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2026-27 season year · 50 states

Small Game Season 2026-27: Dates by State

Pheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel seasons, read from each state wildlife agency’s own published page, with the source and read date beside every table. Seasons an agency has not yet posted are labelled not yet published, with the agency link.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 19, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.
50
States covered
every state in the register holds a season
40
Pheasant dates published
read from agency pages, as of September 19, 2026
September 1, 2026
Earliest pheasant opener
Arizona
September 1, 2026
Earliest quail opener
Pennsylvania
Upland birds

Pheasant, quail and grouse seasons by state, 2026-27

Upland bird openers follow the harvest and the latitude. Grouse opens first, in September and early October across the northern forest, because the birds are in the aspen and the leaves are still on. Pheasant waits for the combines, which is why the plains states open in October and the Corn Belt in November. Quail runs latest and longest, deep into the southern winter. Dates below are the overall span across a state’s zones; each state page carries the full zone tables with the agency source and read date beside them.

Northeast

Northeast upland bird seasons, 2026-27, spans across all zones
StatePheasantQuailGrouse
MaineSeptember 26 to December 31September 26 to December 31September 26 to December 31
New HampshireOctober 1 to December 31October 1 to December 31October 1 to December 31
Vermontno seasonno seasonSeptember 26 to December 31
MassachusettsOctober 17 to December 31October 17 to December 31October 17 to November 28
ConnecticutOctober 17 to December 31October 17 to December 31October 17 to November 30
Rhode IslandOctober 17 to February 28October 17 to February 28no season
New YorkOctober 1 to February 28October 1 to February 28September 20 to February 28
New JerseyNovember 7 to February 15November 7 to January 31no season
PennsylvaniaOctober 24 to February 28September 1 to March 31October 17 to December 24

Southeast

Southeast upland bird seasons, 2026-27, spans across all zones
StatePheasantQuailGrouse
DelawareNovember 23 to February 28November 23 to February 28no season
MarylandNovember 7 to February 28November 7 to January 15October 3 to December 31
VirginiaNovember 7 to January 31November 7 to January 31October 24 to February 13
West VirginiaNovember 7 to January 2November 7 to January 2October 17 to February 28
North CarolinaSeptember 5 to February 28November 21 to February 28October 12 to February 28
South Carolinano seasonNovember 23 to March 1November 26 to March 1
Georgiano seasonNovember 14 to February 28October 15 to February 28
Floridano seasonNovember 14 to March 7no season
Alabamano seasonNovember 7 to February 28no season
Tennesseeno seasonNovember 1 to February 28October 10 to February 28
Kentuckyno seasonNovember 1 to February 10November 1 to February 28
Mississippino seasonNovember 26 to March 7no season
LouisianaNovember 21 to February 28November 21 to February 28no season
Arkansasno seasonNovember 1 to February 7no season

Midwest

Midwest upland bird seasons, 2026-27, spans across all zones
StatePheasantQuailGrouse
OhioNovember 6 to January 10November 6 to November 29no season
IndianaNovember 1 to December 15November 1 to January 10no season
IllinoisNovember 7 to January 15November 7 to January 15no season
MichiganOctober 10 to January 1October 20 to November 14September 15 to January 1
WisconsinOctober 17 to January 3October 17 to December 9September 12 to January 3
MinnesotaOctober 10 to January 3no seasonSeptember 19 to January 3
MissouriNovember 1 to January 15November 1 to January 15no season
IowaOctober 31 to January 10October 31 to January 31October 3 to January 31
KansasNovember 14 to January 31November 14 to January 31no season
NebraskaOctober 31 to January 31October 31 to January 31September 1 to January 31
South DakotaOctober 17 to January 31October 17 to January 31September 19 to January 31
North DakotaOctober 10 to January 3no seasonSeptember 12 to January 3

Rockies

Rockies upland bird seasons, 2026-27, spans across all zones
StatePheasantQuailGrouse
MontanaOctober 10 to January 1no seasonSeptember 1 to January 1
WyomingOctober 15 to December 31no seasonSeptember 1 to December 31
ColoradoNovember 14 to January 31November 14 to January 31September 1 to November 22
IdahoOctober 15 to December 31September 15 to January 31August 30 to January 31
UtahNovember 7 to December 6November 7 to December 31September 1 to December 31
NevadaNovember 1 to November 30October 17 to February 7September 1 to December 31

Southwest

Southwest upland bird seasons, 2026-27, spans across all zones
StatePheasantQuailGrouse
TexasDecember 5 to January 3November 1 to February 28no season
OklahomaDecember 1 to January 31November 14 to February 15no season
New MexicoDecember 10 to December 13November 15 to February 15September 1 to December 31
ArizonaSeptember 1 to February 7October 16 to February 7September 1 to November 8

