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Unprotected
Minnesota Red Squirrel hunting, 2026-27
The rules that remain for red squirrels, an unprotected species in Minnesota.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Unprotected status for red squirrels means no season and no limit; methods, places and safety rules are still in force.
How the booklet sums up red squirrels
- Keep: No limit.
- Dates in brief: Any time, any manner except lights or vehicles.
- Worth knowing: Unprotected.
DNR source page (as of Sep 15, 2026), checked October 28, 2026.
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Red Squirrel calendar by unit and zone
Read the red squirrel rows by area: deer permit areas, bear areas, waterfowl zones or furbearer zones where they apply.
| Season | Where | Bag | Opens | Closes | Days | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous | Statewide | No limit | Every month | Year-round |
Red Squirrel season notes
- No license required for residents or nonresidents to take unprotected species, including coyote. On WMAs unprotected animals only Sept. 1-end of February unless hunting a protected species.
From booklet p. 65, checked October 28, 2026.
What to know afield for red squirrels
Year-round and license-free: that is the rule for red squirrels, with lights and motor vehicles excluded.
Outside the deer gun weeks there is no blaze requirement for red squirrels; inside them, orange or pink above the waist is the law for all hunters and trappers afield.
Seasons for red squirrels run straight through the weekends.
booklet shooting hours, blaze rules, validation and registration, checked October 28, 2026.
Red Squirrel weapons and hunting law
Laws that matter for red squirrels
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Duty to render aid | A person who believes a shot injured someone must check and give reasonable help. |
booklet p. 16, checked October 28, 2026.
Legal species groups, with red squirrels in mind
| Group | Species | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Big game (97A.015 subd. 3) | deer, moose, elk, bear, antelope, caribou | Open seasons only for deer, bear and elk; no open season on moose, antelope or caribou (booklet p. 32). |
| Fur-bearing animals (97A.015 subd. 22) | mammals that are protected wild animals, except big game | Seasons for raccoon, foxes, badger, opossum, weasels, bobcat, fisher, pine marten, mink, muskrat, beaver, otter. |
| Migratory game birds (booklet definition) | ducks, geese, mergansers, coots, moorhens (gallinules), woodcock, rails, snipe, sandhill cranes, mourning doves | Migratory waterfowl = ducks, geese and mergansers (statute adds swans, which have no season). |
| Unprotected wild animals (97A.015 subd. 53; booklet p. 32) | coyote, plains pocket gopher, porcupine, red/pine squirrel, striped skunk, woodchuck, unprotected birds | May be taken at any time in any manner except with artificial lights or by motor vehicle; no license needed. Booklet adds red squirrel and woodchuck. |
From Minnesota Statutes 97A.015 and the DNR booklet, checked October 28, 2026.
What you can hunt instead of red squirrels
| Species | Season | Where | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gray Squirrel | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 |
| Fox Squirrel | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 |
| Woodchuck | Unprotected | Statewide | All year | |
| Porcupine | Unprotected | Statewide | All year |
DNR booklet, checked October 28, 2026.
Questions about red squirrels
What rules still apply to red squirrels?
No license, no closed season and no limit for red squirrels; just no artificial lights and no motor vehicles.
What blaze rule applies to red squirrels?
Outside the deer gun weeks there is no blaze requirement for red squirrels; inside them, orange or pink above the waist is the law for all hunters and trappers afield.
Can I shoot red squirrels on state WMAs?
Only from Sept. 1 to the end of February on WMAs, unless you are hunting a protected species at the time.
Are there setbacks for shooting red squirrels?
Yes, trespass law covers red squirrels too: permission needed on posted or agricultural land; may not return for a year after being told to leave; no discharging a firearm within 500 ft of an occupied building or livestock on another’s land without written permission.
What are the light rules for red squirrels?
The rule that applies to red squirrels: no shining while possessing a weapon; no shining from 2 hours after sunset to sunrise; no shining posted land or fenced agricultural land, residences or building sites from a vehicle.
Can a nonresident shoot red squirrels without a license?
No license required for residents or nonresidents to take unprotected species, including coyote.
Is there a weekday rule for red squirrels?
Yes. Neither the booklet nor chapter 97B closes Sundays, so red squirrels may be hunted any day of the week.
Are drones allowed for red squirrels?
The rule that applies to red squirrels: no drones or radios/cell phones to take big or small game (including recovery); radios allowed for unprotected animals; no electronic or motorized deer decoys; remote callers allowed for crows, furbearers and unprotected animals.
How many red squirrels can I take?
No limit. That is the 2026-27 figure.
Do red squirrels have a season in Minnesota?
All year. Any time, any manner except lights or vehicles.
Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); ilouque (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0).