Nebraska · Rabbit · 2026–27 Edition
Nebraska Rabbit Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Cottontail (eastern & desert) | Statewide | Sep 1 – Feb 28 |
| Jackrabbit (black-tailed & white-tailed) | West of U.S. Highway 81 only | Sep 1 – Feb 28 |
02 — Bag limits
| Cottontail — daily/possession | 7/28 in aggregate (combining eastern and desert cottontail) |
|---|---|
| Jackrabbit — daily/possession | 4/16 in aggregate (combining black-tailed and white-tailed), west of U.S. 81 only |
| Running season | Cottontail may be pursued or chased with hounds year-round without harvest, per the same guide |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 1, 2026) 06:36 — 20:11
Rule: 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset (except crow) — stated directly for the 'Small Game' category, which covers cottontail and jackrabbit, in Nebraska Game and Parks' official Small Game & Waterfowl Guide. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Nebraska sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Rabbit hunters in Nebraska need a Nebraska hunting license.
Nebraska hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Nebraska — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does rabbit season start in Nebraska?
The 2026–27 opener is September 1, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does rabbit season end in Nebraska?
The 2026–27 closing date is February 28, 2027.
Is there a closed season on rabbit in Nebraska?
Yes — see the dates above. Outside that window, taking rabbit is closed in Nebraska.
How many rabbits can you shoot in Nebraska per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Cottontail — daily/possession — 7/28 in aggregate (combining eastern and desert cottontail). Jackrabbit — daily/possession — 4/16 in aggregate (combining black-tailed and white-tailed), west of U.S. 81 only. Running season — Cottontail may be pursued or chased with hounds year-round without harvest, per the same guide. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting rabbit in Nebraska?
On opening day (September 1, 2026) legal light runs 06:36 to 20:11. The rule is: 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset (except crow) — stated directly for the 'Small Game' category, which covers cottontail and jackrabbit, in Nebraska Game and Parks' official Small Game & Waterfowl Guide. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Nebraska sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt rabbits on my own land in Nebraska without a license?
Nebraska resident farmers or ranchers, and their immediate family living on land they own or lease, may hunt squirrel, cottontail, jackrabbit, prairie grouse, partridge, pheasant, and quail there without a permit or Habitat Stamp. Deer, antelope, elk, and turkey still need their own landowner permit application.
Verified · Nebraska Game and Parks Commission · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. outdoornebraska.gov blocks automated fetches (403) as it has in prior research on this project, so this file is built from the official 2025-26 Small Game & Waterfowl Guide PDF (govdocs.nebraska.gov, Nebraska Game and Parks' own document host), read directly. That guide gives 2025-26 dates: cottontail (eastern & desert) Sept. 1, 2025 – Feb. 28, 2026, daily/possession 7/28 in aggregate; jackrabbit (black- and white-tailed, west of U.S. 81 only) same date range, daily/possession 4/16 in aggregate. Nebraska's small-game seasons run on a fixed annual calendar (Sept. 1 opener, last day of February close) with no year-to-year drift found in this project's prior checks, so the dates below are that same pattern shifted one year to 2026-09-01–2027-02-28. No official 2026-27 guide PDF is published yet as of this check (govdocs.nebraska.gov/epubs/G1000/H040-202627.pdf and similar filenames all 404) — confirm against the fresh guide once Game and Parks posts it. Shooting hours ARE confirmed directly and are NOT the 'sunrise to sunset, no buffer' rule that earlier scoping flagged as a possibility — the guide's 'Small Game' section states plainly: 'Shooting Hours – 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset (except crow),' which covers cottontail and jackrabbit as small game. A running-only season (pursuit with hounds, no harvest) for cottontail is also noted as year-round in the guide; it sits inside the taking season and isn't modeled as a separate method.