Rabbit Hunting Season in Alabama: Dates, Limits, and Rules for 2026-27
October 18, 2026
Rabbit hunting season in Alabama is one of the longest small game windows in the Southeast. It opens in mid-September, runs through the dead of winter, and doesn’t close until the last day of February. That is roughly five and a half months of cottontail hunting behind a beagle or along a brushy fencerow.
This guide gives you the 2026-27 dates, the bag limit, the licenses you need, and the rules on weapons, hours, and orange. You’ll also get what to check before hunting public land. If you also chase other game in the state, our pages on dove hunting season in Alabama and deer hunting season in Alabama cover the other fall calendars.
Important Note: Several third-party sites still list older rabbit dates, such as October 1 openers or March end dates. Those reflect past seasons. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is the authority, so confirm anything you read here against the current regulations at Outdoor Alabama before you head out.
Rabbit Hunting Season Dates in Alabama
For the 2026-27 season, Outdoor Alabama’s rabbit season page lists the dates as the second Saturday in September through the last day in February. The state writes the season as a formula instead of fixed dates, so the opener shifts a little each year. In 2026, the second Saturday in September falls on September 12.
That lines up with a hunting guide that lists the statewide window as September 12 through February 28. The season is statewide, with no separate zones for rabbits.
The previous season ran September 13, 2025 through March 1, 2026, according to the 2025-26 ADCNR regulations book. Compare the two and you can see why the formula matters: the 2027 closing day is February 28, not March 1.
| Season | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | September 13, 2025 | March 1, 2026 |
| 2026-27 | September 12, 2026 (second Saturday) | February 28, 2027 (last day of February) |
Timing matters for your success, too. Huntwise points to November through February as the best stretch, especially January and February, because falling leaves thin the cover and make rabbits easier to spot and flush.
Which Rabbit and Hare Species You Can Hunt in Alabama
Alabama has no hare season to worry about. The state’s game animal list names the eastern cottontail and the swamp rabbit, and those are the two rabbits you can legally take. The ADCNR regulations designate both under the game animal rule.
The eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is the one most hunters pursue. It lives statewide, and Hunting Prime notes that cottontails are found across Alabama and that beagle hunting is a longstanding tradition in rural communities.
The swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus) is larger, darker, and tied to wet bottomlands, cane thickets, and river swamps. It counts under the same season and limit as the cottontail. One published reference lists the two as cottontail and swamp rabbit combined in the daily bag.
Where Cottontails Hold
Cottontails do best where thick cover meets open feeding ground. Dive Bomb Industries lists overgrown fencerows, briar patches, brush piles, fallow fields, and brushy creek beds as classic hiding spots. Rabbits feed in the early morning and late afternoon, then retreat into dense cover.
Rabbit Hunting Bag and Possession Limits in Alabama
The limit is simple: 8 a day and 8 in possession, according to the 2026-27 Outdoor Alabama rabbit season listing. There is no separate season limit published for rabbits.
Because the daily and possession limits match, you can’t stack birds over several days. Once you have eight rabbits in your game bag, truck, or freezer from the same trips, you are at the cap. Cottontails and swamp rabbits count toward the same total.
- Daily limit: 8 rabbits
- Possession limit: 8 rabbits
- Species counted: Eastern cottontail and swamp rabbit combined
- Squirrels: Tracked separately, with their own limit of 8 a day
Pro Tip: Count rabbits as you go and keep them with you in the field. If a warden checks your bag, a clear tally avoids any question about whether you went over.
Licenses and Permits Required to Hunt Rabbits in Alabama
You need a valid Alabama hunting license to take rabbits. Hunting Prime describes the All-Game Hunting License as the one that covers all species. The Alabama Administrative Code also refers to a small game license, so you have more than one way to qualify.
One of our own references, Hunting Laws in Alabama, puts the Resident All Game Hunting License at $34.35 for the 2025-26 license year. Fees are set by license year, so check Outdoor Alabama for the current price before you buy.
Landowners and Public Land Add-Ons
Resident landowners and immediate family members can hunt their own property without buying a license. Hunting Locator adds that the exemption covers only Alabama residents, and exempt landowners still follow seasons and bag limits.
If you hunt public land, expect extra paperwork. A Wildlife Management Area (WMA) license is required to hunt on any WMA, and a Lands License covers certain state-managed properties. On Forever Wild tracts, you also need a permit map and must follow the seasons and limits for that county.
Legal Hunting Methods and Weapons for Rabbits in Alabama
Most Alabama rabbit hunters use a lightweight shotgun. Dive Bomb Industries says No. 6 or No. 7.5 shot is the most popular choice, and small-caliber rifles are allowed but less practical in thick brush. A 20-gauge or a light 12-gauge with small game loads carries well through briars all day.
Dogs are the traditional method. Beagles track the rabbit’s circle and push it back toward you. Alabama’s rules also let you run dogs after rabbits during the closed gun season, but with a hard limit: during that closed season, you can’t kill, take, or possess any rabbit or any device that could capture or kill one, other than a light.
- Pick a cover type with thick escape cover next to feeding ground, like a fencerow beside a fallow field.
- Work it slowly, pausing often, since cottontails tend to sit tight until pressured.
- Release the beagle on the edge and position yourself where a circling rabbit is likely to return.
- Shoot only when you have a clear, safe backstop and a good view of your companions.
Specifics on method and equipment can change, so confirm anything unusual, like use of a particular weapon type on a WMA, in the official regulations book.
Shooting Hours and Sunday Hunting Rules for Rabbit Hunting in Alabama
Alabama sets legal hours in its administrative code under rule 220-2-.07, and the regulations point to that rule for hours on species like bobcat and coyote. Rabbits are a daytime quarry, and you should plan on legal daylight hours. Check the rule text or the current regulations book for the exact start and stop times that apply to rabbits and any WMA-specific differences.
The research I reviewed did not turn up a specific Sunday prohibition for rabbits on private land, and I’d rather not guess. Alabama’s season is written by date range, with no day-of-week exclusions in the published rabbit listing. Still, confirm Sunday rules for the specific property you plan to hunt, since WMAs and national forest tracts can set their own schedules.
Important Note: Sunday and shooting-hour rules for public land can differ from the statewide season listing. Call the local WMA office or check the area’s regulations before an early Sunday hunt.
Hunter Orange and Public Land Rules for Rabbit Hunting in Alabama
This is the section where sources disagree. Alabama’s published hunter orange rule centers on gun deer and feral hog hunting, where hunters must wear at least 144 square inches of solid blaze orange. Dive Bomb Industries says orange is required on public lands or during overlapping firearm deer seasons.
The ADCNR regulations book has its own heading for hunter orange requirements, including a definition of open permit public land. Read that section before you hunt, because orange rules on public land can apply to small game hunters too. Our Alabama hunting laws overview notes that the orange rule applies during gun deer seasons and has limited exceptions, and that wearing orange is the smarter call when in doubt.
Rabbit season overlaps heavily with deer gun season, so assume other hunters are in the woods. A hunter orange vest and cap cost little and make you visible to deer hunters who may be in the same area. If you hunt a WMA, you also need that WMA license and should read the area’s specific rules.
| Situation | What to Do |
|---|---|
| Private land, no deer hunters nearby | Orange is a good safety habit even where not mandated |
| Public land or open permit land | Wear orange and read the regulations book definition |
| During gun deer season | Wear at least 144 square inches of orange above the waist |
| On a WMA | Carry your WMA license and follow area rules |
Planning a full season of Alabama hunting? Our guides to turkey hunting season in Alabama and bear hunting season in Alabama help you fill the calendar around your rabbit days.