How Much Is an Ohio Hunting License? Resident, Non-Resident, and Permit Fees

A one-year resident adult hunting license in Ohio costs $19.00 for the 2025–2026 season, and a non-resident pays $180.96 for the same annual license.¹ Youth and senior rates are lower, multi-year and lifetime licenses lock in current pricing, and separate permits for deer, turkey, waterfowl, and furbearers add to the base fee. What you actually spend depends on who you are and what you plan to hunt.

Resident Adult Prices

Ohio residents between 18 and 65 pay the standard rate. The one-year license is $19.00, which includes an $18 statutory fee and a $1 writing fee paid to the issuing agent.² Multi-year options save a few dollars if you hunt every year:¹

Three-year license: $54.08
Five-year license: $90.14
Ten-year license: $180.27
Lifetime license: $449.28

A resident apprentice license, which lets you hunt under the direct supervision of a licensed adult before you complete hunter education, also costs $19.00 for one year. There is no cap on how many times you can buy an apprentice license.³

Youth Prices (17 and Younger)

Youth licenses carry the same price whether the hunter is an Ohio resident or an out-of-state visitor. A one-year youth hunting license is $10.00. Multi-year options are available to resident youth hunters:¹

Three-year license: $27.04
Five-year license: $45.07
Ten-year license: $90.14
Lifetime license: $430.56

The $430.56 lifetime youth license covers the holder for life regardless of any future price increases.

Senior Prices (Residents 66 and Older)

Ohio residents aged 66 and older who were born on or after January 1, 1938, qualify for reduced rates:¹

One-year license: $10.00
Three-year license: $27.04
Five-year license: $45.07
Lifetime license: $84.24

Residents born on or before December 31, 1937, get a free hunting license.¹ At $84.24, the senior lifetime license pays for itself in fewer than nine seasons compared with buying annually.

Non-Resident Prices

A non-resident adult pays $180.96 for a one-year Ohio hunting license, and the non-resident apprentice license is also $180.96.¹ For a short trip, a three-day tourist license costs $40.56, but it does not cover deer, turkey, furbearers, ducks, geese, or brant.²

There is one wrinkle worth checking before you pay the non-resident rate. Residents of states with a reciprocal agreement with Ohio pay the same base fee as Ohio residents ($18 plus the writing fee). Whether your home state qualifies depends on its own reciprocity arrangement, so confirm with the Ohio Division of Wildlife before buying.²

Permits You Add on Top

The base hunting license covers small game only. If you plan to go after deer, turkey, waterfowl, or furbearers, each requires a separate permit.

Deer

An either-sex deer permit costs $31.20 for residents and $76.96 for non-residents. A deer management permit, valid for antlerless deer only, costs $15.00 for all hunters regardless of residency.¹

Turkey

Spring and fall turkey permits are priced by category:¹

Resident adult: $31.20
Non-resident adult: $38.48
Youth: $16.00
Senior: $12.00

Waterfowl

Hunters 18 and older going after ducks, geese, or other migratory birds need two stamps alongside the base license. The Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp is $15.00, and the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (the duck stamp) is $25.00, valid through June 30, 2026.⁴

Fur Taker

Trapping furbearers requires a separate fur taker permit. Adult residents and non-residents pay $15.00, and youth and senior permits are $8.00.⁵

What a Typical Season Actually Costs

Once you stack the base license with the permits that match what you hunt, the total climbs quickly. Common scenarios for a resident adult in 2025–2026:

Small game only: $19.00 (hunting license alone)
Deer hunting: $50.20 (hunting license plus either-sex deer permit)
Deer and turkey: $81.40 (hunting license plus either-sex deer permit plus spring turkey permit)
Waterfowl: $59.00 (hunting license plus Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp plus federal duck stamp)

Non-residents should budget considerably more. A non-resident deer hunt runs $257.92 before you add a deer management permit for an antlerless tag.

Who Doesn’t Pay

Ohio resident landowners, along with their spouses, children, parents, and grandchildren under 18, do not need a hunting license, fur taker permit, deer permit, turkey permit, or Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp when hunting or trapping on land they own.³ Landowners who take a deer or turkey still have to tag the animal and complete game check, but the permits themselves cost nothing on their own ground.

How to Buy and When It’s Valid

You can buy an Ohio hunting license online at wildohio.gov, through the HuntFish OH mobile app, or in person from an authorized license agent in any county.⁶ Phone orders go to 1-800-WILDLIFE (1-800-945-3543). Applicants provide full name, date of birth, mailing address, Social Security Number, and physical characteristics such as height, weight, hair color, and eye color. Residents must show proof of Ohio residency to get the resident price.

A replacement for a lost license costs $4.00 ($3.00 plus the $1.00 writing fee), though reprinting from your online account or showing the license in the HuntFish OH app avoids the fee entirely.⁵

Annual Ohio hunting licenses run from March 1 through the last day of February the following year, and you have to carry a valid license in the field, either on paper or on a mobile device.¹

1
Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2025-26
2
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 1533.10 – Hunting Licenses; Fees
3
Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Buy Hunting Licenses and Permits
4
United States Postal Service. Spectacled Eiders 2025-2026 Federal Duck Stamps
5
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Department of Natural Resources Agency Fees
6
Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Buy Your License through the HuntFish OH Mobile App