Hunting in Ohio: Regulations for Hunting with Dogs

For some hunters, there's nothing like a faithful dog tracking, chasing or retrieving prey. Ohio allows some hunting with dogs, but there are some regulations and other information to keep in mind when taking your dogs hunting in the state.

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1. Training
Some state wildlife areas have designated dog-training areas, which are the only places on state wildlife land on which dogs can be trained or exercised during the summer. If you're not an Ohio resident, and your state doesn't permit Ohio residents to train dogs there, you can't train your dog in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

Generally, if you're training your dog to hunt a specific kind of animal and it's not the legal hunting season or time of day to hunt that animal, you can't have a firearm or hunting device with you.

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2. Hunting Dos and Don'ts
Dogs can't be used to hunt deer or wild turkey, but leashed dogs can be used to track wounded deer or wild turkey, according to state law. Dogs can be used to hunt feral swine, according to the ODNR. Dogs cannot be used to chase fur-bearing animals out of season, or coyotes during deer gun season, during daylight hours, according to state law. Nor can dogs be used to take a raccoon, opossum, skunk, or fox out of season outside a structure.

3. Chasing Livestock
Any dog chasing or harming livestock or poultry, or any domestic or other animal, except for a cat or another dog that does not belong to the dog's owner, can be killed if caught in the act, according to state law. If you try to kill such a dog and only wound it, you are not liable for criminal charges under the state's cruelty to animal laws. The costs of dealing with such a dog, and the damage done by that dog, generally falls upon the dog's owner.

This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.

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