In the United States, you can legally hunt a wide range of wild animals: white-tailed and mule deer, elk, moose, bears, pronghorn, turkeys, rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, quail, grouse, ducks, geese, doves, furbearers like raccoons and foxes, and invasive species such as feral hogs. What you can actually pursue in any given trip depends on the state you are in, the current season, and the licenses and tags you hold. State wildlife agencies set seasons, bag limits, and legal methods for most species, while a separate layer of federal law governs migratory birds and protects endangered species nationwide.
Big Game
White-tailed deer are the most widely hunted big game animal in the country, found in every state except Alaska and Hawaii. Mule deer fill a similar role across the western half of the continent, thriving in open sagebrush, mountain foothills, and high desert that white-tails avoid.
Elk are a step up in both size and difficulty. Most elk hunting happens in the Rocky Mountain states, where demand far exceeds available tags and many units operate on a lottery draw. Moose are even more limited. Only a handful of northern states offer moose tags, and drawing one can take years of accumulated preference points. Black bears are huntable in roughly 30 states, typically during fall seasons timed around denning behavior, though a few states offer spring seasons as well.
Pronghorn, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and mountain lions round out the big game options in various western and northern states. Tags for bighorn sheep are among the hardest to draw in all of North American hunting, with odds in some units running worse than one in a hundred.
Small Game and Upland Birds
Small game is where most people start. Cottontail rabbits and squirrels are legal in nearly every state, seasons tend to be long, and bag limits are generous. These hunts require minimal gear and are a practical way for new hunters to build field skills.
Wild turkeys are hunted in every state that has a population, with most states running a spring gobbler season and many offering a fall season as well. Pheasants draw heavy pressure across the northern Great Plains and Midwest, particularly in agricultural regions with good cover. Quail species, including bobwhite in the East and South and Gambel’s and scaled quail in the Southwest, are also popular, though bobwhite populations have declined significantly in many areas, leading to tighter limits.
Grouse offer additional upland opportunities. Ruffed grouse in the Northeast and Midwest are widely hunted, while sage-grouse seasons in parts of the West are increasingly restricted or closed due to habitat concerns.
Ducks, Geese, and Doves
Migratory birds fall under a dual regulatory system. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it illegal to hunt any migratory bird without federal authorization, and the Secretary of the Interior sets the framework for when, where, and how many birds can be taken each year based on population surveys and habitat conditions.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 704 – Determination as to When and How Migratory Birds May Be Taken, Killed, or Possessed States then choose their specific season dates and bag limits within that framework, but they cannot be more permissive than federal rules allow.2eCFR. 50 CFR Part 20 – Migratory Bird Hunting
Common waterfowl species include mallards, wood ducks, teal, pintails, Canada geese, and snow geese. Each species often has its own daily bag limit, so hunters need to identify birds on the wing before pulling the trigger. Mourning doves are the most harvested migratory game bird in the country by sheer numbers, with seasons running through late summer and fall in most states. Woodcock, snipe, and rails are also classified as migratory game birds with their own federal frameworks.
Method rules are tighter here than for most big game. You cannot use rifles, pistols, or shotguns larger than 10 gauge. Shotguns must be plugged to hold no more than three shells total. Hunting from any motorized vehicle, motorboat under power, or aircraft is prohibited, and you cannot use live birds as decoys or electronic calls, with narrow exceptions for certain snow goose conservation seasons.3eCFR. 50 CFR 20.21 – What Hunting Methods Are Illegal Baiting is one of the most commonly violated rules in waterfowl hunting. Placing grain, salt, or other feed to attract migratory birds to a hunting area is illegal, and the area remains legally baited for ten days after every trace of feed is removed. The prohibition extends to anyone who hunts over a baited area and knows or reasonably should know it was baited. Normal agricultural activity, including standing crops, flooded harvested fields, or grain scattered during routine planting and harvest, does not count as baiting.2eCFR. 50 CFR Part 20 – Migratory Bird Hunting
Furbearers
Furbearers are animals managed primarily for their pelts, though many are also pursued for population control or sport. Raccoons, beavers, muskrats, mink, foxes, coyotes, and bobcats are the most common furbearing species with regulated seasons. Most states allow both hunting and trapping, each with its own season dates and method restrictions.
Coyotes sit apart. Many states classify them as unprotected or allow year-round hunting with no bag limit, reflecting their adaptability and expanding range. In states where coyotes do have a regulated season, it tends to be one of the longest on the calendar.
