COLUMBUS, OH -- Young hunters will have the opportunity to participate in a number of special youth hunting activities this fall in Ohio, including a two-day statewide youth waterfowl season and several days of special upland game hunts, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
Individuals age 15 and under who have a valid hunting license may participate in the special two-day statewide youth waterfowl season October 14-15. Participants must be accompanied by a licensed nonhunting adult. Ducks, geese and coots can be taken under the bag limits established for the regular fall waterfowl season that begins October 21. These include a limit of six ducks, two Canada geese, and fifteen coots. The bag limit of six ducks may include not more than four mallards, of which only one may be a hen mallard, three mottled ducks, three scaup, two redheads, two wood ducks, one black duck, one canvasback, and one pintail.
The young hunters special upland game season is open to persons age 17 and under who are permitted to hunt pheasants, rabbits and all other legal game that is in season. This special season is open only on public hunting areas October 21-22 and October 28-29.
The Division of Wildlife says it will release more than 4,000 pheasants again this year for the youth hunts on the Delaware, Resthaven, Oxbow, Berlin, Grande River, Spencer, Wellington, Dillon, Caesar Creek, and Camp Belden wildlife areas, and Charlemont Metropark in Lorain County. Additional pheasants reared by the Division of Wildlife will be released during the general pheasant hunting season that is open statewide November 3 through January 1.