Oklahoma Squirrel Season: Dates, Bag Limits, and Licenses

Oklahoma squirrel season runs from May 15 through February 28, covering both fox and gray squirrels statewide. The daily bag limit is 25 squirrels combined, with a possession limit of 50 after the first day. To hunt legally you need an Oklahoma hunting license, and anyone 30 or younger also needs a hunter education certificate or an apprentice designation with a qualified adult in the field.

Season Dates

The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission opens squirrel season on May 15 and closes it on February 28.¹ That gives you more than nine months to hunt, one of the longest small-game windows anywhere in the country. The same dates apply to fox and gray squirrels; there’s no separate season for each species.

The one timing catch involves deer season. On many Wildlife Management Areas, squirrel hunting closes during the first nine days of deer gun season for safety reasons.² Some WMAs extend that closure further, shutting down squirrel hunting from the opening of deer archery season through the first nine days of deer gun season. If you’re planning to hunt public land during fall or early winter, check the rules for your specific WMA before you go.

Daily Bag and Possession Limits

You can take 25 squirrels per day, fox and gray combined. After day one, you can hold up to 50 in possession at any time.¹

The possession limit counts every squirrel you have on hand, whether fresh, frozen, or processed. If you hit 50, you need to eat or give some away before harvesting more. Gifting is legal, but the person receiving them is bound by the same possession cap.

Hunting License

Every squirrel hunter needs a valid Oklahoma hunting license or a documented exemption.³ What you pay depends on residency, age, and military status.

Resident Options

Residents 18 and older pay $36 for an annual hunting license. A Youth Annual Super Hunting license runs $26 for residents 17 and under, though for squirrels alone a youth hunter may qualify for the hunter education exemption described below.⁴

Oklahoma also sells a lifetime combination hunting and fishing license for $1,024 to residents with at least six months of residency.⁵ Residents who turn 65 or older during the current calendar year qualify for a senior citizen lifetime combination license at $60.⁴

Nonresident Options

Nonresidents 18 and older pay $209 for an annual hunting license or $75 for a five-day license.⁴ The five-day covers small game like squirrels but doesn’t cover big game, waterfowl, turkey, or quail. Active-duty military personnel permanently stationed in Oklahoma and their dependents qualify as residents for annual license purchases.⁶

Disabled Veterans

Resident veterans with a VA-certified disability of 60% or greater can buy a disability lifetime combination hunting and fishing license for $25. Veterans with a rating below 60% pay $200 for the same license.⁷ Either version covers squirrel hunting.

Hunter Education

Oklahoma requires anyone 30 or younger to hold a hunter education certificate before purchasing a hunting license.⁸ The course comes from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and covers firearm safety, wildlife identification, and hunting ethics. Children under 10 can take the course but can’t test for certification.

If you’re under 30 and haven’t completed the course, you can still hunt under an apprentice designation. An apprentice must be accompanied by a licensed hunter who is at least 18 and who either holds a hunter education certificate or is exempt. For small game, the accompanying hunter needs to stay within sight and normal speaking distance of the apprentice.⁸

Youth hunters under 16 pursuing small game are exempt from hunter education entirely, as long as they hunt alongside a licensed adult 18 or older who has a hunter safety certificate or is exempt.⁸ That makes a squirrel hunt one of the easiest ways to introduce a kid to the sport.

Legal Weapons and Methods

You have a wide range of legal choices for squirrels. Approved methods include shotguns, rifles, and handguns (conventional or muzzleloading), air rifles, bows and arrows, slingshots, hand-thrown projectiles, and falconry with legal raptors.¹ No separate archery or muzzleloader permit is required.