Invasive and Unprotected Species
Some animals sit outside the normal game framework entirely. Feral hogs are the most prominent example. These invasive animals cause billions of dollars in agricultural and environmental damage annually, and the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service runs a national damage management program targeting them.4APHIS. National Feral Swine Damage Management Program Many states with significant feral hog populations allow year-round hunting with no bag limits, and some states do not even require a hunting license to take hogs on private land with landowner permission.
Certain non-native birds are also excluded from federal protection. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act only covers species included in the international treaties it implements, and a 2020 Federal Register notice identified 122 introduced bird species that fall outside its reach.5Federal Register. List of Bird Species to Which the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Does Not Apply Rock pigeons and Eurasian collared-doves are among the most familiar names on that list. House sparrows and European starlings belong to bird families that were never covered by the underlying treaties in the first place. These species can generally be taken without a federal migratory bird permit, though state and local laws still apply.
Animals You Cannot Hunt
Not every wild animal is fair game. The Endangered Species Act flatly prohibits the take of any species listed as endangered, and take under the ESA includes hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, and capturing.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 1538 – Prohibited Acts A knowing violation carries criminal fines up to $50,000 and up to one year in prison per offense. Civil penalties can reach $25,000 per violation even without proof of criminal intent.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 1540 – Penalties and Enforcement
Species hunters are most likely to encounter on this list include grizzly bears in the lower 48, gray wolves in most of their range, woodland caribou, and several subspecies of bighorn sheep. The list changes as populations recover or decline. Gray wolves, for example, have been delisted and relisted in different regions multiple times, so checking the current status of any species before hunting is not optional. Marine mammals like seals, sea otters, and manatees are separately protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which carries its own penalties. A state hunting license never authorizes the take of a federally listed endangered species.
Threatened species, one step below endangered, receive varying levels of protection depending on species-specific rules the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publishes. Some threatened species have limited, carefully regulated hunting under special permits, but the default is still no take allowed.
Licenses, Tags, and the Federal Duck Stamp
Every state requires hunters to carry a valid hunting license. Resident licenses generally cost between $12 and $65 depending on the state, while non-resident licenses run significantly higher. Most states require completion of a hunter education course before issuing a first license. The typical minimum age for certification is around 12, though roughly 20 states have no minimum age and many offer apprentice or mentored-youth programs that let younger hunters participate under direct adult supervision.
Beyond the base license, most hunts for big game and turkey require species-specific tags or permits. You typically buy a tag for each individual animal you intend to harvest. In states with limited entry, you apply through a lottery draw, and success depends on demand, available permits, and in many states an accumulated preference or bonus point system. Non-resident tags cost substantially more. Non-resident deer tags, for instance, range from under $50 to over $700 depending on the state.
Waterfowl hunters aged 16 and older must also carry a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, known as the Federal Duck Stamp. It costs $25 and is valid from July 1 through the following June 30. Ninety-eight percent of the purchase price goes directly to acquiring and protecting wetland habitat; since 1934, Duck Stamp revenue has conserved more than six million acres.8U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Federal Duck Stamp Many states also require a separate state waterfowl stamp or migratory bird permit on top of the federal one.
Where You Can Hunt
Where you hunt matters as much as what you hunt. Hunting on federal public lands, including national forests, Bureau of Land Management land, and national wildlife refuges, is generally permitted during state seasons, subject to any area-specific restrictions.9U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. General Hunting Laws State-managed wildlife management areas and public hunting lands add further options, often with their own permit requirements.
Private land is a different story. Hunting on someone else’s property without permission is trespassing, and in many jurisdictions it carries enhanced penalties when you have a firearm. Some states demand written permission with signed dates and a property description, while others accept verbal consent. If the landowner does not respond or says no, you cannot hunt there, and violating posted boundaries or conditions the landowner set can cost you your license on top of any trespassing charges.
Safety clothing requirements round out the legal picture. Most states require hunters to wear a minimum amount of blaze orange during firearm deer seasons, and many extend the requirement to all firearm hunting seasons. The typical rule calls for an orange hat, vest, or jacket visible from all sides. Camouflage-patterned orange generally does not satisfy the requirement. Archery-only hunters and waterfowl hunters in certain situations are commonly exempt, but the specifics vary enough that checking your state’s current regulations before heading out is the only safe approach.