, children, parents, brothers, sisters) on their own land, and resident tenants living on the land, do not. Nonresidents 16+ need licenses everywhere. Bait Privilege and Nighttime licenses: all ages, no exemptions. Duck stamps: residents 16-64, nonresidents 16+.
| Name | Residency | Category | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Game | Resident | Age 16-64 | $23.40 | License year |
| Small Game, annual | Nonresident | Age 16+ | $134.10 | License year |
| Fur Catcher's | Resident | Trappers | $28.70 | Oct 2026–Sept 2027 |
| Fur Catcher's | Nonresident | Trappers | Varies | Oct 2026–Sept 2027 |
From the ADCNR license pages and the Digest license section, checked November 1, 2026.
Harvest figures for beavers
For beavers the data gap is complete: no harvest by year or county.
From ADCNR page, checked November 1, 2026.
When beaver hunting starts and stops
Legal light for beavers on key dates, in Central Time, for north, central and south Alabama.
Beavers, legal time: Daylight hours only = 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset (deer and all resident game birds and game animals), except where a night season exists. Fox at night with lights and dogs only; raccoon and opossum at night with lights and free-running dogs; coyote and feral swine at night only in the special nighttime season with the nighttime license (220-2-.07); bullfrog/pig frog day or night; alligator official sunset to official sunrise.
| When | Event | Place | Sunrise | Sunset | Shooting hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | Madison County | 6:49 a.m. | 4:39 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | Jefferson County | 6:48 a.m. | 4:43 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | Montgomery County | 6:42 a.m. | 4:44 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 5:14 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | Mobile County | 6:46 a.m. | 4:55 p.m. | 6:16 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. |
| Jun 21, 2027 | Longest day | Madison County | 5:33 a.m. | 8:02 p.m. | 5:03 a.m. to 8:32 p.m. |
| Jun 21, 2027 | Longest day | Jefferson County | 5:37 a.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 5:07 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. |
| Jun 21, 2027 | Longest day | Montgomery County | 5:38 a.m. | 7:54 p.m. | 5:08 a.m. to 8:24 p.m. |
| Jun 21, 2027 | Longest day | Mobile County | 5:50 a.m. | 7:58 p.m. | 5:20 a.m. to 8:28 p.m. |
Rules from the Digest shooting hours section; sunrise and sunset computed (NOAA solar formula, Central Time); checked November 1, 2026. Legal hours for all 67 counties.
Beaver questions
Are beavers open on Sundays?
Yes; Alabama repealed its Sunday law in 2015, so beaver seasons run every day except where an area sets its own days.
Is there a trapping season for beavers?
Trapping: Sep 1 to Aug 31. No closed season (license year shown). Coyote and feral swine may be trapped by the landowner or agent; feral swine killed at the trap site.
Is a trapping license required for beavers?
A Fur Catcher’s License: $28.70 for residents (90 days residency proof); nonresidents pay the nonresident fee of their home state.
When can beavers be hunted in Alabama?
Any day of the license year.
How many beavers can I take in Alabama?
The beaver limit reads: No bag limit.
What license do I need for beavers in Alabama?
Look at Small Game (resident, $23.40); Small Game, annual (nonresident, $134.10); Fur Catcher’s (resident, $28.70); Fur Catcher’s (nonresident, Varies).
Can I use a rifle on beavers in Alabama?
The beaver weapons rule allows rifles any caliber; handguns; shotguns 10 ga or smaller; PCP air guns .25+; bows/crossbows; muzzleloaders any caliber; PCP arrow rifles; spear or sharpened blade; permitted raptors.
What are the legal hours for beavers?
The beaver rule on hours: Daylight hours only = 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset (deer and all resident game birds and game animals), except where a night season exists. Fox at night with lights and dogs only; raccoon and opossum at night with lights and free-running dogs; coyote and feral swine at night only in the special nighttime season with the nighttime license (220-2-.07); bullfrog/pig frog day or night; alligator official sunset to official sunrise.
What public places are open for beavers?
2 public places, including Swan Creek Wildlife Management Area and Mallard-Fox Creek Wildlife Management Area.
Must I wear orange or pink when hunting beavers?
For beavers, follow the gun deer calendar: orange or pink is mandatory during those dates, and always on WMAs, CHAs, SOAs and PDHAs.
How do I check in a beaver in Alabama?
The Alabama harvest report rules name deer, turkey, bobcat and otter pelts, alligators and migratory birds; beavers are not on that list, though WMA check-in still applies.