Night hunting laws by state

Applies to: Furbearers

A separate night hunting license permits taking feral hogs and coyotes at night on any private or leased property where the hunter has permission to hunt, using night vision or thermal optics and weapon-mounted lights. The season window is published as calendar dates that change every year, so check the current dates. This license does not allow you to take any other game animal at night.

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Artificial light may be used while tracking and dispatching a wounded game animal; however, a hunter may not be on or in a motorized vehicle while using artificial light. A narrow exception applies to resident den-site black bear take in specified units.

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Taking wild animals or birds by moonlight or artificial light is illegal, except for raccoons, reptiles and other mammals as prescribed in R12-4-304. R12-4-303 also bars electronic night vision equipment, electronically enhanced light-gathering devices, thermal imaging devices or laser sights projecting a visible light while taking wildlife.

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Code 05.02 makes it unlawful to hunt any wildlife at night. Exceptions include raccoon, bobcat and opossum treed by dogs during open seasons, and aquatic wildlife, bullfrogs and alligators. Code 05.03 makes it unlawful to shine artificial lights from any public road, or on any wildlife management area, for viewing or locating wildlife.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Night hunting is prohibited except for listed cases such as bobcat, raccoon and opossum treed by dogs in open season. A Predator Control Permit lets landowners, lessees or people with written permission take bobcat, coyote, foxes, opossum, raccoon and striped skunk day or night, with artificial light (never from a public road), on private land outside town limits. Feral hogs may be killed year-round on private land by the landowner or anyone with permission; AGFC does not address night hog hunting on its hog page.

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14 CCR 353 prohibits any device or devices which throw, cast or project an artificial light or electronically alter or intensify a light source for the purpose of visibly enhancing an animal. Laser rangefinders, red-dot scopes with self-illuminating reticles and fiberoptic sights are permitted.

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C.R.S. 33-6-127 makes it unlawful to utilize any artificial light as an aid in hunting or taking any wildlife, with exceptions for landowners, family and agents per commission rule; those exceptions were not enumerated and no predator carve-out was confirmed. Night vision, light-gathering optics and thermal imaging are prohibited for hunting outside legal hours.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Night hunting is permitted for raccoon and opossum on state-owned and private lands. Rifles or handguns using ammunition larger than .22 caliber rimfire or shotgun shells larger than #2 shot may not be used; .17 rimfire is permitted. It is illegal to take raccoons or opossums with the use of a light from a motor vehicle. During deer season those hours shift to 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Coyote follows standard daytime hours. There is no night coyote season.

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It is prohibited to hunt at night, defined as 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise, except that frogs, raccoons and opossum may be hunted at night using a handheld light. It is also prohibited to use an artificial light to illuminate wildlife from a motor vehicle for the purpose of hunting or observation, or to use night vision or infrared devices while hunting.

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Taking or attempting to take wildlife with artificial lights is prohibited under the gun and light rule, Fla. Stat. section 379.404.

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Applies to: Furbearers

The gun and light permit is not required to take wild hog, coyote, armadillo, black or Norway rat, and house mouse with a gun and light during non-daylight hours. On private property with landowner permission, wild hogs may be hunted year-round day or night without restriction and with no license required, though WMA restrictions apply.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Raccoons, opossums, foxes, coyotes, bobcats and feral hogs may be hunted at night (feral hogs at night on private land), and alligators under permit. Any light used for raccoons, opossums, foxes or bobcats must be carried on the hunter's body, attached to a hat or helmet, or part of a belt system; there is no voltage limit.

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Applies to: Big game

No person shall hunt game mammals with the use of artificial light. Hawaii has no predator or furbearer game class.

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No shooting is allowed outside official shooting hours. Technology restrictions adopted for big game and game birds do not apply to hunting wolves, mountain lions or predatory wildlife.

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Applies to: Furbearers

For gray wolf, no person may hunt gray wolf by use of artificial light or otherwise outside of official shooting hours unless authorized.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Artificial lighting to locate wildlife is prohibited, except that skunk, opossum, red fox, coyote and raccoon may be harvested during the open season using a small hand-operated light by a person who is on foot and not in any vehicle.

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It is illegal for a person to deliberately cast a spotlight or other artificial light from a motor vehicle if in possession of any firearm, bow, or crossbow. Spotlight use to take wild animals is prohibited, with furbearing mammals excluded from that restriction.

