Michigan Pheasant Season 2026: Opener, Limits, License

Q: What are pheasant shooting hours in Michigan?

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources sets pheasant hours as small game hours one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset (Zone A table in Eastern Time; adjust by zone and subtract one hour in Central Time counties).

Oct 10

Opening day

Saturday

Jan 1

Last day

Friday, 2027

2 roosters a day

Daily limit

4 in possession

Are there birds this year

Michigan pheasant harvest

In the 2023 season, Michigan hunters took about 35,272 pheasants by about 19,404 hunters.

Dates and limits

Michigan pheasant season dates and bag limit

Michigan's pheasant season runs October 10 to 31, 2026 in the Upper Peninsula, October 20 to November 14, 2026 in the Lower Peninsula and December 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027 in the southern Lower Peninsula. The daily limit is 2 roosters and 4 in possession. Only roosters may be taken.

Upper PeninsulaOct 10
Season in the Upper Peninsula, Oct 10 to 31
Lower PeninsulaOct 20
Season in the Lower Peninsula, Oct 20 to Nov 14
Southern Lower PeninsulaDec 1
Season in the southern Lower Peninsula, Dec 1 to Jan 1

General seasonMichigan, Oct 10 to Jan 1

Upper Peninsula: Oct 10 to 31
Lower Peninsula: Oct 20 to Nov 14
Southern Lower Peninsula: Dec 1 to Jan 1
Daily limit: 2 roosters a day
Possession: 4 in possession
Which birds: Roosters only
Shooting hours: Small game hours one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset (Zone A table in Eastern Time; adjust by zone and subtract one hour in Central Time counties)

Ring-necked pheasant hunting, Zone 1Oct 10 to 31Upper Peninsula pheasant management unit only (Menominee County and parts of Delta, Dickinson, Iron and Marquette counties)
Ring-necked pheasant hunting, Zones 2 and 3Oct 20 to Nov 14entire Lower Peninsula
December pheasant management unitDec 1 to Jan 1all of Zone 3 (southern Lower Peninsula)

Michigan Department of Natural Resources regulations, read October 8, 2026.

Where to hunt

Public land and walk-in access in Michigan

Hunting Access Program (HAP)
“The Hunting Access Program provides public hunting opportunities on private hunting lands. The DNR leases lands from private landowners to allow public hunting.”
Open the atlas Program page

Wild and released birds

Michigan pheasant stocking

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources releases pheasants. Release sites: 13 state game/wildlife areas throughout southern Michigan (Cass City, Cornish, Crane Pond, Crow Island, Dansville, Erie, Lapeer, Leidy Lake, Townline 16, Pte. Mouille, Rose Lake, Stanton, St. Johns Marsh). Release timing: Releases will occur for the Oct. 20 to Nov. 14 season AND the Dec. 1 to Jan. 1 season for all 13 release sites.

Yes. This year, pheasants will be released on 13 state game/wildlife areas throughout southern Michigan.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources, read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source

License

What it takes to hunt pheasants in Michigan

Residents: Base license $11 (ages 17 to 64; $6 ages 10 to 16; $5 seniors 65+) plus DNR Sportcard $1; pheasant license $25 needed on public land in the Lower Peninsula or Hunting Access Program land for hunters 18 and older
Nonresidents: Base license $151 plus pheasant license $25 for public land in the Lower Peninsula or HAP land; small game 3-day $50 and 7-day $80 licenses cannot be used to buy a pheasant license
Stamp or permit: Pheasant license $25 (not required on private land, UP public land, game bird preserves, for hunters 17 and younger, or for lifetime license holders)

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

Michigan pheasant questions

When does pheasant season open in Michigan?

What is the pheasant limit in Michigan?

What are pheasant shooting hours in Michigan?

What license do I need to hunt pheasants in Michigan?

Residents: Base license $11 (ages 17 to 64; $6 ages 10 to 16; $5 seniors 65+) plus DNR Sportcard $1; pheasant license $25 needed on public land in the Lower Peninsula or Hunting Access Program land for hunters 18 and older. Nonresidents: Base license $151 plus pheasant license $25 for public land in the Lower Peninsula or HAP land; small game 3-day $50 and 7-day $80 licenses cannot be used to buy a pheasant license. Stamp or permit: Pheasant license $25 (not required on private land, UP public land, game bird preserves, for hunters 17 and younger, or for lifetime license holders). Prices are as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources lists them.

Where can I hunt pheasants on public land in Michigan?

Does Michigan stock pheasants?

Yes. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources releases pheasants. Release sites: 13 state game/wildlife areas throughout southern Michigan (Cass City, Cornish, Crane Pond, Crow Island, Dansville, Erie, Lapeer, Leidy Lake, Townline 16, Pte. Mouille, Rose Lake, Stanton, St. Johns Marsh). Release timing: Releases will occur for the Oct. 20 to Nov. 14 season AND the Dec. 1 to Jan. 1 season for all 13 release sites.

A brown speckled hen pheasant walking through rows of young green wheat with old stubble between them — A hen in a South Dakota wheat field. Hens carry next year’s birds, so the bag in the wild bird states is written for roosters only, and the brown bird that gets up beside a rooster is the one to let fly. “NRCSSD03010 - South Dakota (6147)(NRCS Photo Gallery)”, Dennis Larson, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Public domain

Michigan read October 8, 2026 from Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 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.