Rabbit Hunting Season in Alaska: Dates, Limits, and Rules by Unit
October 14, 2026
Rabbit hunting season in Alaska is unlike anything in the Lower 48, because most of the state has no closed season and no bag limit at all. The “rabbits” you’ll chase here are almost always hares. Rabbits in most of Alaska are not really rabbits but snowshoe hares, which are larger than the cottontail and jack rabbits found in many of the lower forty-eight states.
The catch is that the rules change by game management unit (GMU), and a few areas, such as Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley, add their own restrictions. This article walks you through season dates, species, limits, licenses, legal methods, and public land rules so you know what applies where you plan to hunt. All regulation details below come from the 2026-2027 Alaska hunting regulations, which are in effect from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, unless noted otherwise.
Important Note: Alaska has 26 game management units, and small game rules differ between them. Always confirm the unit you’ll hunt in the current ADF&G small game regulations before you head out.
Rabbit Hunting Season Dates in Alaska
Season dates depend on where you hunt, but the picture is generous. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, hares in most units are open year-round with no closed season, while a few areas close in the summer months.
Here is how the 2026-2027 regulations break down by unit for snowshoe hare and Alaska hare:
| Game Management Unit | Snowshoe Hare Season | Alaska Hare Season |
|---|---|---|
| Units 1-5 and 14C | Sept 1 – Apr 30 | Not applicable |
| Units 6-8, 10-13, 14B, 15-16, 19-21, 24-26 | No closed season | Not applicable |
| Unit 14A | No closed season | Not applicable |
| Units 9 and 17 | No closed season | No open season |
| Units 18, 22, 23 | No closed season | Aug 1 – May 31 |
That Units 9 and 17 entry is a recent change. A Board of Game proposal to close Alaska hare hunting there cited very low densities, and the 2026-2027 booklet now lists no open season for Alaska hare in those units.
Pro Tip: Late fall and winter are popular because snow makes tracking easier and thick pelts are at their best. Early snowfalls can also catch snowshoe hares still in their brown summer coats, which makes them easier to spot.
Which Rabbit and Hare Species You Can Hunt in Alaska
Alaska has two huntable hare species. Alaska has two species of hare (snowshoe and Alaska), and the regulations treat both as small game. The booklet also notes that “hare” does not include Belgian hare, which is regulated separately.
The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) is the one most hunters will meet. Fast facts from ADF&G list them at 18-24 inches long and 3-4 pounds, ranging throughout the taiga of Alaska. They live in spruce forest, alder thickets, and regrowing burn areas, and they can be taken near highway systems and in disturbed ground like mine tailing piles.
The Alaska hare (Lepus othus), sometimes called the Arctic hare, is larger and lives in coastal western and southwestern Alaska. Hunting for it is limited to a handful of units, and it is closed in Units 9 and 17 as of the 2026-2027 regulations.
Key Insight: Snowshoe hare populations rise and fall in multi-year cycles. In a low year you may need to move to new country, so scout several areas rather than relying on one honey hole.
Rabbit Hunting Bag and Possession Limits in Alaska
Bag limits are among the most liberal in the country. Per the 2026-2027 ADF&G regulations, Units 1-5 and 14C allow five hares per day, Unit 14A allows five per day, and Units 6-8, 10-13, 14B, 15-16, 19-21, and 24-26 have no limit.
| Unit(s) | Species | Daily Limit | Possession or Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5, 14C | Hare | 5 per day | No separate possession limit listed |
| 14A | Snowshoe hare | 5 per day | No possession limit |
| 14B | Snowshoe hare | No limit | No possession limit |
| 6-8, 10-13, 15-16, 19-21, 24-26 | Hare | No limit | No limit |
| 9, 17 | Snowshoe hare | No limit | No limit |
| 18, 22, 23 | Snowshoe hare | No limit | No limit |
| 18, 22, 23 | Alaska hare | 2 per day | 6 total |
The unit 14 figures for 14A and 14B match ADF&G’s Unit 14 small game guide, which was published as of 2023. If you’re hunting the Anchorage area, double-check the current booklet because the unit guide predates the 2026-2027 regulations.
Salvage rules apply too. Hunters must salvage the hide or meat of snowshoe hare, and the same goes for Alaska hares taken in Units 18, 22, and 23. Even with no limit, many hunters set their own cap. One writer in Hunt Alaska Magazine keeps to three a day and rotates spots so some hares are always left for seed stock.