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You cannot cast the rays of a spotlight, headlight or other artificial light for the purpose of spotting, locating, taking or attempting to take or hunt an animal while having in possession or control any firearm, bow or other device.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Raccoons and other furbearers treed with the aid of dogs are excepted from the artificial light ban. For coyotes an infrared light source may be used as long as the infrared light source is mounted to the method of take, and that use is prohibited during deer seasons. No feral hog framework was found.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Kansas runs a Coyote Night Vision Permit season during the window set by KDWP. A Night Vision Equipment Permit is required, and artificial light, light-amplifying scopes and equipment, and thermal imaging equipment may be used. The equipment cannot be used on department lands and waters, including WIHA, may not be used with a vehicle, and is barred during antlered deer firearm seasons.

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No person shall take wildlife, except raccoons, opossums, coyotes, frogs and fish, using lights or other means designed to blind wildlife. Hunting coyote with an artificial light is permitted on private land during designated periods. Artificial light or other means designed to make wildlife visible at night cannot be connected to or cast from a mechanized vehicle.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Raccoon and opossum may be hunted day or night, except during modern gun deer season, when they may be hunted only at night.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Outlaw quadrupeds, meaning feral hogs, coyotes and armadillos, may be taken from one-half hour after official sunset to one-half hour before official sunrise by the landowner, lessee or agent holding the landowner's written permission and contact information in his possession.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Any legal firearm may be used with or without the aid of artificial light, infrared, or laser sighting devices or night vision devices, and suppressors are allowed with a valid ATF permit. The hunter must notify the parish sheriff's office within 24 hours in advance of any such activity or immediately upon taking the animal.

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There is no general night hunting. During the fall period set in the regulations it is unlawful to use artificial lights to illuminate, jack, locate, attempt to locate or show up wild birds or animals. Raccoon may be hunted at night with flashlights during the open season. Coyote night hunting requires a separate permit and is limited to a period set each year.

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Applies to: Deer

Hunting outside legal shooting hours is prohibited. Hunters may dispatch wounded deer after legal shooting hours on the evening the wounding occurs, using weapons legal for the current season, and artificial lights are permitted for that specific purpose. Natural Resources Police must be notified at (800) 628-9944.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Coyotes may be hunted day and night year-round in all counties, and foxes day or night during their season. Artificial lights and dogs may be used while hunting coyotes, foxes, opossums or raccoons on foot; casting a light from a vehicle onto fields, woods or wildlife is illegal.

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It is prohibited to use artificial lights for hunting any bird or mammal except raccoon and opossum. Artificial light is listed as a prohibited method for coyote even though coyote hours run to midnight.

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You cannot use an artificial light, including vehicle headlights, to locate wild animals at any time in November, or between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. the rest of the year, unless you are lawfully hunting furbearers at night. Coyotes may be hunted at night during the coyote night season, with extra firearm limits in the days just before the November firearm deer opener.

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A person cannot shine artificial light, for example onto a highway, field, or forest, to find or take a wild animal while possessing a gun, bow, or any other tool that could be used to hunt big game, small game, or unprotected animals.

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Applies to: Furbearers

There is a coyote and fox exception during the winter window set in the regulations, permitted only under all of the following conditions: while on foot and not within a public right of way, using a shotgun, using a calling device, and not within 200 feet of a vehicle.

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It is unlawful to shine a light from a public road or right-of-way, or on the property of another, at night, from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise. It is unlawful to hunt, take or kill a deer at night with the aid of a light, lighting device, light amplifying device, forward-looking infrared or thermal imaging device.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Raccoons, foxes, opossums, beavers, nutrias, coyotes and bobcats may be hunted at night with or without lights and dogs, except during spring turkey season, when hunting raccoons with dogs requires an MDWFP permit. Nuisance species including beaver, coyote, nutria, fox, skunk and wild hogs may be taken year-round by licensed hunters. Wild hog night specifics were not verified.

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Use of artificial light for hunting is generally prohibited. Raccoons and bullfrogs are among the excepted species.

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Applies to: Furbearers

For coyotes, artificial light and night vision or thermal optics are permitted in conjunction with other legal hunting methods during defined windows that shift every year, so check the current dates. Coyotes also may not be taken during daylight hours in a defined spring period running into spring turkey season. Landowners may use night vision or thermal to kill feral swine on their property.

