Washington · Rabbit · 2026–27 Edition
Washington Rabbit Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Falconry — cottontail rabbit & snowshoe hare | Statewide | Aug 1 – Mar 15 |
| Firearm/archery — cottontail rabbit & snowshoe hare | Statewide | Sep 1 – Mar 15 |
02 — Bag limits
| Daily (cottontail & snowshoe hare, straight or mixed bag) | 5 |
|---|---|
| Possession (cottontail & snowshoe hare, straight or mixed bag) | 15 |
| Jackrabbit (white- or black-tailed) | Closed statewide — no open season |
| Pygmy rabbit | Closed statewide — federally endangered, cannot be hunted or trapped |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (August 1, 2026) 05:11 — 21:05
Rule: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset — Washington prints TWO separate hunting-hours tables, and rabbit falls under the one for 'game animals and forest grouse', not the game-bird one. WAC 220-400-020 settles it: eastern cottontail and snowshoe hare are named in the list of game animals. This matters because the game-BIRD table is different, and pheasant and quail in western Washington run a fixed 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. window. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Washington sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Rabbit hunters in Washington need a Washington hunting license.
Washington hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Washington — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does rabbit season start in Washington?
The 2026–27 opener is August 1, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does rabbit season end in Washington?
The 2026–27 closing date is March 15, 2027.
Is there a closed season on rabbit in Washington?
Yes — see the dates above. Outside that window, taking rabbit is closed in Washington.
How many rabbits can you shoot in Washington per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Daily (cottontail & snowshoe hare, straight or mixed bag) — 5. Possession (cottontail & snowshoe hare, straight or mixed bag) — 15. Jackrabbit (white- or black-tailed) — Closed statewide — no open season. Pygmy rabbit — Closed statewide — federally endangered, cannot be hunted or trapped. 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 Washington?
On opening day (August 1, 2026) legal light runs 05:11 to 21:05. The rule is: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset — Washington prints TWO separate hunting-hours tables, and rabbit falls under the one for 'game animals and forest grouse', not the game-bird one. WAC 220-400-020 settles it: eastern cottontail and snowshoe hare are named in the list of game animals. This matters because the game-BIRD table is different, and pheasant and quail in western Washington run a fixed 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. window. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Washington sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt rabbits on my own land in Washington without a license?
No — Washington requires a recreational license to hunt or take wildlife, with no landowner exception; the statute's only carve-out is for bullfrogs. A separate, narrower rule lets an owner kill wildlife that's threatening safety or property without a license, but that's damage control, not a hunting exemption.
Verified · Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. WAC 220-416-010 ('Small game and other wildlife seasons and regulations'), read directly on the official state legislature site and independently corroborated via a Cornell LII mirror of the same code — both agree exactly for the 2026-27 cycle. Jackrabbit (white- and black-tailed) and pygmy rabbit are CLOSED statewide with no open season at all; the pygmy rabbit is additionally a federal endangered species (WDFW species handout) and cannot legally be hunted or trapped under any circumstance. Only cottontail rabbit (Nuttall's and Eastern) and snowshoe hare are legal game, sharing one combined bag limit, one statewide season, no zone split. A separate falconry season for the same species runs Aug 1 – Mar 15. A rabbit-specific shooting-hours rule could not be confirmed — WDFW's published half-hour-before-sunrise/after-sunset rule is explicitly scoped to big game and forest grouse, and the current Game Bird & Small Game Regulations pamphlet (where small-game hours are published) was not retrievable this session — do not assume the big-game rule applies without confirming against that pamphlet.