Indiana Rabbit & Pheasant Season 2026-27: Small Game Dates

Q: When does rabbit season open in Indiana in 2026-27?

Rabbit: November 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Indiana Department of Natural Resources 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 pheasant season in Indiana?

Pheasant (statewide-cock only): November 1, 2026 to December 15, 2026. Indiana Department of Natural Resources 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 Indiana have a quail season?

Quail: November 1, 2026 to January 10, 2027, varying by zone across 2 rows in the agency table. Indiana Department of Natural Resources 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: Which small game zone am I in, in Indiana?

Indiana sets different dates by zone for at least one species, and the boundaries are the agency's own, drawn along interstates, highways and county lines. Your zone is determined from the agency's own map: Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife publishes the official zone map and boundary descriptions, linked from this page.

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

At Indiana Department of Natural Resources 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 1, 2026 to December 15, 2026

Pheasant

published

November 1, 2026 to January 10, 2027

Quail

published

No open season

Grouse

no season

November 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Rabbit

published

August 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Squirrel

published

2 zone rows

Zone structure

as the agency draws it

Five seasons, one state

Indiana small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife dates gray and fox squirrel, cottontail rabbit, ring-necked pheasant and bobwhite quail; ruffed grouse hunting is suspended separately, so each species is below under the agency’s own name for it, with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them.

Pheasant (statewide-cock only)

published

Pheasant (statewide-cock only) runs November 1, 2026 to December 15, 2026 across all zones.

Indiana pheasant (statewide-cock only), as published by Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	November 1, 2026	December 15, 2026

Dates read from Indiana 2026-2027 Hunting & Trapping Seasons, Indiana DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Indiana's pheasant season opens Nov 1 statewide on the same day as quail and rabbit and closes Dec 15, 2026. The DNR lists it under Upland Game on its seasons sheet.

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

Quail

published

Quail runs November 1, 2026 to January 10, 2027 across all zones.

Indiana quail, as published by Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
North of I-74	November 1, 2026	December 15, 2026
South of I-74	November 1, 2026	January 10, 2027

Dates read from Indiana 2026-2027 Hunting & Trapping Seasons, Indiana DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Bobwhite quail is split at Interstate 74: north of the highway the season closes with pheasant on Dec 15, 2026, while south of it the season runs to Jan 10, 2027.

Ruffed Grouse

no season

Indiana has no open grouse season for 2026-27. The 2026-2027 seasons sheet lists ruffed grouse as Suspended. The DNR's ruffed grouse page says the season was closed in 2015 as young forest habitat disappeared, and the bird was added to Indiana's State Endangered list in December 2020. Source: Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Rabbit

published

Rabbit runs November 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Indiana rabbit, as published by Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	November 1, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Indiana 2026-2027 Hunting & Trapping Seasons, Indiana DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Rabbit opens Nov 1, 2026 with the upland birds and is the last Indiana small game season to close, on Feb 28, 2027.

Gray & Fox Squirrel

published

Gray & Fox Squirrel runs August 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027 across all zones.

Indiana gray & fox squirrel, as published by Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	August 15, 2026	January 31, 2027

Dates read from Indiana 2026-2027 Hunting & Trapping Seasons, Indiana DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Squirrel is the earliest small game opener in Indiana, Aug 15, 2026, and runs to Jan 31, 2027. The DNR lists it under Woodland Small Game.

Gray & Fox Squirrel Aug. 15, 2026 – Jan. 31, 2027

Indiana Department of Natural Resources 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

The rest of the calendar

Other Indiana small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife dates one further season on the same small game pages. They are reproduced here under the agency’s own names, because a hunter reading a calendar needs to know which window a licence or stamp actually covers.

Mourning Dove

published

Mourning Dove runs September 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026 across all zones.

Indiana mourning dove, as published by Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife
Zone	Opens	Closes
Statewide (segment 1)	September 1, 2026	October 18, 2026
Statewide (segment 2)	November 1, 2026	November 29, 2026
Statewide (segment 3)	December 19, 2026	December 31, 2026

Dates read from Indiana 2026-2027 Hunting & Trapping Seasons, Indiana DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

A three-segment dove season listed on the migratory birds side of the same DNR seasons sheet.

Rules

Indiana 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 Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Indiana regulations

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

Indiana Department of Natural Resources 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 Midwest 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

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

Indiana small game season questions

When does rabbit season open in Indiana in 2026-27?

When is pheasant season in Indiana?

Does Indiana have a quail season?

Which small game zone am I in, in Indiana?

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

Can these Indiana 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 Indiana Department of Natural Resources 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 Indiana Department of Natural Resources 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 Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national small game season guide.