Delaware Quail & Rabbit Season 2026-27: Small Game Dates

Q: When does quail season open in Delaware in 2026-27?

Bobwhite Quail: November 23, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife publishes it under that name, and the zone table on this page was read from its own page on September 19, 2026.

Q: When is rabbit season in Delaware?

Cottontail Rabbit: November 23, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife publishes it under that name, and the zone table on this page was read from its own page on September 19, 2026.

Q: Does Delaware have a pheasant season?

Ring-necked Pheasant: November 23, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife publishes it under that name, and the zone table on this page was read from its own page on September 19, 2026.

Q: Where are the bag limits, legal methods and licence rules for Delaware small game?

At Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife, whose regulations page is linked on this page. Those rules are legally binding, change annually and vary by species, by zone and by land ownership. This page carries the season windows themselves, with source and read date attached.

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.

November 23, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Pheasant

published

November 23, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Quail

published

No open season

Grouse

no season

November 23, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Rabbit

published

September 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Squirrel

published

Statewide

Zone structure

as the agency draws it

Five seasons, one state

Delaware small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife dates gray squirrel, cottontail rabbit, ring-necked pheasant and bobwhite quail (pen-raised and released birds); no grouse season separately, so each species is below under the agency’s own name for it, with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them.

Ring-necked Pheasant

published

Ring-necked Pheasant runs November 23, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Delaware ring-necked pheasant, as published by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	November 23, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game Hunting, 2026-2027 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide, DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-19.

Delaware opens pheasant, cottontail rabbit and quail together on the Monday before Thanksgiving and runs them to the end of February. The Division's small game table has no zone splits for pheasant.

Opening day, the daily limit and the full season calendar are on the Delaware pheasant season page.

Bobwhite Quail

published

Bobwhite Quail runs November 23, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Delaware bobwhite quail, as published by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	November 23, 2026	February 28, 2027	The Division's table dates this season for pen-raised and released birds and states the season is closed for wild quail

Dates read from Small Game Hunting, 2026-2027 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide, DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-19.

The Division's small game table carries one bobwhite quail row, dated for pen-raised and released birds on the same calendar as pheasant and rabbit, and states that the season for wild quail is closed.

Ruffed Grouse

no season

Delaware has no open grouse season for 2026-27. Neither the Division's Hunting Seasons page nor the small game seasons table of the 2026-2027 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide lists any grouse season. Delaware's dated small game seasons are gray squirrel, cottontail rabbit, ring-necked pheasant and bobwhite quail. Source: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Cottontail Rabbit

published

Cottontail Rabbit runs November 23, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Delaware cottontail rabbit, as published by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	November 23, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game Hunting, 2026-2027 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide, DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-19.

Cottontail rabbit opens the Monday before Thanksgiving and runs to the end of February statewide, the same window as pheasant and quail.

Gray Squirrel

published

Gray Squirrel runs September 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Delaware gray squirrel, as published by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 15, 2026	February 28, 2027	The Division's table says the season is closed during the November general firearm deer season

Dates read from Small Game Hunting, 2026-2027 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide, DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-19.

Gray squirrel is Delaware's first small game opener at September 15 and runs to the end of February, with the Division closing it during the November general firearm deer season. Delaware's fox squirrel is not a game species in the Division's table.

Cottontail Rabbit | Nov. 23–Feb. 28

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife, read September 19, 2026. Read it at the source

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

Rules

Delaware small game hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by is set by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Delaware regulations

Bag and possession limits, legal methods, shooting hours, license and stamp requirements, and youth or special season rules for Delaware are set by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife, are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife: current regulations

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

Small game season dates in other Southeast states

Every state’s pheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel dates are on the national small game season 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

Delaware pheasant seasonOpening day, the daily limit and the full Delaware pheasant calendar, read from the same agency.Delaware deer seasonArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer dates for 2026-27, under the same sourcing rules.Delaware turkey seasonSpring and fall wild turkey windows for 2026-27, read from the same agency.Delaware duck seasonDuck and goose season dates by zone and flyway, read from the same agency.Delaware fall foliagePeak color and the first grouse and squirrel weeks overlap. Plan the same trip.

Delaware small game season questions

When does quail season open in Delaware in 2026-27?

When is rabbit season in Delaware?

Does Delaware have a pheasant season?

Do small game dates vary by zone in Delaware?

Not for the 2026-27 seasons shown here: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife publishes these windows statewide rather than splitting the state into zones with different openers, so the dates in the tables above apply as listed. Which county or public area you hunt can still change what is open there, and the agency's regulations page linked below is where that lives.

Where are the bag limits, legal methods and licence rules for Delaware small game?

Can these Delaware small game dates change?

Yes. Agencies amend season orders, add or drop zones, and occasionally correct their own published tables mid season. This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 19, 2026, says so in the copy, and links the exact Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife page it read on September 19, 2026. Treat the agency page as the final word on the morning you hunt.

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

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 19, 2026. Every season window is republished from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife page linked beside it, read on September 19, 2026; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Bag and possession limits, legal methods, shooting hours and licence rules are set by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national small game season guide.