Rabbit Hunting Season in New Jersey: 2026-27 Dates, Limits, and Rules
October 15, 2026
Rabbit hunting season in New Jersey runs for almost five months, yet it closes for a handful of days in December that catch plenty of hunters off guard. If you plan to chase cottontails in the Garden State this year, the calendar, the daily limit, and the orange requirements all matter more than the gun you carry.
This article walks you through the 2026-27 season dates, the species you can take, bag limits, licenses, legal weapons, shooting hours, and where hunter orange applies. The rules below come mainly from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife digest and the state administrative code, so you can check any detail at the source before you head out.
Pro Tip: Dates in this article reflect what the state posted as of October 2026. Confirm the final dates in the current New Jersey Hunting and Trapping Digest before you hunt, since some third-party sites still list proposed or prior-year dates.
Rabbit Hunting Season Dates in New Jersey
New Jersey’s small game framework gives you a long window. The posted eRegulations entry for gray squirrel, rabbit, jackrabbit, and hare lists a season of September 26, 2026 through February 20, 2027, closed December 7-12 and December 16, 2026. The December closure lines up with the deer firearm season.
State code explains how the dates are set. The season for cottontail, jackrabbit, and European hare with shotgun, bow, or air gun begins the last Saturday in September and ends the Saturday after the third Monday of the following February, and it closes during the six-day firearm deer season and the Wednesday right after it. That formula is why the dates shift a little each year.
You will see slightly different dates on hunting blogs. One guide lists September 30, 2026 through February 27, 2027, while another shows a proposed September 26, 2026 to February 27, 2027. The official digest and the state’s eRegulations page are the dates to trust.
Important Note: Sources disagree on the end date (February 20 versus February 27, 2027). The state’s published regulation text lists February 20, 2027, so use the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife digest as your final check.
| Item | Detail (2026-27) |
|---|---|
| Opening day | September 26, 2026 |
| Closing day | February 20, 2027 |
| December closure | December 7-12 and December 16, 2026 |
| Sunday hunting | Prohibited |
Which Rabbit and Hare Species You Can Hunt in New Jersey
The cottontail is the animal most hunters pursue here. The state’s rule covers the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), along with black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), white-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii), and European hare (Lepus europeus), all listed in N.J. Admin. Code 7:25-5.3.
In practice, hares and jackrabbits are rare. One outdoor writer at 97.3 ESPN put it bluntly: “good luck finding one of these.” Plan your hunt around cottontails.
The same writer notes that “swampers,” the large bunnies found in southern lowland swamps and thickets, are classified as cottontails and count against your four-rabbit limit. Habitat matters more than region, as one NJ Woods and Water forum thread shows, with hunters reporting good numbers in Sussex, Hunterdon, and Morris counties wherever brushy cover exists.
If you hunt other game in the state, our New Jersey deer hunting season guide covers the firearm dates that interrupt your rabbit season.
Rabbit Hunting Bag and Possession Limits in New Jersey
You get a generous daily limit, and there is no cap on how many you can take over the season. The daily bag limit is 5 squirrel, 1 hare or jackrabbit, and 4 cottontail, with no season limit. The administrative code backs this up, setting one jackrabbit or hare and four cottontail rabbits per day.
| Species | Daily Limit | Season Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Cottontail rabbit | 4 | None |
| Hare or jackrabbit | 1 (combined) | None |
| Gray squirrel (same season) | 5 | None |
Note that the hare and jackrabbit limit is one total, not one of each. A hunter who bags four cottontails and one hare in a day is at the legal limit for rabbits.
Licenses and Permits Required to Hunt Rabbits in New Jersey
For rabbits, you need a valid New Jersey hunting license and nothing more in most cases. Rabbit and squirrel hunting needs no extra permit beyond the license. Choose a firearm license for a shotgun or an archery license for a bow.
First-time hunters must clear hunter education. Hunter education is free in New Jersey, youth ages 10-13 must hunt with a licensed adult age 21 or older, and at age 14 a licensed youth may hunt independently unless a season rule says otherwise.
