Oregon › Species › Cottontail Rabbit
Unprotected mammal
Cottontail Rabbit Hunting in Oregon, Open All Year
Cottontails have no closed season and no bag limit in Oregon; a hunting license and the general rules still apply.
Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 (CC BY 4.0)
Cottontail Rabbit season snapshot, 2026-27
Cottontails carry no season and no limit in Oregon, which is why this page has no dates to count down to. Do not mistake no season for no rules: license, private-land and method rules follow cottontails hunters everywhere. No closed season or bag limit, but a hunting license and all hunting regulations apply.
From 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife), checked November 8, 2026.
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The cottontail calendar for 2026-27
ODFW lists cottontails as open every day; these are the rows that say so.
| Hunt | Where | Tag or license | When | Limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No closed season | Statewide | License | Year-round | No limit | Year-round |
From 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife), checked November 8, 2026.
Legal status of cottontails
Legal groups for cottontails and their neighbours, from the ODFW definitions page.
| Group | Species | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Furbearers |
| Need a Furtaker’s License or Hunting License for Furbearers; fisher (and ringtail, wolverine, kit fox, Canada lynx, sea otter) closed all year. |
| Predatory animals (ORS 610.002) |
| No closed season, bag limit or weapon restriction for predatory animals destructive to crops; landowners need no license on their land. |
| Unprotected mammals and birds |
| No closed season or bag limit, but a hunting license and all hunting regulations apply. |
From ODFW definitions (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife), checked November 8, 2026.
Oregon weapon rules for cottontails
Night vision, thermal scopes and drones are never legal for hunting cottontails in Oregon.
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Electronics |
|
Method line for cottontails: any lawful method; hunting license required and all hunting regulations apply (electronic calls legal for coyote).
From species table and general hunting regulations (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife), checked November 8, 2026.
Field rules that matter for cottontails
Read these before a cottontail hunt; a violation with a culpable mental state is a Class A misdemeanor.
| Area | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Landowners | A resident does not need a license to hunt on land they reside on that is owned by them or immediate family, unless hunting a species that needs a tag or applying for big game tags; landowners/agents need no license to take predatory animals on their land. |
| Roads | No hunting or shooting from or across public roads or railroad rights-of-way (except roads closed to vehicles); no hunting in city limits, parks, cemeteries or school grounds, or on closed refuges. |
From tagging and reporting and ORS chapter 496 (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife), checked November 8, 2026.
Oregon cottontail fees for 2026-27
From the ODFW fee table: the license first, then any tag, validation or permit the cottontail rows call for.
| License, tag or validation | Who | 2026 price |
|---|---|---|
| Hunting | Resident | $39.00 |
| Hunting | Nonresident | $193.00 |
| Combination (hunt and angle) | Resident | $86.00 |
| Youth combination (12-17) | Either | $10.00 |
Youth 12-17 need a Combination License ($10) or Youth Sports Pac ($75) to hunt big game, enter the draw or buy preference points; 11 and under need no license for game birds, small game or unprotected wildlife (free Youth Game Bird Hunting License available) and may not hunt big game except in the Mentored Youth Hunter Program.
From 2026 license and tag fees and license requirements (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife), checked November 8, 2026.
Open land for cottontail hunters
Public land picked for cottontails: first the places whose agency source lists them, then big wildlife areas, forests or BLM land.
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge names rabbit in 50 CFR 32.56 "We allow hunting of …"; it lies in Steens Mtn Unit and Juniper Unit.
Columbia River Regulated Hunt Area names rabbit in 2026 Game Bird Regulations, Access Area Programs; it lies in Columbia Basin Unit.
E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area names rabbit in ODFW visitors' guide hunting text; it lies in Willamette Unit and Alsea Unit.
Columbia River Refuge (state) names rabbit in 2026 Game Bird Regulations; it lies in its listed units.
From land records, agency page and agency page (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife), checked November 8, 2026.
When light allows cottontail hunting
Wildlife areas can set shorter hours than these for cottontails.
ODFW's rule for cottontails is the game mammal one, so short December days cut the window hard.
| Date | Tillamook County centre | Jefferson County centre | Malheur County centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | 6:05 a.m. to 8:26 p.m. | 5:56 a.m. to 8:14 p.m. | 5:44 a.m. to 7:58 p.m. |
| Oct 15, 2026 | 7:00 a.m. to 7:02 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 6:52 p.m. | 6:33 a.m. to 6:39 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | 7:22 a.m. to 5:04 p.m. | 7:08 a.m. to 4:57 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 4:48 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | 7:21 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. | 7:08 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Mar 20, 2027 | 6:50 a.m. to 7:56 p.m. | 6:40 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. | 6:26 a.m. to 7:31 p.m. |
Hours rule from the ODFW general hunting regulations; times worked out with the NOAA solar formula on Pacific Time for each county centre; checked November 8, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Photo: Nick Varvel (CC BY 2.0)
Photo: Jim, the Photographer (CC BY 2.0)
Photo: mbarrison (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Cottontail Rabbit, answered
Are there day-of-week limits for cottontails?
Every day of the week works for cottontails unless a wildlife area says otherwise.
Which license covers trapping cottontails?
Traps for cottontails are set under the furbearer regulations; poisons are never legal.
How many cottontails may one hunter keep in Oregon?
No limit.
Do cottontails have a closed season in Oregon?
No dates to wait for: cottontails have no closed season in Oregon.
What methods may be used on cottontails?
Any lawful method; hunting license required and all hunting regulations apply (electronic calls legal for coyote).
What license do I need for cottontails in Oregon?
A hunting license ($39.00 resident, $193.00 nonresident); no tag or validation is listed for cottontails.
When does legal light start for cottontails?
The game mammal window applies to cottontails: sunrise minus thirty minutes to sunset plus thirty, calculated for three county centres above.
Where in Oregon do cottontail rules apply?
The cottontail rows are statewide or described in words, not by unit; tribal land, national park land and closed refuges stay off limits.
Do I need permission to hunt cottontails on private property?
Ask before hunting cottontails on a ranch or farm; residents on their own land need no license for these animals.
Other photos on this page: Nick Varvel (CC BY 2.0); Jim, the Photographer (CC BY 2.0); mbarrison (CC BY-SA 2.0).