Ask Fish and Game
idfg-staff
Q. What small game can I hunt with my .22?
A. Cottontail rabbits and forest grouse-ruffed, spruce and blue-are legal game with a .22 caliber weapon. Shotguns are the legal and appropriate weapon for all other small game. Much small game hunting takes place fairly close to human habitation and .22s are dangerous up to about a mile so this becomes a matter of safety as well as tradition and law. Predators may be hunted with .22s.