Alabama · Squirrel · 2026–27 Edition
Alabama Squirrel Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Squirrel season | Statewide (fox squirrel closed on Bankhead National Forest and Tuskegee National Forest; gray squirrel unaffected) | Sep 12 – Feb 28 |
02 — Bag limits
| Daily | 8 |
|---|---|
| Possession | 8 |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 12, 2026) 06:29 — 18:56
Rule: 'Daylight hours only' — official sunrise to official sunset, with NO half-hour margin either side. Alabama Admin. Code r. 220-2-.06 names squirrel among its game animals, and r. 220-2-.07 sets legal hunting hours for game animals as daylight hours only. This is stricter than most states and differs from Alabama's own dove rule, which does add a half hour before sunrise. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Alabama sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Squirrel hunters in Alabama need an Alabama hunting license.
Alabama hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Alabama — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does squirrel season start in Alabama?
The 2026–27 opener is September 12, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does squirrel season end in Alabama?
The 2026–27 closing date is February 28, 2027.
Is there a difference between fox and gray squirrel rules in Alabama?
See the bag limit table above — most states run one combined limit across both species, but this is worth confirming against Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources before you hunt.
How many squirrels can you shoot in Alabama per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Daily — 8. Possession — 8. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting squirrel in Alabama?
On opening day (September 12, 2026) legal light runs 06:29 to 18:56. The rule is: 'Daylight hours only' — official sunrise to official sunset, with NO half-hour margin either side. Alabama Admin. Code r. 220-2-.06 names squirrel among its game animals, and r. 220-2-.07 sets legal hunting hours for game animals as daylight hours only. This is stricter than most states and differs from Alabama's own dove rule, which does add a half hour before sunrise. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Alabama sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt squirrels on my own land in Alabama without a license?
Alabama resident landowners — plus their immediate family, and tenants with their resident families — may hunt the land without a hunting license. The Baiting Privilege License, required to hunt deer or feral swine over bait, still applies to every hunter regardless of this exemption.
Verified · Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Outdoor Alabama) · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. Fetched directly from Outdoor Alabama's squirrel-season page, which states the season as 'Second Saturday in September – Last day in February' with a bag/possession limit of '8 a day — 8 in possession', and explicitly states fox squirrel is 'closed on the Bankhead and Tuskegee National Forests' — confirming and naming both forests for the fox squirrel exception flagged for this state (gray squirrel remains open there; only the fox squirrel take is restricted). The second-Saturday-in-September rule resolves to Sept. 12, 2026, and last-day-in-February to Feb. 28, 2027 (2027 is not a leap year), giving one continuous statewide season rather than a split structure. Squirrel-specific shooting hours were not found on this page or on a follow-up general-regulations page attempt (404); a web search surfaced conflicting summaries (one citing 30 min before sunrise to sunset, another to 30 min after sunset) without a clean single official citation, so shootingHours is omitted rather than guessed between the two.