About Game Animals
A game animal is a wildlife species legally hunted under established rules in a particular jurisdiction. The same species may be protected in one place and hunted in another, so law and local biology matter.
White-tailed Deer
White-tailed deer occupy forests, farms, suburbs, wetlands, and brushy habitats.
Learn MoreElk
Elk are large members of the deer family.
Learn MoreWild Turkey
Wild turkeys use forests mixed with openings and feeding areas.
Learn MoreWaterfowl
Ducks and geese depend on wetlands, rivers, lakes, fields, and migration corridors.
Learn MoreSmall Game
Rabbits, squirrels, grouse, quail, and other species are classed as small game in many places.
Learn MorePredators
Some jurisdictions manage species such as bears or certain predators through regulated hunting.
Learn MoreHabitat Needs
Game animals need food, water, cover, and space.
Learn MoreSpecies Rules
Legal status changes by location and season.
Learn MoreWhite-tailed Deer
They are adaptable herbivores and one of the most intensively managed large mammals in North America.
Elk
They use forests, mountain meadows, grasslands, and open woodlands. Seasonal movement can cover large distances.
Wild Turkey
Successful restoration programs returned wild turkeys to many places where they had disappeared.
Waterfowl
Many species migrate across international boundaries, so management requires cooperation between regions and countries.
Small Game
Habitat quality, weather, predators, disease, and land use can make populations rise and fall quickly.
Predators
Management can be controversial and requires population data, habitat information, conflict records, and clear objectives.
Habitat Needs
Habitat management often benefits non-game species too because forests, grasslands, wetlands, and shrublands support entire communities.
Species Rules
Hunters must know species identification, licensing, seasons, bag limits, land-access rules, and protected-species regulations.