Butler County, Ohio Deer and Bird Hunting

Birds, rabbits and fur in Butler County

Butler County waterfowl zone

Only one waterfowl zone reaches Butler County: Zone C, new with the 2026-27 season. In Zone C the second duck split opens December 12, 2026 and closes January 31, 2027. The Zone C goose season ends February 15, 2027. Statewide, early teal and early Canada goose run September 5 to September 13, 2026, and the youth and veterans waterfowl days fall on October 3 to October 4, 2026. Woodcock hunters get October 16 to November 29, 2026; dove hunters get a September opener on September 1 and a December split. Waterfowl licensing: HIP every year, the $15.00 Ohio wetlands stamp and the $25.00 federal stamp for hunters 16 and up.

Spring and fall turkey rules for Butler County

The South zone covers Butler County in spring. The 2026 dates (April 25 to May 24, 2026) are shown because ODNR had not announced spring 2027. Youth gobbler days in 2026: April 18 to April 19, 2026. In 2026, Butler County hunters checked 226 spring gobblers and jakes, placing it 33rd of 88; four seasons earlier the total was 238. The county is one of the 70 fall turkey counties: October 1 to October 25, 2026, either sex, shotgun and shotshells only this year. Fall hunters checked 5 turkeys here in 2025.

Butler County squirrels to otters

Quail: open in Butler County from November 6 to November 29, 2026, a short window shared by 16 counties. Expect squirrel hunters from September 1 and rabbit and pheasant hunters from November 6. Trappers here work fox, raccoon and other furbearers from November 10 to January 31, 2027, and beaver and otter from December 26; the county is otter Zone B. Season otter limit: 3 total, max. 1 from Zone B. Trappers can run mink and muskrat sets until February 28, 2027.

Zones from OAC 1501:31-7-07 and the digest waterfowl pages; seasons from the 2026-27 season dates; turkey from the turkey rules with spring and fall results (2023 spring; 2024 spring; 2025 spring; 2026 spring; 2023 fall; 2024 fall; 2025 fall); quail from OAC 1501:31-15-21; otter zones from the trapping pages; stamps from the license list. Checked November 6, 2026.

Offices, towns and shops serving Butler County

District staff for Butler County work out of Xenia, home of the Southwest Ohio office of the Division of Wildlife. ODNR's county contact layer names Andrew Dowdell as the wildlife officer here; the number is (513) 403-6591. About 10 miles from Butler County, Rush Run Wildlife Area headquarters is the closest area office.

With 399,542 residents (2024) and 467 land square miles, Butler County keeps its courthouse in Hamilton.

Hunting near Butler County towns

4 Butler County towns have a hunting guide of their own.

• Hamilton63,953 people
• Middletown52,291 people
• Fairfield45,094 people
• SomervilleCDP

Inside Butler County we count 1 deer processor, 4 taxidermists and 27 sporting goods stores.

Butler County butchers for deer

Deer mounts, Butler County

Sporting goods counters for Butler County

Guide or preserves serving Butler County from next door

District offices, officers and wildlife area headquarters from the digest wildlife officer page and the ODNR county contacts and work units layers (counties.json); population from the Census 2024 estimates; services from store locators, Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry and Yellow Pages listings (not individually verified). Checked November 6, 2026.

Licenses and statewide rules for Butler County hunters

Hunting licenses run $19.00 (resident) and $180.96 (nonresident) for the license year that starts March 1. Ohio sets no square-inch figure: the rule is a hunter orange vest, coat, jacket or coveralls, solid or camo, in the firearm deer weeks.

Hunting deer over bait is legal on private land outside the DSA, but not on public hunting areas, and never for turkeys or migratory birds. Use the HuntFish OH app, HuntFishOH.gov, the phone line or an agent: deer by noon next day, turkeys by 11:30 p.m. Ohio has no statewide ban on Sunday hunting; crow season is the one hunt limited to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. New hunters take the hunter education course, or start on an apprentice license alongside a licensed hunter at least 21. The state publishes harvest statistics; trophy deer records belong to the private Buckeye Big Buck Club.

From the license and permit list, hunter orange rule, baiting rules, game check, season calendar, hunter education and the Buckeye Big Buck Club notice in the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations. Checked November 6, 2026.

Butler County and its nearest neighbours

Swap to a neighbouring county page or jump to a statewide guide.

Butler County borders Hamilton County, Montgomery County, Preble County, Warren County.

Bordering counties outside Ohio: Dearborn County (IN), Franklin County (IN), Union County (IN)

Butler County page notes

Every number on this Butler County page has a source link and the date we last checked it.