Energy firm Island Gas Limited (IGas) wants to carry out test drilling on Springs Road, in Misson, Bassetlaw.
Campaign group Bassetlaw Against Fracking said the drilling operation would be "devastating" for wildlife.
Nottinghamshire County Council said the application did not include proposals for hydraulic fracturing - better known as fracking.
IGas has applied to carry out test drilling to check the suitability of the rock for shale gas extraction, through fracking.
A separate application would have to be made to carry out fracking.
IGas plans to develop one vertical exploratory shale gas well, drilling for about 14 weeks, and possibly a second horizontal well, drilling for about 19 weeks.
During drilling, operations would take place 24 hours a day.
The authority said at the project's peak there would be an average of 18 heavy goods vehicles and 10 light vehicles visiting the site each day.
David Larder, campaign group chairman, said: "We object to the 24 hour a day drilling for several months. The noise of this operation and the vibration will have a devastating effect upon the wildlife."
Sally Gill, planning manager for the county council, said: "If permission is granted, the test drilling would allow IGas to evaluate the potential resource of shale gas trapped beneath the surface.
"Depending on the results of the test drilling, IGas may, or may not, seek permission to extract the shale gas using fracking, but that would require a separate planning application which would be subject to further consultation."
Before this stage of the exploration process, the company is required to monitor methane levels in groundwater for 12 months. A separate application has been submitted, which is yet to be considered.

Firstsource Solutions said new staff will be based at its Cardiff Bay site which already employs about 800 people.
The 300 new jobs include sales and customer service roles working in both inbound and outbound departments.
The company's sales vice president Kathryn Chivers said: "Firstsource Solutions is delighted to be able to continue to bring new employment to Cardiff."

Inspectors found staff at Complete Utilities Ltd were not fully trained to operate plant vehicles, and the work site was "chaotic and disorganised".
At Gloucester Crown Court, the firm was also ordered to pay costs of £27,000.
Employee Spencer Powles, 62, from Coleford, died 10 days after the incident on October 24, 2012.
He suffered severe injuries to his abdomen when a telehandler lurched forward, pinning him against a metal shipping container at the firm's Maisemore site.
A telehandler is a four-wheel drive machine, mostly used in farming and industry, which has an interchangeable bucket on the end of a telescopic arm.
Speaking after sentencing, health and safety inspector Caroline Bird said: "This terrible incident could have been avoided and Mr Powles would still be here today if Complete Utilities had provided proper training to staff in the operation of this telehandler.
"It is not acceptable to put drivers into vehicles that they have not previously operated, or without the necessary training by a qualified and competent instructor."
The BBC has tried to contact Complete Utilities Ltd for a response to the case and the criticisms of its operations.
The first application to explore for shale gas in the East Midlands has been submitted to a Nottinghamshire council.
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Hundreds of new jobs have been announced for a Cardiff call centre.
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A Gloucester-based firm has been fined £80,000 after a man was crushed between an industrial vehicle and a shipping container at work and later died.