No open season
Bobcat in Ohio: no 2026-27 hunting season
The bobcat rule in Ohio, with the law and the nearest open seasons.
Photo: James St. John (CC BY 2.0)
Bobcat: protected status explained
For bobcats the answer is no season in 2026-27; the rule and related seasons are below.
- Season (bobcats): No season.
- What the rule says (bobcats): OAC 1501:31-15-18.
- Reason (bobcats): bobcats are furbearers in ORC 1531.01 but OAC 1501:31-15-18 sets no season, so any 2026-27 take is unlawful.
- Where they sit (bobcats): bobcats are named furbearers: hunting license + fur taker permit (coyote: license only); Badger and bobcat are furbearers in ORC 1531.01 but have no season.
- Owners (bobcats): Landowner exemptions in Ohio cover licenses and permits for game in season, not species with no season, so bobcats stay protected on private land too.
Sources: OAC 1501:31-15-18 and OAC 1501:31-16-01; checked November 6, 2026.
Penalties tied to bobcats
What illegal take of bobcats can cost under the Ohio Revised Code.
| Violation | Penalty | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Division rules (default) | Violating ORC 1531.02 or any Division rule is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree (maximum 30 days, $250) | ORC 1531.99 |
| Chapter 1533 default | Any section of Chapter 1533 with no other penalty: misdemeanor of the fourth degree | ORC 1533.99 |
| Selling wildlife worth $1,000+ | Buying or selling wild animals with aggregate minimum value of $1,000 or more is a fifth-degree felony | ORC 1531.99 |
| License suspension and compact | On conviction a court may suspend or revoke licenses and permits: 3 years for illegally taking or possessing a deer, up to 3 years for other wild animals or a repeat trespass (1533.17) violation within 3 years; Ohio is in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact | ORC 1533.68 |
| Misdemeanor scale | Jail: M1 180 days, M2 90, M3 60, M4 30; Fines: M1 $1,000, M2 $750, M3 $500, M4 $250, minor $150 | ORC 2929.24 |
Report bobcat poaching to Turn In a Poacher, 1-800-POACHER (1-800-762-2437), anonymous, 24/7. Suspensions tied to bobcats carry across state lines under the violator compact.
Sources: ORC 1531.99, ORC 1533.99 and 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 21; checked November 6, 2026.
Open game related to bobcats
What can be hunted instead of bobcats.
| Game | Status | Window | Bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coyote | No closed season | Year-round | No limit |
| Red Fox | Opens Nov 10 | Nov 10–Jan 31, 2027 | No limit |
| Gray Fox | Opens Nov 10 | Nov 10–Jan 31, 2027 | No limit |
| Raccoon | Opens Nov 10 | Nov 10–Mar 15, 2027 | No limit |
Sources: ODNR hunting regulations page and ODNR Division of Wildlife; checked November 6, 2026.
Where bobcats sit in the Ohio lists
Ohio groups the legal species like this, with no season for bobcats.
- Big game with 2026-27 seasons (bobcats page): white-tailed deer and wild turkey (fall; spring 2027 TBA); ORC 1531.01 also lists black bear as a game quadruped, but there is no season; hunting bear is unlawful (OAC 1501:31-15-02(S)).
- Game quadrupeds (small game) (bobcats page): eastern cottontail, red, gray, black and fox squirrels and groundhog (woodchuck); ORC 1531.01(V) also names flying squirrels and chipmunks; no season is set for them.
- Upland game birds (bobcats page): ring-necked pheasant, chukar, bobwhite quail and ruffed grouse (controlled hunts only); Hungarian partridge only on preserves, dog training grounds, field trials or by authorization.
- Furbearers with seasons (bobcats page): raccoon, red fox, gray fox, striped skunk, Virginia opossum, weasel, mink, muskrat, beaver, river otter (trapping) and coyote (no closed season); Hunting license + fur taker permit (coyote: license only); Badger and bobcat are furbearers in ORC 1531.01 but have no season.
- Migratory game birds (bobcats page): ducks, mergansers, coots, Canada/cackling geese, white-fronted geese, snow, blue and Ross's geese, brant, teal (early), mourning dove, Eurasian collared-dove, sora and Virginia rails, common gallinule, Wilson's snipe and American woodcock; Federal frameworks; HIP required.
- Other (bobcats page): American crow (Fri-Sun season); Crows are game birds under ORC 1531.01(S).
- Unprotected/nuisance birds (bobcats page): European starling, English (house) sparrow and common pigeon (not homing pigeons); May be killed at any time; blackbirds when damaging grain or property or a nuisance (ORC 1533.07).
Sources: 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 4, ORC 1531.01 and 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 16; checked November 6, 2026.
Beech-maple forest floor covered in yellow fall leaves in Ohio. Photo: OhioOakTree (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Amish farm and red barns under big summer clouds in Ohio. Photo: Art Anderson (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Red sunrise behind a windmill and farm pond in northeast Ohio. Photo: Scott Bauer, USDA NRCS (Public domain)
Bobcat, answered
Is bobcat hunting allowed on private land in Ohio?
Landowner exemptions in Ohio cover licenses and permits for game in season, not species with no season, so bobcats stay protected on private land too.
Is there similar game I can hunt?
Open seasons near bobcats: Coyote (no closed season); Red Fox (opens nov 10); Gray Fox (opens nov 10); Raccoon (opens nov 10).
Who sets Ohio hunting seasons for bobcats?
Ohio seasons are set by Division of Wildlife rules in OAC 1501:31, approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council; the 2026-27 rules and digest list no season for bobcats, and this page will change only if those rules do.
What legal status do bobcats have in Ohio?
Bobcats are named furbearers: hunting license + fur taker permit (coyote: license only); Badger and bobcat are furbearers in ORC 1531.01 but have no season.
Why are bobcats protected in Ohio?
Bobcats are furbearers in ORC 1531.01 but OAC 1501:31-15-18 sets no season, so any 2026-27 take is unlawful.
Does Ohio have a bobcat hunting season?
No. No season; the rule is OAC 1501:31-15-18.
How do I report bobcats being killed in Ohio?
Call Turn In a Poacher: 1-800-POACHER (1-800-762-2437), anonymous, 24/7. You can also reach the county wildlife officer through the ODNR district office.
What happens if someone kills bobcats illegally in Ohio?
Breaking a Division of Wildlife rule over bobcats is, by default, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree (maximum 30 days, $250); the Ohio scale is jail: M1 180 days, M2 90, M3 60, M4 30; Fines: M1 $1,000, M2 $750, M3 $500, M4 $250, minor $150; courts may also suspend licenses (on conviction a court may suspend or revoke licenses and permits: 3 years for illegally taking or possessing a deer, up to 3 years for other wild animals or a repeat trespass (1533.17) violation within 3 years).
Other photos on this page: OhioOakTree (CC BY-SA 4.0); Art Anderson (CC BY-SA 3.0); Scott Bauer, USDA NRCS (Public domain).