West

West upland bird seasons, 2026-27, spans across all zones
StatePheasantQuailGrouse
WashingtonSeptember 19 to January 18September 19 to January 18September 15 to January 15
OregonOctober 10 to December 31September 1 to January 31September 1 to January 31
CaliforniaNovember 14 to December 27September 12 to January 31September 12 to October 12
Alaskaunits open year-round per the agencyunits open year-round per the agencyAugust 1 to May 15
Hawaiion the agency pageon the agency pageno season

Each column carries the agency’s own season name on the state page: ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite or scaled quail, ruffed grouse and more. The spans above are the outer dates across every zone a state lists, which is why a state with an early zone and a late zone shows a long span. A species marked no season is one the agency holds no open season for, with its reason on the state page.

A pair of northern bobwhite quail standing together in a carpet of purple violets, the male with a bold white throat and eye stripe, the female buff faced
A bobwhite pair. Quail seasons run from late autumn into winter across the South and Midwest; several western states date scaled, Gambel's and California quail on the same row. Photo: Steve Maslowski, USFWS. “Colinus virginianus USFWS”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, Public domain
Rabbit and squirrel

Rabbit and squirrel seasons by state, 2026-27

Squirrel is the earliest small game opener almost everywhere, and rabbit is the last season to close. Across the 50 states in this register, 47 have published squirrel dates and 47 have published rabbit dates. Published squirrel openers run from May 15, 2026 in Arkansas to October 12, 2026 in North Carolina. Published rabbit openers run from July 1, 2026 in California to November 26, 2026 in South Carolina.

Rabbit and squirrel seasons, 2026-27, spans across all zones
StateRegionRabbitSquirrel
AlabamaSoutheastSeptember 12 to February 28September 12 to February 28
AlaskaWestAugust 1 to May 31, plus units the agency lists as year-roundunits open year-round per the agency
ArizonaSouthwestJuly 1 to June 30July 1 to June 30
ArkansasSoutheastSeptember 1 to February 28May 15 to February 28
CaliforniaWestJuly 1 to January 31September 12 to January 31
ColoradoRockiesOctober 1 to February 28October 1 to February 28
ConnecticutNortheastOctober 17 to December 31September 1 to December 31
DelawareSoutheastNovember 23 to February 28September 15 to February 28
FloridaSoutheastunits open year-round per the agencyunits open year-round per the agency
GeorgiaSoutheastNovember 14 to February 28August 15 to February 28
HawaiiWestno seasonno season
IdahoRockiesAugust 30 to March 31August 30 to March 31
IllinoisMidwestNovember 7 to February 15August 1 to February 15
IndianaMidwestNovember 1 to February 28August 15 to January 31
IowaMidwestSeptember 5 to February 28September 5 to January 31
KansasMidwestunits open year-round per the agencyJune 1 to February 28
KentuckySoutheastNovember 1 to February 10August 15 to February 28
LouisianaSoutheastOctober 3 to February 28October 3 to May 23
MaineNortheastno seasonSeptember 26 to January 30
MarylandSoutheastNovember 7 to February 28September 5 to February 28
MassachusettsNortheastOctober 17 to February 27September 8 to February 27
MichiganMidwestSeptember 15 to March 31September 15 to March 31
MinnesotaMidwestSeptember 19 to February 28September 19 to February 28
MississippiSoutheastOctober 17 to February 28October 1 to June 1
MissouriMidwestOctober 1 to February 15May 23 to February 15
MontanaRockiesunits open year-round per the agencyunits open year-round per the agency
NebraskaMidwestSeptember 1 to February 28August 1 to February 28
NevadaRockiesNovember 1 to February 28no season
New HampshireNortheastOctober 1 to March 15September 1 to January 31
New JerseyNortheastSeptember 26 to February 20September 26 to February 20
New MexicoSouthwestno seasonSeptember 1 to December 31
New YorkNortheastOctober 1 to March 21September 1 to February 28
North CarolinaSoutheastOctober 12 to February 28October 12 to February 28
North DakotaMidwestunits open year-round per the agencySeptember 12 to February 28
OhioMidwestNovember 6 to February 28September 1 to January 31
OklahomaSouthwestOctober 1 to March 15May 15 to February 28
OregonWestunits open year-round per the agencySeptember 1 to November 15, plus units the agency lists as year-round
PennsylvaniaNortheastOctober 17 to February 28September 12 to February 28
Rhode IslandNortheastOctober 1 to February 28September 12 to February 28
South CarolinaSoutheastNovember 26 to March 1October 1 to March 1
South DakotaMidwestSeptember 1 to March 31September 1 to March 31
TennesseeSoutheastNovember 7 to February 28August 22 to March 15
TexasSouthwestunits open year-round per the agencySeptember 1 to August 31
UtahRockiesSeptember 1 to February 28no season
VermontNortheastSeptember 26 to March 31September 1 to December 31
VirginiaSoutheastOctober 31 to February 28September 5 to February 28
WashingtonWestSeptember 1 to March 15units open year-round per the agency
West VirginiaSoutheastNovember 7 to February 28September 12 to February 28
WisconsinMidwestSeptember 12 to February 28, plus units the agency lists as year-roundSeptember 12 to February 28
WyomingRockiesSeptember 1 to March 31September 1 to March 31
A fox squirrel with a grey back and rust orange belly crouched on a lichen covered branch against bare winter trees and blue sky
A fox squirrel in bare winter woods in Ohio. Squirrel is the earliest small game opener in many states, from mid August or September, and runs to January or February. “Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger vulpinus) (13255025953)” by Andrew C, CC BY 2.0
The pheasant belt

