Oregon · Squirrel · 2026 Edition
Oregon Squirrel Season 2026: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Western gray squirrel — North-Central Oregon | Units 34, 35, 39, 41, 42 | Sep 15 – Oct 31 |
| Western gray squirrel — Rest of State | Units 10-33, 36-38, 40, 43-77 | Sep 1 – Nov 15 |
| Western gray squirrel — no closed season | Part of Unit 30 south of the Rogue River/South Fork Rogue River and north of Hwy 140 | Jan 1 – Dec 31 |
02 — Bag limits
| North-Central Oregon (Units 34, 35, 39, 41, 42) — daily | 3 |
|---|---|
| North-Central Oregon (Units 34, 35, 39, 41, 42) — possession | 6 |
| Rest of State (Units 10-33, 36-38, 40, 43-77) — daily | 5 |
| Rest of State (Units 10-33, 36-38, 40, 43-77) — possession | 15 |
| Part of Unit 30 (south of Rogue River/South Fork Rogue River, north of Hwy 140) | No bag limit, no closed season |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 1, 2026) 05:56 — 20:07
Rule: Unlawful to hunt game mammals from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise (OAR 635-065-0730) — western gray squirrel is explicitly a 'game mammal' under OAR 635-045-0002(36), so this rule applies to it directly, unlike Oregon's unprotected-mammal species such as rabbit. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Oregon sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Squirrel hunters in Oregon need an Oregon hunting license — A regular Oregon hunting license is required for western gray squirrel — no special tag is needed.
Where to hunt public land in Oregon — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does squirrel season start in Oregon?
The 2026 opener is September 1, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does squirrel season end in Oregon?
The 2026 closing date is November 15, 2026.
Is there a difference between fox and gray squirrel rules in Oregon?
See the bag limit table above — most states run one combined limit across both species, but this is worth confirming against Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife before you hunt.
How many squirrels can you shoot in Oregon per day?
2026 bag limits: North-Central Oregon (Units 34, 35, 39, 41, 42) — daily — 3. North-Central Oregon (Units 34, 35, 39, 41, 42) — possession — 6. Rest of State (Units 10-33, 36-38, 40, 43-77) — daily — 5. Rest of State (Units 10-33, 36-38, 40, 43-77) — possession — 15. Part of Unit 30 (south of Rogue River/South Fork Rogue River, north of Hwy 140) — No bag limit, no closed season. 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 Oregon?
On opening day (September 1, 2026) legal light runs 05:56 to 20:07. The rule is: Unlawful to hunt game mammals from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise (OAR 635-065-0730) — western gray squirrel is explicitly a 'game mammal' under OAR 635-045-0002(36), so this rule applies to it directly, unlike Oregon's unprotected-mammal species such as rabbit. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Oregon sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt squirrels on my own land in Oregon without a license?
Oregon exempts a resident hunting on land they or an immediate family member owns and lives on — for every species except the ones that need a tag or permit, which still applies for big game.
Verified · Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. Official ODFW page myodfw.com/articles/small-game-hunting-oregon, fetched directly, gives the squirrel season table verbatim. Western gray squirrel is Oregon's only regulated game squirrel and, unlike rabbit, is explicitly listed as a 'game mammal' in the OAR 635-045-0002(36) definition ('pronghorn antelope, black bear, cougar, deer, elk, moose, Rocky Mountain goat, bighorn sheep, and western gray squirrel'), confirmed via an oregon.public.law mirror of the current OAR text. Squirrel does run on genuinely different dates/limits by zone, but the split is not the usual Western-Oregon-vs-Eastern-Oregon big-game line — it is 'North-Central Oregon' (Units 34, 35, 39, 41, 42: Sept 15 – Oct 31, daily bag 3, possession 6) versus the 'Rest of State' (Units 10-33, 36-38, 40, 43-77: Sept 1 – Nov 15, daily bag 5, possession 15), with a further carve-out of no bag limit and no closed season in the part of Unit 30 south of the Rogue River and South Fork Rogue River and north of Hwy 140 — together the two dated zones cover essentially the whole state. A regular hunting license is sufficient; no special tag is required. California ground squirrel and Belding's ground squirrel are separately listed on the same page as unprotected mammals with no closed season and no bag limit, but they are a different genus from western gray squirrel and are not covered by this file. Secondary (non-ODFW) sources claim eastern fox squirrel and eastern gray squirrel are unprotected/invasive in Oregon, but no official ODFW or OAR page confirming that status could be found in this review, so that claim is deliberately left out of bagLimits rather than guessed at.