The most common tools are a .22 rimfire rifle and a shotgun loaded with #6 shot. Some public lands narrow the field. On certain national wildlife refuges, only shotguns, .22 and .17 rimfire rifles, and archery equipment are allowed for squirrels, and shotguns may need to be plugged to hold no more than three shells.⁹ A few WMAs like Altus-Lugert limit firearms to shotguns and rimfire rifles.²

Suppressors are legal for hunting in Oklahoma, including small game, as long as the suppressor is lawfully registered under the federal National Firearms Act. No additional state permit is needed.

Hunting With Dogs

Dogs are legal for squirrels. State regulations prohibit dogs only for bear, deer, elk, antelope, and turkey. For other species, dogs can be used during any open season, and hunters may run dogs year-round for training as long as they don’t carry weapons outside the regular harvest season.¹⁰ Some federal refuges, including Deep Fork and Little River, explicitly allow dogs for squirrel hunting.⁹

Where to Hunt

The ODWC manages dozens of Wildlife Management Areas, most of which are open to squirrel hunting under statewide regulations unless area-specific rules say otherwise.¹¹ Cookson, Honobia Creek, and Three Rivers are popular squirrel destinations in mature hardwood country. Individual WMAs may add weapon restrictions, deer-season closures, or non-toxic shot requirements. Grassy Slough WMA, for instance, requires federally approved non-toxic shot for all shotgun hunting.¹²

Federal lands add another layer. National forests like the Ouachita and several national wildlife refuges allow squirrel hunting but apply their own rules on top of state law. On refuges like Sequoyah and Ozark Plateau, squirrel hunting is limited to shotguns, .17 or .22 rimfire rifles, and archery equipment.⁹ Check with the U.S. Forest Service or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the specific unit you plan to visit.

On private land, you need written or verbal permission from the landowner. If you don’t know a landowner personally, hunting leases are an option; small-game lease rates generally run around $10 to $25 per acre annually, with smaller parcels and land near cities on the higher end.

What Will Get You Fined

A handful of methods are off limits for squirrels and every other game species in Oklahoma. Spotlighting (hunting with artificial lights) is illegal. Traps, snares, and poison may not be used to take squirrels. Fully automatic firearms are prohibited for hunting regardless of federal registration status.

Two location-based rules catch hunters off guard more than any others. You can’t shoot from or across a public road: a first offense carries a fine of $500 to $1,500, and a second offense runs $1,500 to $2,500 with possible jail time of up to 30 days. You also can’t hunt or discharge a firearm within 440 yards of a church, school, or any public place where people are assembled.¹³ Rural county roads look empty, but game wardens enforce the road rule aggressively.

Hunting without a valid license costs a resident $25 to $200, up to 30 days in jail, or both. A nonresident faces $200 to $500 and up to six months in jail.¹⁴

Going over the bag or possession limit falls under the general penalty for Wildlife Conservation Commission rule violations: a fine of $10 to $100, up to 30 days in jail, or both.¹³ Courts can also order restitution of $10 to $5,000 per animal depending on the species and the circumstances, and game wardens can seize all illegally harvested game.¹⁵

1
Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute. Oklahoma Admin Code 800-25-7-20 – Squirrel (Fox and Gray)
2
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Public Hunting Areas – Special Regulations
3
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Small Game Regulations
4
Oklahoma Wildlife Department. License Fees
5
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Lifetime License Info
6
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Who Can Apply?
7
Oklahoma.gov. Benefits Pages
8
Justia. Oklahoma Code Title 29 – Section 29-4-112A Hunting – Certificate of Competency and Safety
9
eCFR. 50 CFR 32.55 – Oklahoma
10
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. General Hunting Regulations
11
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Department-Managed Area Rules
12
Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute. Oklahoma Admin Code 800-25-7-102.2 – Grassy Slough WMA
13
Oklahoma Senate. Oklahoma Statutes Title 29 Game and Fish
14
Justia. Oklahoma Code Title 29 – Section 29-4-112v1 Hunting Licenses
15
Justia. Oklahoma Code Title 29 – Section 29-7-207 Unlawful Offenses Related to Wildlife – Restitution