Pheasant openers sweep from September to December

The ring-necked pheasant is a bird of the northern grain belt, from the Dakotas and Montana down through Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Minnesota and east into the Corn Belt, and its opener is the one small game date whole towns organise around. Published pheasant openers run from September 1, 2026 in Arizona to December 10, 2026 in New Mexico.

40 of the 50 states here have published a 2026-27 pheasant season, 0 had not yet posted one as of September 19, 2026, and 9 hold none, because the bird never established south of the grain country or along the Gulf. Several states run youth pheasant days ahead of the general opener; where the agency names one, it is on the state page under the agency’s own label.

Quail moves the other way. Published quail openers run from September 1, 2026 in Pennsylvania to November 26, 2026 in Mississippi. Published grouse openers run from August 1, 2026 in Alaska to November 26, 2026 in South Carolina.

40 of 50
Pheasant published
9 hold no pheasant season
44 of 50
Quail published
5 hold no quail season
34 of 50
Grouse published
16 hold no grouse season
December 10, 2026
Latest pheasant opener
New Mexico
A rooster ring-necked pheasant with a red face, iridescent green head and white neck ring striding through dry pale crop stubble
A rooster in harvested crop stubble in North Dakota. Most pheasant openers land in October and November, once the fields are cut. Photo: Courtney Celley, USFWS. “Ring-necked pheasant (54120901581)”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Public domain
How the dates are sourced

Every date from the agency, with its season year

Small game dates change every year, and a stale one puts a reader in the field on a closed day. Every page here states the season year it covers and the date its data was read; every date comes from the state agency’s own published page, season sheet or regulation document with the source URL captured; a season the agency has not posted is labelled “not yet published”; and zone structures render as the agency draws them, down to Indiana’s quail split at Interstate 74 and Oklahoma’s jackrabbit line at Interstate 35.

Bag and possession limits, legal methods, shooting hours, stamps and licence requirements are set by each agency and published on its regulations page, which every state page links.

Where an agency dates a species by county group rather than by zone, the state page carries the agency’s own summary rows and links its county table, so the zone you hunt is determined from the agency’s own map.

A ruffed grouse standing on snow with its feathers puffed against the cold, crest raised, in front of bare frosted branches
A ruffed grouse in northern Minnesota snow. Grouse seasons open in September or October in the northern forest states and several run through the winter. Photo: Courtney Celley, USFWS. “Ruffed grouse (53480965635)”, USFWS Midwest Region, Public domain
The rest of the hunting calendar

Deer, turkey and waterfowl dates under the same rules

The same agencies set the same autumn: archery deer overlaps the first grouse weeks, the general firearms deer week interrupts pheasant season in most of the Midwest, and duck openers land inside the squirrel window. Each page set below reads its dates from the agency pages the same way, with the season year and read date stated.

Deer season datesArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer seasons for 2026-27, state by state.Turkey season datesSpring and fall wild turkey seasons for 2026-27, under the same sourcing rules.Waterfowl season datesDuck and goose seasons for 2026-27, organized by flyway.Fall foliage forecastPeak color and the grouse weeks overlap in the northern forest. The national color map.

Small game season questions

Close view of an eastern cottontail rabbit in green grass, ears up, dark round eye and white chin catching the light
An eastern cottontail. Rabbit is usually the last small game season to close, running into February in most of the East and Midwest. Photo: Grayson Smith, USFWS. “Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (48935527872)”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Public domain

This hub covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 19, 2026. Every date is republished from the named state wildlife agency’s own page, read on the date shown on each state page; seasons an agency has not yet posted are labelled not yet published. Bag and possession limits, legal methods, shooting hours, stamps and licence rules are set by each agency, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. Start with your state in the tables above.