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MCA 87-6-401 prohibits projected artificial light as a hunting aid, with enhanced penalties under 87-6-901 through 87-6-903.

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Neb. Rev. Stat. section 37-514: it is unlawful to hunt any wildlife by casting the rays of a spotlight, headlight, or other artificial light attached to or used from a vehicle or boat while having in possession any firearm or bow and arrow. It is a Class III misdemeanor with a minimum 250 dollar fine. The Big Game Guide also bans scopes that amplify light or project a light beam.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Exceptions to the spotlight statute are hunting raccoons on foot with hand-held lights, landowners protecting property from unprotected wildlife species using artificial light, and taking nongame fish by bow from vessels with artificial light.

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A person shall not possess or use electronic night-vision equipment, electronically enhanced light-gathering devices, thermal imaging devices, infrared night-vision equipment or comparable devices while hunting or taking any game mammal or game bird. Mountain lion may lawfully be hunted at night but not with those devices. Whether predators and furbearers are exempt was not verified.

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It is unlawful to possess a firearm with ammunition, bow and arrow, or crossbow and bolt while attempting to locate or illuminate wild animals at night, with exceptions for coyote during the winter period set in the regulations and for raccoon hunting and trap checking. It is also unlawful to illuminate wild animals during the fall period set in the regulations.

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It is unlawful to hunt for or shoot any wildlife by aid of a light, with exceptions for raccoon, opossum, and coyote and fox during the special permit season.

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It is unlawful to shine spotlights or other artificial lights into areas where big-game species or livestock may be present, while in possession of any sporting arm.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Licensed trappers may take raccoons at night using a headlamp or hand-held flashlight only.

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Applies to: Big game

It is illegal to hunt deer or bear with the aid of any artificial light including laser sights. Spotlighting for observation is permitted under conditions, for example not within 500 feet of homes.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Furbearers may be hunted at night; coyote can be hunted day or night in season. Spotlights, night vision, and thermal and laser devices are permitted for furbearer hunting and may be attached to the firearm. Local laws may prohibit discharging firearms at night.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Artificial lights may be used for taking feral swine and coyotes at night where legal, and for retrieving harvested big game. Coyote night hunting is permitted statewide except in Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington counties, which are in the red wolf recovery area. Raccoons, opossums and feral swine may be hunted at night.

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Applies to: Big game

It shall be illegal to engage in shining for big game with any artificial light for the purpose of locating or observing big game between sunset of one day and sunrise of the next. Night vision and thermal imaging equipment are prohibited while hunting. NDCC 20.1-01-08 also bars taking any wildlife between sunset and sunrise with the aid of any artificial light.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Red fox, gray fox and coyote may be hunted at any hour during the night hunting season (late November into spring) with firearms or pre-charged air guns, and with archery gear starting in early January. Night hunters must be on foot. Artificial light, night vision, thermal and infrared are banned for hunting game except for beaver, raccoon, fox and coyote during their open night season.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Spotlighting of wild animals from vehicles is prohibited. Furbearer hunters at night must carry a continuous white light visible for at least 1/4 mile, except those hunting foxes, coyotes, or raccoons with a call from a stationary position, who may use a single beam of light of any color. Rifles and night vision scopes are legal for coyote hunting, with different rules during deer gun seasons.

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No person may attempt to take any deer, feral animal or other wildlife by the use of a vehicle-mounted spotlight or other powerful light at night. During any big game season, light enhancement devices may not be used from sunset to sunrise unless the hunter is certified 100 percent disabled or legally blind. Thermal or night vision equipment is prohibited from public roadways.

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Applies to: Furbearers

For coyotes it shall be unlawful to hunt, take or attempt to take coyotes from dark to daylight with the aid of any artificial light. Hunters pursuing furbearers with hounds may possess a .22 caliber rimfire rifle or .22 caliber rimfire pistol and a light during the legal season.

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It is prohibited to use an artificial light for hunting any wildlife, except raccoon, bobcat and opossum, provided the light is not cast from or attached to a motor vehicle.

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Recreational spotlighting is lawful between sunrise and 11 p.m. and is prohibited during firearm deer season. A person hunting raccoons, skunks, opossums, bobcats, weasels, foxes and coyotes on foot may use a handheld light.

