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Season October 17 to December 31

Massachusetts Pheasant Season 2026

Massachusetts's pheasant season runs October 17 to December 31, 2026. Youth hunts are held on set days: Sep 5, 12, 19, Oct 3 and 10.

Oct 17
Opening day
Saturday
Dec 31
Last day
Thursday, 2026
2 birds a day
Daily limit
4 in possession
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Dates and limits

Massachusetts pheasant season dates and bag limit

Massachusetts's pheasant season opens Saturday, October 17, 2026, and closes December 31, 2026. Youth hunts are held on set days: Sep 5, 12, 19, Oct 3 and 10. The daily limit is 2 pheasants and 4 in possession.

  1. MassachusettsOct 17
    Season, Oct 17 to Dec 31; Special pheasant and quail hunt (1 day permit, privately bought birds), Jan 1 to Mar 31; Youth, Sep 5, 12, 19, Oct 3 and 10
General season Youth hunts Limited huntsMassachusetts, Oct 17 to Dec 31
General season
Saturday, October 17, 2026 to December 31, 2026
Youth hunts
Sep 5, 12, 19, Oct 3 and 10
Daily limit
2 birds a day
Possession
4 in possession
Which birds
Either sex
Shooting hours
sunrise to sunset
  • Youth Pheasant HuntSep 5 to Oct 10five set days only: Sept 5, 12, 19 and Oct 3, 10
  • PheasantOct 17 to Dec 31Zones 1 to 14; no Sunday hunting; closed during shotgun deer season Nov 30 to Dec 12, 2026
  • Special pheasant and quail hunt (1 day permit, privately bought birds)Jan 1 to Mar 31free 1 day permit on select WMAs; hunters buy and release their own birds; no bag limit
Bag limits 2 per day 4 in possession No season limit
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source

Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) regulations, read October 8, 2026.

Wild and released birds

Massachusetts pheasant stocking

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) releases about 40,000 ring-necked pheasants statewide on public and private lands open to hunting.

Every year, MassWildlife stocks about 40,000 ring-necked pheasants statewide. These birds are stocked on public and private lands open to hunting.
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source
License

What it takes to hunt pheasants in Massachusetts

Residents
Resident Hunting $40.00 or Resident Sporting $75.00, plus Pheasant/Quail Permit $20.00
Nonresidents
Non-resident Hunting, Small Game $78.00 (or Big Game $112.00), plus Pheasant/Quail Permit $30.00
Stamp or permit
Pheasant/Quail Permit: resident $20.00, non-resident $30.00

Every Massachusetts license, resident and nonresident, with what each costs, is on the Massachusetts hunting license page.

Massachusetts pheasant questions

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Pheasant season in other states

Pheasant openers in every stateThe whole season on one calendar, with each agency's outlook.Massachusetts small game seasonsQuail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel dates in Massachusetts.Massachusetts hunting licenseWhat a Massachusetts license costs and who needs one.Massachusetts waterfowl seasonsDuck and goose dates in Massachusetts, by zone.Massachusetts duck migrationWhere the ducks are in Massachusetts this week.Massachusetts CWD testingDeer sampling rules in Massachusetts.
A rooster ring-necked pheasant with a red face, green head and white neck ring standing on disced soil and broken straw
A rooster feeding in a disced crop field beside LaCreek National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota. Birds feed in the open early and late and sit in grass and cattails through the middle of the day. “Ring-necked pheasant at LaCreek National Wildlife Refuge (51154749494)”, Tom Koerner, USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain

Massachusetts read October 8, 2026 from Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), every source linked above. An agency can move a date or close an area between the printed regulations and opening day, so its page is the one that governs. Every state is on the pheasant season calendar.