Two exceptions apply. If you hunt with a muzzleloader, a rifle permit is required. Nonresidents hunt under the same rules, since non-residents get the same seasons and bag limits as residents, but they pay higher license fees and must show prior license or hunter education proof.
Pro Tip: Hunting on a stocked pheasant and quail WMA adds orange rules and, for pheasant or quail, a separate stamp. Check the WMA listing before you go, even if you only want rabbits.
Legal Hunting Methods and Weapons for Rabbits in New Jersey
New Jersey keeps the weapon list short. For the regular season, legal weapons are air gun, bow, muzzleloading rifle, or shotgun. Most hunters carry a shotgun, and it is the best tool for flushing rabbits from briars.
The state digest sets the shotgun rules: single or double barrel, not larger than 10-gauge or smaller than .410, holding no more than three shells, with shot no larger than #4 fine shot. A 20-gauge with #5 or #6 shot is a common, easy-to-carry choice.
Muzzleloaders, Air Guns, and Dogs
The rabbit muzzleloader season is limited. Muzzleloading rifles cannot be larger than .36 caliber and are restricted to designated zones. Air guns must meet state specifications, and they are legal for rabbit, hare, and gray squirrel.
Dogs are allowed, which opens the door to beagle hunting. A 97.3 ESPN writer describes how later in the season, when numbers have thinned and rabbits hold in the thickest cover, hunting with a beagle or two pays off.
- Shotgun: 10-gauge to .410, three-shell capacity, #4 shot or smaller
- Bow: must meet general hunting regulation specifications
- Air gun: legal if it meets state specifications
- Muzzleloader: .36 caliber or smaller, designated zones, rifle permit
- Dogs: allowed during the regular season
Shooting Hours and Sunday Hunting Rules for Rabbit Hunting in New Jersey
Legal hours run sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. That is different from some surrounding states, so do not rely on a half-hour-before-sunrise start.
Sunday is off the table. The state lists Sunday hunting as prohibited for rabbit, hare, and squirrel. The only Sunday small game exceptions are for opossum and raccoon, plus licensed preserves.
Treat the December closure as a second no-hunt window. Rabbits are protected December 7-12 and December 16, 2026, so mark those days on your calendar alongside Sundays. Our New Jersey turkey season article and dove season article help you plan other hunts around the same dates.
Hunter Orange and Public Land Rules for Rabbit Hunting in New Jersey
If you hunt rabbits with a firearm, wear orange. The regulation says hunter orange is required when hunting with a firearm during the regular rabbit season. Veteran writers describe the standard as a cap, or a jacket or vest with at least 200 square inches visible from all sides.
Pheasant and quail WMAs have a stricter rule. A solid hunter orange hat with no camouflage or logos is required as part of the 200 square inch requirement when hunting small game with a firearm on any pheasant or quail stocked WMA.
Finding Public Ground
New Jersey has more public land than most hunters expect. The state reports more than 750,000 acres of public land open to hunting, including WMAs topping 358,000 acres across 122 areas. For rabbits, look for brushy field edges, hedgerows, and early-successional cover rather than mature forest.
Black River WMA in Morris County is one example, with habitat of river bottom, swampy woodland, marsh, fields, and upland deciduous woods, and species including rabbit and squirrel. The state lists WMAs at the New Jersey small game regulations page, which also covers state park and forest hunting maps.
- Check the WMA or park listing to confirm it is open to small game hunting.
- Read any area-specific rules on orange, dogs, and weapons.
- Pack your license, hunter orange, and a copy of the digest.
- Skip Sundays and the December deer firearm closure days.
Rabbit hunting is a good way to extend your hunting year in New Jersey, and the rules are simple once you know them: a license, four cottontails a day, orange when carrying a firearm, and no Sundays. Compare other state rules in our guides for New York deer hunting and Pennsylvania turkey hunting if you cross state lines, and read the full NJ small game regulations digest before opening day.