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Spotlighting is prohibited, statewide and on the islands, during the fall and winter period set in the regulations. Raccoon hunting at night is permitted.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Feral hogs, coyotes, and armadillos may be hunted at night on registered properties with artificial lights and night vision devices, using any legal firearm, bow, or crossbow. They may not be hunted at night on any unregistered property. Property registration is required once annually as prescribed by DNR for each property, and the night hunting season runs the full calendar year.

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Between sunset and sunrise, no person may use or possess nightvision equipment or throw or cast the rays of a spotlight while possessing firearms or hunting implements. Limited exceptions exist for specific small game species on certain lands with equipment restrictions.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Between sunset and sunrise you may not use night vision or a spotlight or other artificial light to hunt while carrying a firearm or bow, with exceptions for jackrabbits, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, opossums, badgers, skunks, rodents and beaver in its season. On private land you may use night vision and artificial light for those species; on public land, and on GFP-leased public-access private land with the landowner's permission, only night vision (no light) is allowed, and only from January through August. Any night hunting must use a shotgun with shot shells or a firearm with a bullet diameter under .312 inch, and a handheld light on foot is allowed for treed raccoons with dogs and for trapping.

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Firearms or archery equipment with any device utilizing an artificial light capable of locating wildlife are prohibited, except shotguns during the night-time coyote and bobcat-only season. Raccoon and opossum are night-legal species.

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For game animals and birds it is unlawful to hunt with the aid of artificial light of any form that casts or reflects a beam of light onto or otherwise illuminates a game animal or bird. Limited exceptions exist for legally blind hunters and hunters with a documented disability using laser sighting devices. Battery-powered scoping devices with internal light projections are permitted.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Nongame animals such as armadillos, bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, prairie dogs and rabbits have no closed seasons and may be hunted at any time; a hunting license is required, and TPWD says that if hunting at night you should as a courtesy contact your local game warden. No hunting license is required to hunt feral hogs on private property with landowner authorization.

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Applies to: Big game

You may not use a spotlight, headlight or other artificial light to take or locate any protected wildlife, including big game, if you have a rifle, shotgun, archery equipment, airgun, crossbow or muzzleloader in your possession. It is also unlawful to possess any type of night-vision device while locating, taking or attempting to locate big game during the restricted period set in the regulations.

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Applies to: Furbearers

It is unlawful to take or pursue any protected wildlife, including protected furbearers, with a spotlight or other artificial light from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise. Night-vision devices may not be possessed while locating or taking big game from July 31 to Dec. 31.

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It is illegal to shine a spotlight or other artificial light on any highway, field, woodland or forest to spot, locate or take any wild animal. The exception: a light may be used to illuminate and shoot a raccoon treed by dogs during raccoon season, and to illuminate a treed raccoon during the training season.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Bobcat, fox, raccoon and opossum may be hunted day or night. Lights may be used as long as the light is not attached to or cast from a vehicle. Night vision scopes and laser sights may be used.

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Applies to: Big game

Hunting big game with the aid of an artificial light, spotlight, or night vision equipment is prohibited. It is also illegal to hunt wildlife at night in any area open to modern firearm deer or elk hunting during the fall months specified in the regulations.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Bobcat and raccoon are exempt from normal hunting-hour limits, but night hunting for bobcat is prohibited in certain GMUs listed in the regulations. Hunting any wildlife at night is illegal in October and November in areas open to modern firearm deer or elk hunting. Big game may not be hunted with artificial light or night-vision equipment.

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It is unlawful to use or attempt to use any artificial light or any night vision technology while hunting, except for coyote, fox, raccoon, opossum and skunk. Coyote may be hunted at night with any color artificial light or night vision year-round, with part of the year restricted to private property only. Big game may not be hunted between 1/2 hour after sunset and 1/2 hour before sunrise.

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Coyote, fox, raccoon and unprotected species may be hunted at night. A flashlight or firearm-mounted light may be used at the point of kill while hunting these animals on foot, but not to shine them while you have a firearm, bow or crossbow. Shining any wild animal is illegal from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., Sept. 15 through Dec. 31.

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Applies to: Big game

Hunters may not use artificial lighting devices with intent to locate big game.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Predatory animal hunters on public land using artificial light must display an activated infrared strobe beacon visible from 100 yards.

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