New Hampshire Pheasant Season 2026: Opener, Limits, License

Q: What are pheasant shooting hours in New Hampshire?

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department sets pheasant hours as 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset; closed until 2:00 p.m. on in-season stocking days (Thursdays and Fridays, Oct. 8 to 9, 15 to 16, 22 to 23).

Q: What license do I need to hunt pheasants in New Hampshire?

Residents: Regular Hunting License $32.00 plus Pheasant License $31.00. Nonresidents: Regular Hunting License $113.00, or Nonresident Small Game Hunting License $53.00 (3-Day $25.00), plus Pheasant License $31.00. Stamp or permit: Pheasant License $31.00 (16 and over). Prices are as the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department lists them.

Q: Does New Hampshire stock pheasants?

Yes. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department releases approximately 9,500 pheasants on 60+ sites around the state. Release timing: in-season stocking days on Thursdays and Fridays, October 8 to 9, 15 to 16, 22 to 23.

Oct 1

Opening day

Thursday

Dec 31

Last day

Thursday, 2026

2 birds a day

Daily limit

Dates and limits

New Hampshire pheasant season dates and bag limit

New Hampshire's pheasant season opens Thursday, October 1, 2026, and closes December 31, 2026. The youth season comes first, Sep 26 to 27. The daily limit is 2 pheasants.

New HampshireOct 1
Season, Oct 1 to Dec 31; Youth, Sep 26 to 27

General season Youth huntsNew Hampshire, Oct 1 to Dec 31

General season: Thursday, October 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026
Youth season: Sep 26 to 27
Daily limit: 2 birds a day
Shooting hours: 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset; closed until 2:00 p.m. on in-season stocking days (Thursdays and Fridays, Oct. 8 to 9, 15 to 16, 22 to 23)

Youth PheasantSep 26 to 27statewide; no pheasant license needed for the youth, the adult needs one
PheasantOct 1 to Dec 31statewide; closed until 2 p.m. on in-season stocking days

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department regulations, read October 8, 2026.

Wild and released birds

New Hampshire pheasant stocking

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department releases approximately 9,500 pheasants on 60+ sites around the state. Release timing: in-season stocking days on Thursdays and Fridays, October 8 to 9, 15 to 16, 22 to 23.

N.H. Fish and Game will stock approximately 9,500 pheasants at 60+ sites around the state.

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source

License

What it takes to hunt pheasants in New Hampshire

Residents: Regular Hunting License $32.00 plus Pheasant License $31.00
Nonresidents: Regular Hunting License $113.00, or Nonresident Small Game Hunting License $53.00 (3-Day $25.00), plus Pheasant License $31.00
Stamp or permit: Pheasant License $31.00 (16 and over)

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

New Hampshire pheasant questions

When does pheasant season open in New Hampshire?

What is the pheasant limit in New Hampshire?

What are pheasant shooting hours in New Hampshire?

What license do I need to hunt pheasants in New Hampshire?

Does New Hampshire stock pheasants?

Pheasant season in other states

Pheasant openers in every stateThe whole season on one calendar, with each agency's outlook.New Hampshire small game seasonsQuail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel dates in New Hampshire.New Hampshire hunting licenseWhat a New Hampshire license costs and who needs one.New Hampshire waterfowl seasonsDuck and goose dates in New Hampshire, by zone.New Hampshire duck migrationWhere the ducks are in New Hampshire this week.New Hampshire CWD testingDeer sampling rules in New Hampshire.

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

New Hampshire read October 8, 2026 from New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 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.