Hunting in Rhode Island: 3 Animals To Hunt in the Winter

Across the United States, fall is the prime hunting season, with hunters coming out in droves to stalk and bag their favorite game. Fortunately for hunters in Rhode Island, many of the hunting seasons that start in fall don’t end until early or mid-winter.

This offers plenty of opportunities to partake of your favorite outdoor sport even as the weather turns colder. Winter hunting in Rhode Island includes both large and small game, which you can hunt with firearms, crossbow, and traps.

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According to the Rhode Island Hunting and Trapping Regulation Guide, the following animals are legal to hunt in Rhode Island in the winter.

1. Deer
Rhode Island’s deer hunting season begins in the fall, but in some public hunting areas it extends through winter. You may hunt using shotgun, muzzleloader, and archery on Block Island through the end of February, and may hunt deer using archery through the end of January statewide. Rhode Island has four wildlife management areas open for deer hunting, with two on the state’s mainland and two on separate island areas.

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2. Furbearers (Trapping)
Rhode Island permits the trapping of rabbit, mink, muskrat, gray fox, red fox, weasel, opossum, skunk and raccoon through the end of January. There is no limit on how many you may bag per day. You may trap beaver through the end of February on state land and through mid-March on private land, with a bag limit of 20 for the season. You must purchase a trapping license through Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management and must also submit a report of your trapping results within 30 days of the end of the trapping season. If you want to trap on private land, you must obtain written permission from the owner.

3. Ring-Necked Pheasant
The open season for this bird extends through the end of February. Hunters are limited to bagging two pheasant of either sex per day. They must purchase a game bird license, which allows the bagging of six pheasants. If you want to kill more than six, you can purchase multiple game bird licenses. You must tag each pheasant immediately.

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

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