Migratory bird
Ohio gallinule hunting for 2026-27: dates, limits and public land
Seasons, limits, license prices and where to hunt gallinules in 2026-27.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Ohio gallinule hunting in brief
Ohio gallinule hunters get 1 dated row in 2026-27, from September 1 through November 9, 2026.
- Limit in short (gallinules): 15 daily.
- Season shape (gallinules): September 1-November 9.
Sources: 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 18, OAC 1501:31-7-05 and ODNR hunting regulations page; checked November 6, 2026.
GearHeading out for a hunt? Hunting gear checklists by season →
Every 2026-27 season row for gallinules
Each gallinule window keeps its own zone and limit, so youth, zone and statewide rows sit side by side.
| Hunt | Applies to | First day | Last day | Days | Bag | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallinule | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | 70 | 15 daily |
- Gallinule (gallinules, Statewide): Hours sunrise to sunset; HIP required.
Sources: 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 18 and ODNR Division of Wildlife; checked November 6, 2026.
Gallinule: counties and zones
Gallinules share one calendar across Ohio; county pages add the local public land, officers and shooting hours. 88 county guides
Sources: 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 18; checked November 6, 2026.
Gallinule harvest numbers
Harvest data for gallinules sit with the federal migratory bird surveys, not ODNR.
Sources: ODNR hunting resources by species; checked November 6, 2026.
Gallinule bag and possession limits
Limits for gallinules as the digest and Ohio Administrative Code set them for 2026-27.
- Season row (gallinules): 15 daily.
- Gallinules (gallinules page): 15 daily; 45 possession.
- Migratory possession (gallinules page): Possession after the second day = 3 times the daily limit; on opening day no more than the daily limit.
Sources: 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 18; checked November 6, 2026.
Gallinule license, permit and stamp fees
Migratory bird hunters need a hunting license and HIP certification every license year (also with multiyear and lifetime licenses). For gallinules, the license year runs March 1 to the end of February; multiyear and lifetime licenses are also sold.
| License | For | Price | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident license | Resident | $19.00 | License year |
| Nonresident license | Nonresident | $180.96 | License year |
| Youth license | Resident and nonresident | $10.00 | License year |
| Resident senior license | Resident | $10.00 | License year |
| Nonresident (tourist) 3-day license | Nonresident | $40.56 | 3 days |
Sources: 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 29 and 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 28; checked November 6, 2026.
Legal guns, bows and methods for gallinules
- Gallinule (gallinules): Shotgun 10 gauge or smaller (including muzzleloading), plugged to hold no more than 3 shells; longbow; Nontoxic shot required for ducks, geese, brant, rails, snipe, gallinules and coots; doves and woodcock may be taken with lead; No crossbows, rifles, electronic calls, bait, live decoys or motorized pursuit.
- Migratory birds (gallinules), legal gear: Shotgun 10 gauge or smaller plugged to 3 shells; longbow; nontoxic shot for waterfowl, rails, snipe, gallinules (lead OK for dove and woodcock).
- Migratory birds (gallinules), prohibited: Crossbow, rifle, pistol, sinkbox, motor vehicles/aircraft, electronic calls, live decoys, bait.
- General (gallinules), legal gear: Guns up to 10 gauge, bow and arrow, with or without dogs (ORC 1533.16); falconry and crossbows for any game (not migratory birds with crossbows).
- General (gallinules), prohibited: Blowguns are not guns; deadfalls; fully automatic firearms and tracer ammunition on wildlife areas.
Sources: 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 22, ORC 1533.16 and 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 18; checked November 6, 2026.
Rules that apply on an Ohio gallinule hunt
- Orange garments (gallinules): Gallinules hunters wear it only when they hunt during the deer gun weeks: hunting any wild animal (except waterfowl) from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset during the youth deer gun, deer gun (including bonus gun and DSA early gun) and deer muzzleloader seasons requires a visible vest, coat, jacket or coveralls in solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter orange, statewide on public and private land.
- Shooting hours (gallinules): Sunrise to sunset.
- Baiting (gallinules): Bait is off limits for gallinules under federal rules: federal baiting rules: no waterfowl or doves over bait; normal agricultural planting, harvest and manipulation (mowing, bush-hogging) and natural vegetation are allowed; grain removed from or stored on the field and then distributed is bait.
- After the shot (gallinules): HIP certification annually; migratory birds left with others must carry a signed tag (address, number and species, date).
- Written permission (gallinules): No hunting or trapping on another's land without written permission of the owner or agent; carry it and show on request (also for deer recovery and shed hunting).
- Electronic calls (gallinules): Legal except for migratory game birds and wild turkeys; legal for crows.
- Wildlife areas (gallinules): No firearms except while hunting/trapping or on designated ranges; no vehicles off designated roads; no bait or feed; camping only at designated sites.
- Days of the week (gallinules): No statewide Sunday hunting restriction appears in the 2026-27 digest or the OAC 1501:31 and ORC 1533 sections read.
