No open season
Nongame Bird in Ohio: no 2026-27 hunting season
Nongame Bird status for 2026-27, checked against the Ohio Administrative and Revised Codes.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Nongame Bird and Ohio law
For nongame birds the answer is no season in 2026-27; the rule and related seasons are below.
- 2026-27 season (nongame birds): Fully protected.
- The rule (nongame birds): All birds other than game birds are protected (no taking, possession, sale or disturbing nests/eggs); eagles and ospreys never killed or possessed except by institutions.
- Why no season (nongame birds): all birds other than game birds are protected (no taking, possession, sale or disturbing nests/eggs); eagles and ospreys never killed or possessed except by institutions (ORC 1533.07).
- Status in law (nongame birds): Every bird that is not a game bird is protected; the exceptions are listed unprotected birds: may be killed at any time; blackbirds when damaging grain or property or a nuisance (ORC 1533.07).
- Landowner rule (nongame birds): Landowner exemptions in Ohio cover licenses and permits for game in season, not species with no season, so nongame birds stay protected on private land too.
Sources: ORC 1533.07 and 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 35; checked November 6, 2026.
Nongame Bird and the Ohio Revised Code
Nongame birds: the penalty table from ORC 1531.99, 1533.99 and 2929.24.
| Violation | Penalty | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Nongame birds, injuring persons or property while hunting | ORC 1533.07 and 1533.171 violations are misdemeanors of the first degree | ORC 1533.99 |
| 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 |
For a nongame bird case, contact the county wildlife officer or Turn In a Poacher. A nongame bird conviction can cost hunting privileges beyond Ohio through the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
Sources: ORC 1533.99, ORC 1531.99 and 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, page 21; checked November 6, 2026.
Nongame Bird: related species with dates
Open seasons near nongame birds on the Ohio lists.
| Species | Today | Span | Bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Crow | Open to Mar 7 | Jun 5–Mar 7, 2027 | No limit |
| Mourning Dove and Eurasian Collared-Dove | Open to Nov 8 | Sep 1–Jan 1, 2027 | 15 daily combined |
| American Woodcock | Open to Nov 29 | Oct 16–Nov 29, 2026 | 3 daily |
| Ducks | Opens Nov 14 | Sep 5–Jan 31, 2027 | 6 daily with species limits |
Sources: ODNR hunting regulations page and ODNR Division of Wildlife; checked November 6, 2026.
Ohio legal game lists, with nongame birds absent
The groups below are what may be hunted; nongame birds are not among the open species.
- Big game with 2026-27 seasons (nongame birds 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) (nongame birds 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 (nongame birds 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 (nongame birds 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 (nongame birds 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 (nongame birds page): American crow (Fri-Sun season); Crows are game birds under ORC 1531.01(S).
- Unprotected/nuisance birds (nongame birds 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.
Restored wetland with cattails and a small stream on Ohio farmland. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Beech-maple forest floor covered in yellow fall leaves in Ohio. Photo: OhioOakTree (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sugar maples in brilliant orange and red fall color in Ohio. Photo: James St. John (CC BY 2.0)
Common questions on nongame birds
Who set the nongame bird rule in Ohio?
All birds other than game birds are protected (no taking, possession, sale or disturbing nests/eggs); eagles and ospreys never killed or possessed except by institutions (ORC 1533.07).
Is nongame bird hunting legal in Ohio?
No. Fully protected; the rule is all birds other than game birds are protected (no taking, possession, sale or disturbing nests/eggs); eagles and ospreys never killed or possessed except by institutions.
Who takes nongame bird tips 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 does an Ohio nongame bird violation cost?
Taking nongame birds: ORC 1533.07 and 1533.171 violations are misdemeanors of the first degree; 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).
What about nongame birds causing damage on a farm?
Landowner exemptions in Ohio cover licenses and permits for game in season, not species with no season, so nongame birds stay protected on private land too.
Which open seasons are close to nongame birds?
Open seasons near nongame birds: American Crow (open to mar 7); Mourning Dove and Eurasian Collared-Dove (open to nov 8); American Woodcock (open to nov 29); Ducks (opens nov 14).
How would a nongame bird season be created?
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 nongame birds, and this page will change only if those rules do.
Is the nongame bird a game animal in Ohio?
Every bird that is not a game bird is protected; the exceptions are listed unprotected birds: may be killed at any time; blackbirds when damaging grain or property or a nuisance (ORC 1533.07).
Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); OhioOakTree (CC BY-SA 4.0); James St. John (CC BY 2.0).