Maryland · Squirrel · 2026–27 Edition
Maryland Squirrel Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Squirrel season (gray, fox & red squirrel) | Statewide | Sep 5 – Feb 28 |
02 — Bag limits
| Daily | 6 — cross-checked via eRegulations.com; not itemized in DNR's own calendar PDF or its (non-extractable) COMAR regulations PDF |
|---|---|
| Possession | 12 — same cross-check caveat as above |
| Delmarva Fox Squirrel | Closed season — protected, no hunting permitted statewide (DNR calendar footnote 15) |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 5, 2026) 06:10 — 20:00
Rule: One half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset — the daily small-game hours, matching COMAR 08.03.01.01's definition of 'daytime'. SUNDAYS DIFFER BY COUNTY: in most Sunday-hunting counties small game closes at 10:30 a.m. instead, while some counties run the same hours as Monday-Saturday. Check your county's Sunday chart. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Maryland sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Squirrel hunters in Maryland need a Maryland hunting license — Eastern cottontail rabbits, gray squirrels, eastern fox squirrels, red squirrels, quail, ruffed grouse, and pheasants may be hunted on Sundays in certain counties (Allegany, Cecil, Garrett, St. Mary's, Washington, Calvert, Caroline, Charles, Dorchester, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Somerset, Wicomico, Worcester) — see the DNR calendar's Sunday Small Game Hunting table for county-specific lands and hours.
Maryland hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Maryland — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does squirrel season start in Maryland?
The 2026–27 opener is September 5, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does squirrel season end in Maryland?
The 2026–27 closing date is February 28, 2027.
Is there a difference between fox and gray squirrel rules in Maryland?
See the bag limit table above — most states run one combined limit across both species, but this is worth confirming against Maryland Department of Natural Resources before you hunt.
How many squirrels can you shoot in Maryland per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Daily — 6 — cross-checked via eRegulations.com; not itemized in DNR's own calendar PDF or its (non-extractable) COMAR regulations PDF. Possession — 12 — same cross-check caveat as above. Delmarva Fox Squirrel — Closed season — protected, no hunting permitted statewide (DNR calendar footnote 15). 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 Maryland?
On opening day (September 5, 2026) legal light runs 06:10 to 20:00. The rule is: One half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset — the daily small-game hours, matching COMAR 08.03.01.01's definition of 'daytime'. SUNDAYS DIFFER BY COUNTY: in most Sunday-hunting counties small game closes at 10:30 a.m. instead, while some counties run the same hours as Monday-Saturday. Check your county's Sunday chart. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Maryland sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt squirrels on my own land in Maryland without a license?
A Maryland resident landowner — plus their spouse, child, and child's spouse — doesn't need a license on land they hold title to; the same goes for a tenant and their family. Deer and turkey still need a free DNRid and Big Game Harvest Record, and nonresident owners generally don't qualify.
Verified · Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Wildlife and Heritage Service · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. Read directly from DNR's official 'Maryland Hunting Seasons Calendar for 2026-2027' PDF. The Squirrel row (footnotes 15 and 17) runs one continuous statewide bar from Sept. 5, 2026 through Feb. 28, 2027, with no firearm-deer-season gap and no zone split — unlike New Jersey, Delaware, and Massachusetts, Maryland's squirrel season is not interrupted by the firearm deer season. Footnote 15 reads 'Closed Season for Delmarva Fox Squirrel', confirming the general squirrel season excludes that subspecies; this matches DNR's separate Delmarva Fox Squirrel page (dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/Delmarva_FoxSquirrel.aspx), which describes it as a protected species with no open hunting season. Footnote 17 (Sunday small-game hunting) confirms squirrel is included among the small-game species with county-by-county Sunday access, detailed in the calendar's own Sunday Small Game Hunting table. The calendar PDF does not itemize daily bag or possession limits for any species — only date bars — so those figures (daily 6, possession 12) were cross-checked via eregulations.com/maryland (used here only as a secondary check, since DNR's own bag-limit page, dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/hunt_trap/squirrel.aspx, 404s, and the COMAR wildlife regulations PDF that should carry the codified limit, dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Documents/RSA_Regulations.pdf, was not text-extractable from the fetch tools available). Shooting hours are omitted: eRegulations describes a generic 'daily small game shooting hours are one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset' but this was not confirmed as squirrel-specific on any DNR-hosted page, so per the no-guessing rule it is left out rather than assumed.