- Hunter ed (gallinules): All first-time hunting license buyers except apprentice license buyers must complete a hunter education course (or show a previously held license, or attest they are 21+ and previously held a license in any state).
Sources: 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 5, 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 6, 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 9, 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 14, ORC 1533.17, 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 33, 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 34, 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 4 and 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 29; checked November 6, 2026.
Where to hunt gallinules on public ground
Gallinules appear on 92 public land records through the rail and waterfowl tag, most of them state park and wildlife area. Species lists come from ODNR property pages and the controlled-hunt lists; statewide seasons apply where a page is silent.
| Public area | Type | Counties | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Hills WA | Wildlife area | Guernsey +3 | 35,396 |
| Zaleski SF | State forest | Athens +1 | 27,822 |
| Egypt Valley WA | Wildlife area | Belmont +1 | 22,663 |
| Ohio Landowner/Hunter Access Partnership (OLHAP) | Access program | Allen +45 | 18,058 |
| Salt Fork SP | State park | Guernsey | 17,229 |
| Killdeer Plains WA | Wildlife area | Marion +1 | 9,054 |
| Mosquito Creek WA | Wildlife area | Trumbull | 9,021 |
| Berlin Lake WA | Wildlife area | Mahoning +2 | 8,518 |
| Ladue Hunting Area | Public hunting area | Geauga +1 | 8,427 |
| Grand River WA | Wildlife area | Ashtabula +1 | 7,664 |
| Big Island WA | Wildlife area | Marion | 5,872 |
| Paint Creek SP | State park | Highland +1 | 5,652 |
Sources: 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 6 and 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 13 and the ODNR property pages linked from each land page; checked November 6, 2026.
Gallinule hours across Ohio
Times for gallinules use the NOAA solar formula at the centre of Lucas, Franklin, Hamilton and Washington counties. Rule: sunrise to sunset.
| Day | Event | Toledo area | Columbus area | Cincinnati area | Marietta area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 6, 2026 | Today (checked) | 7:11 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. | 7:06 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 5:33 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:21 p.m. |
| Nov 9, 2026 | Gallinule closes | 7:15 a.m. to 5:21 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 5:23 p.m. | 7:14 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 7:02 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. |
Sources: 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 6; checked November 6, 2026.
Sugar maples in brilliant orange and red fall color in Ohio. Photo: James St. John (CC BY 2.0)
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)
Gallinule questions
How many gallinules can I take in Ohio?
15 daily; the regulations add: 15 daily; 45 possession.
How much are Ohio licenses for gallinules?
For gallinules you need a hunting license and HIP certification. Prices for gallinules: Resident license $19.00; Nonresident license $180.96; Youth license $10.00; Resident senior license $10.00; Nonresident (tourist) 3-day license $40.56.
How may gallinules be taken in Ohio?
For gallinules: shotgun 10 gauge or smaller (including muzzleloading), plugged to hold no more than 3 shells; longbow; Nontoxic shot required for ducks, geese, brant, rails, snipe, gallinules and coots; doves and woodcock may be taken with lead; No crossbows, rifles, electronic calls, bait, live decoys or motorized pursuit.
Are there hour limits on gallinules in Ohio?
For gallinules: sunrise to sunset. ODNR prints no sunrise table, so the gallinule times on this page are worked out with the NOAA solar formula.
Which state lands list gallinules?
92 public places in this guide list gallinules or a matching game group, mostly 40 state parks, 38 wildlife areas and 5 public hunting areas; the largest are Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area, Zaleski State Forest and Egypt Valley Wildlife Area. Private land for gallinules needs written permission; enrolled L/HAP farms take an online check-in.
Do gallinule hunters need hunter orange in Ohio?
Gallinules hunters wear it only when they hunt during the deer gun weeks: hunting any wild animal (except waterfowl) from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset during the youth deer gun, deer gun (including bonus gun and DSA early gun) and deer muzzleloader seasons requires a visible vest, coat, jacket or coveralls in solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter orange, statewide on public and private land.
Does Ohio allow bait for gallinules?
Bait is off limits for gallinules under federal rules: federal baiting rules: no waterfowl or doves over bait; normal agricultural planting, harvest and manipulation (mowing, bush-hogging) and natural vegetation are allowed; grain removed from or stored on the field and then distributed is bait.
How do I report a gallinule harvest in Ohio?
For gallinules: HIP certification annually; migratory birds left with others must carry a signed tag (address, number and species, date).
Are there Sunday limits on Ohio gallinule hunting?
Sunday is an ordinary hunting day for gallinules: no statewide Sunday hunting restriction appears in the 2026-27 digest or the OAC 1501:31 and ORC 1533 sections read.
When is gallinule season in Ohio for 2026-27?
Gallinule for gallinules, Statewide: September 1 to November 9, 2026. On November 6, 2026 the gallinule season is open, running to November 9, 2026.
Other photos on this page: James St. John (CC BY 2.0); OhioOakTree (CC BY-SA 4.0); Art Anderson (CC BY-SA 3.0).