Game animals are wild species that can be legally hunted under regulated seasons and bag limits set by state and federal agencies. The term covers a wide range of wildlife, from deer and elk down to squirrels and rabbits, and includes dozens of bird species. What makes an animal “game” isn’t biology alone. It’s a legal designation, meaning governments decide which species qualify based on population health, recreational value, and the ability to sustain harvest over time.
How Game Animals Are Classified
Most states break game animals into three broad categories: big game, small game, and game birds. New York’s environmental law offers a clear example of how this works in practice.
Big game includes deer, bear, moose, elk, caribou, and antelope. These are the large mammals that typically require individual tags or permits and have tightly controlled season dates.
Small game covers a long list of smaller mammals and even some reptiles and amphibians. In New York, that list includes black, gray, and fox squirrels, cottontail rabbits, European and varying hares, raccoon, opossum, coyotes, red and gray fox, bobcat, muskrat, mink, beaver, otter, fisher, and weasel. Native frogs, salamanders, turtles, lizards, and snakes also fall under the small game umbrella in some states.
Game birds split into two subcategories: upland game birds and migratory game birds. Upland birds include wild turkey, ruffed grouse, pheasant, quail, chukar, and ptarmigan. Migratory game birds include ducks, geese, brant, swans, rails, coots, woodcock, snipe, sandpipers, crows, and doves. California alone sets separate seasons for mourning dove, white-winged dove, band-tailed pigeon, sage-grouse, and several other species.
What Makes a Species “Game”
Not every wild animal qualifies. State wildlife agencies evaluate species using several criteria before granting game status. Ohio’s system scores animals on recreational value (how actively people seek them), aesthetic and educational importance, economic benefit, reproductive potential, and population resilience. A species that reproduces quickly and maintains healthy numbers is far more likely to receive a game designation than one with slow reproduction or declining populations.
Endangered, threatened, or species-of-concern designations push in the opposite direction. An animal on a state’s threatened list won’t be classified as game regardless of how popular it might be with hunters. The designation can also change over time. A species removed from the endangered list might eventually gain game status, while one suffering population declines could lose it.
Social and cultural factors play a role too. Some animals are widely considered unsuitable for hunting even if their populations could support it, while others have deep traditions tied to specific regions, like elk hunting in the Rocky Mountain states or waterfowl hunting along major flyways.
Game Animals vs. Other Wildlife
Understanding the difference between game, protected, and unprotected wildlife clears up a lot of confusion. Under New York law, “wildlife” means all animal life existing in a wild state except fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. Within that broad category, “protected wildlife” includes game animals (which can only be taken during designated seasons), protected birds, endangered species, and species of special concern. “Unprotected wildlife” is a small group with little legal protection, including English sparrows, starlings, and feral pigeons.
The key distinction: game animals are protected by law, but they’re also legally huntable within specific rules. Protected non-game species, like most songbirds, cannot be hunted at all. Migratory game birds occupy a unique space because they cross state and national borders, putting them under federal jurisdiction through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in addition to state regulations.
Big Game Species Across North America
The exact list of big game species varies by state, largely depending on what lives there. Alaska has the most diverse big game roster on the continent, with over a dozen species when wolves and wolverines are included. Hunters there can pursue moose, caribou, brown (grizzly) bear, black bear, Dall sheep, mountain goat, muskox, bison, mule deer, Sitka black-tailed deer, elk, and wolf.
In the lower 48, white-tailed deer is by far the most widely hunted big game animal, found in nearly every state. Mule deer dominate the western half of the country. Elk hunting draws hundreds of thousands of applicants each year in states like Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming. Black bear seasons exist in roughly 30 states. Pronghorn antelope, despite being called “antelope,” is a uniquely North American species hunted primarily on the western plains.
The Public Trust Model
Game animals in North America are managed under a framework fundamentally different from most of the world. The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation treats wildlife as a public trust resource, meaning no individual or landowner “owns” wild animals. Government agencies manage them so current and future generations can benefit. Every citizen has the legal opportunity to hunt and fish, which contrasts sharply with many European and African systems where hunting rights are tied to land ownership or wealth.
Seven principles anchor this system. Wildlife belongs to the public. Commercial hunting and sale of wild game is prohibited (a response to the market hunting that nearly wiped out bison and passenger pigeons in the 1800s). Laws developed through democratic processes govern all use. Hunting opportunity is open to everyone. Animals should only be killed for legitimate purposes like food, fur, or self-defense, and wasting game meat is illegal in most states. Wildlife is treated as an international resource because animals migrate across borders. And management decisions rely on the best available science, focused on sustaining populations rather than protecting individual animals.
In contrast, countries like South Africa devolve much of game management to private landowners who hold ownership rights over wildlife on their property. The UK and parts of Europe rely heavily on pen-raised game birds released onto shooting preserves, a practice that exists in North America but doesn’t define the system.
How Hunting Funds Conservation
Game animals generate substantial conservation funding through a mechanism most non-hunters don’t know about. The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act places an excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. That money flows directly to state wildlife agencies for habitat restoration, wildlife research, and hunter education. In fiscal year 2024, the program distributed nearly $990 million to states, with about $801 million going to wildlife restoration and $181 million to hunter education.
This funding supports not just game species but all wildlife. Habitat improvements for deer or waterfowl benefit songbirds, pollinators, and dozens of other species that share those ecosystems. It’s one of the most successful conservation funding models in the world, and it runs entirely on money from hunters and recreational shooters.
Fair Chase and Ethical Harvest
Legal hunting of game animals operates under the principle of fair chase, a concept formalized by the Boone and Crockett Club, North America’s oldest wildlife conservation organization. Fair chase requires that hunted animals be wild, naturally bred, and free-ranging, meaning not confined by fences or artificial barriers.
The principle specifically prohibits spotting or herding game from aircraft, chasing animals with motorized vehicles, using drones or thermal imaging to locate game, hunting animals confined in escape-proof enclosures, and taking animals that are swimming or helpless in deep snow. Electronic communication devices used to guide hunters to game, smart scopes with built-in range finders, and hunting on another person’s license also violate fair chase standards. These rules exist alongside state game laws, and violations can result in loss of hunting privileges, fines, and criminal charges.
Cooking Wild Game Safely
If you hunt game animals for food, safe handling matters. Venison and rabbit (whether wild or farm-raised) need to reach an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C). Wild turkey, pheasant, grouse, duck, and all other poultry must hit 165°F (74°C). Bear meat specifically requires thorough cooking because it can carry parasites that are destroyed only at higher temperatures. Using a meat thermometer is the only reliable way to confirm doneness, since wild game tends to be leaner and darker than store-bought meat, making visual cues unreliable.