Licenses and Permits Required to Hunt Rabbits in Alaska
A basic hunting license is all most hare hunters need. Small game hunting does not require special permits, tags, or stamps. There are two exceptions in the Anchorage area: a registration permit is required to hunt inside the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge and within a portion of the Eagle River Management Area.
Based on fee tables compiled by Project Upland and Hunting Locator, license costs look like this. Fees can change, so verify them on the ADF&G license page before buying.
| License Type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Resident annual hunting license | $45 |
| Nonresident annual hunting license | $160 |
| Nonresident small game only | $60 |
| Nonresident alien annual hunting license | $630 |
For the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, the permit is available online during the hunting season or at the Anchorage ADF&G office. To register for the Eagle River Management Area, you must sign up at the Anchorage ADF&G office. Hunter education certification is required for both areas.
Planning a bigger Alaska trip? Our guides to deer hunting season in Alaska and duck hunting laws in Alaska cover the licensing and stamp rules for other game.
Legal Hunting Methods and Weapons for Rabbits in Alaska
You have plenty of options statewide. ADF&G says hares are best hunted with a shotgun and birdshot, or a .22-caliber rifle or handgun. A scoped rimfire is a favorite for winter still-hunting, when you walk slowly and glass for the dark eye and black ear tips against the snow.
Hunters should know what is not allowed. The regulations list that fur animals may not be taken under hunting rules by methods such as dogs (with one coyote exception), traps, snares, or nets. If you want to trap hares, you need to follow the separate trapping regulations rather than the small game rules.
Some areas limit weapons further, especially near population centers:
- Palmer-Wasilla Management Area: small game may be taken by muzzleloader, shotgun, air rifle, falconry, and bow and arrow only.
- Eagle River Management Area: small game may be taken by archery, shotgun, falconry, crossbow, or muzzleloader by permit.
- Eklutna Lake Management Area: small game may be taken by falconry or bow and arrow only, from September 1 through April 30.
Common Mistake: Carrying a .22 rifle into the Palmer-Wasilla area because it works fine in the Interior. Check the management area rules first, since rifles are not on the legal list there.
One more note on health. Hunters should be alert for signs of tularemia, a bacterial disease found in hares and rodents. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension advises using rubber gloves when cleaning hares and not shooting animals that act sluggish or erratic when flushed. Cook the meat thoroughly.
Shooting Hours and Sunday Hunting Rules for Rabbit Hunting in Alaska
Alaska does not set statewide legal shooting hours for hare, and there is no Sunday hunting ban. The 2026-2027 small game regulations I reviewed list seasons and bag limits for hare without a “sunrise to sunset” window, so you can hunt any day of the week the season is open. This is a big difference from many eastern states that restrict Sunday hunting.
Local and area rules can still apply. The Hatcher Pass Youth Hunt in Unit 14, for example, is a youth-only small game hunt held from August 10 to August 25, with the area closed to other small game hunting during that window. Most of that area returns to normal Unit 14A rules afterward.
Practical timing matters more than legal timing. Alaska winter days can be only a few hours long in the north, so plan your walk around available light. One Hunt Alaska Magazine author reports taking most of his hares between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in winter, while others prefer dawn and dusk.
Hunter Orange and Public Land Rules for Rabbit Hunting in Alaska
Alaska does not require hunter orange for general small game hunting. Alaska does not require blaze orange to be worn while hunting, but it is recommended to increase your safety. The main exception is youth hunts: youth hunters and accompanying adults must wear hunter orange vests while in the field in the Hatcher Pass Youth Hunt Management Area.
Orange is still a smart choice. In deep snow, a hunter in white or brown camouflage stalking a white hare is hard to see for other people on the same trail or burn.
Public land is plentiful. National forests, state lands, and BLM ground cover huge parts of the state, and the Kenai Peninsula, the forests around Fairbanks, and parts of Southcentral Alaska are commonly cited hare areas. Some public parcels carry special rules, so check the ADF&G unit restrictions page for the area you plan to hunt. Military lands such as Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson have their own access requirements.
If you hunt other seasons here, our guides to turkey hunting season in Alaska and bear hunting season in Alaska are worth a read. For a look at how rules differ elsewhere, see deer hunting season in Texas.
To wrap up, Alaska is one of the easiest places in the country to hunt hares. Pick your unit, confirm the season and limit in the 2026-2027 booklet, carry a basic license, and follow any area-specific weapon rules. Then go find some tracks in the willows.