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Season December 10 to December 13

New Mexico Pheasant Season 2026

New Mexico's pheasant season runs December 10 to 13, 2026. The youth season comes first, Oct 17 to Dec 5.

Dec 10
Opening day
Thursday
Dec 13
Last day
Sunday, 2026
3 roosters a day
Daily limit
6 in possession
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Dates and limits

New Mexico pheasant season dates and bag limit

New Mexico's pheasant season opens Thursday, December 10, 2026, and closes December 13, 2026. The youth season comes first, Oct 17 to Dec 5. The daily limit is 3 roosters and 6 in possession. Only roosters may be taken.

  1. New MexicoDec 10
    Season, Dec 10 to 13; W.s. huey wma pheasant hunt, Dec 12; Youth, Oct 17 to Dec 5
General season Youth hunts Limited huntsNew Mexico, Dec 10 to 13
General season
Thursday, December 10, 2026 to December 13, 2026
Youth season
Oct 17 to Dec 5
Daily limit
3 roosters a day
Possession
6 in possession
Which birds
Roosters only
Shooting hours
one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset; special permit pheasant hunts on W.S. Huey and Jackson Lake WMAs the same
  • Bernardo, Jackson Lake and W.S. Huey WMA Youth-only Pheasant HuntsOct 17 to Dec 5draw permit only, one day per WMA, resident only
  • Pheasant (Over-the-Counter Seasons)Dec 10 to 13statewide, males only
  • W.S. Huey WMA Pheasant HuntDec 12draw permit only, 40 permits, adult and youth

New Mexico Department of Wildlife regulations, read October 8, 2026.

License

What it takes to hunt pheasants in New Mexico

Residents
Game-Hunting License $25
Nonresidents
Game-Hunting License $90; Temporary Game-Hunting License (4 days) $40

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

New Mexico 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.New Mexico small game seasonsQuail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel dates in New Mexico.New Mexico hunting licenseWhat a New Mexico license costs and who needs one.New Mexico waterfowl seasonsDuck and goose dates in New Mexico, by zone.New Mexico duck migrationWhere the ducks are in New Mexico this week.New Mexico CWD testingDeer sampling rules in New Mexico.
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

New Mexico read October 8, 2026 from New Mexico Department of Wildlife, 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.