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Iowa · 2026-27 season year

Iowa Small Game Season 2026-27

Pheasant: October 31, 2026 to January 10, 2027. Squirrel: September 5, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Every date below was read from Iowa Department of Natural Resources’s own published page, linked beside it, on September 19, 2026.

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.
October 31, 2026 to January 10, 2027
Pheasant
published
October 31, 2026 to January 31, 2027
Quail
published
October 3, 2026 to January 31, 2027
Grouse
published
September 5, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Rabbit
published
September 5, 2026 to January 31, 2027
Squirrel
published
Statewide
Zone structure
as the agency draws it
Five seasons, one state

Iowa small game seasons, 2026-27

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

Rooster Pheasant

published

Rooster Pheasant runs October 31, 2026 to January 10, 2027 across all zones.

Iowa rooster pheasant, as published by Iowa Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideOctober 31, 2026January 10, 2027

Dates read from Iowa Hunting Seasons, Iowa DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Iowa's pheasant season opens the last Saturday of October and runs to January 10 statewide, with a youth rooster pheasant weekend the weekend before the regular opener.

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

Bobwhite Quail

published

Bobwhite Quail runs October 31, 2026 to January 31, 2027 across all zones.

Iowa bobwhite quail, as published by Iowa Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideOctober 31, 2026January 31, 2027

Dates read from Iowa Hunting Seasons, Iowa DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Bobwhite quail open the same Saturday as pheasant but stay open three weeks longer, through the end of January, statewide.

Ruffed Grouse

published

Ruffed Grouse runs October 3, 2026 to January 31, 2027 across all zones.

Iowa ruffed grouse, as published by Iowa Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideOctober 3, 2026January 31, 2027

Dates read from Iowa Hunting Seasons, Iowa DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Iowa still dates a ruffed grouse season, the first Saturday of October through the end of January, as a single statewide row in its 2026-27 small and upland game table.

Rabbit (Cottontail)

published

Rabbit (Cottontail) runs September 5, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Iowa rabbit (cottontail), as published by Iowa Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideSeptember 5, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Iowa Hunting Seasons, Iowa DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Cottontail rabbit opens the first Saturday of September and runs to the end of February statewide. The agency's jackrabbit row is marked Closed for 2026-27.

Squirrel (Fox and Gray)

published

Squirrel (Fox and Gray) runs September 5, 2026 to January 31, 2027 across all zones.

Iowa squirrel (fox and gray), as published by Iowa Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideSeptember 5, 2026January 31, 2027

Dates read from Iowa Hunting Seasons, Iowa DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Fox and gray squirrel open on the same early September Saturday as cottontail and run through the end of January statewide.

Rooster Pheasant Oct. 31 - Jan. 10, 2027
Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 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 Iowa small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, Iowa Department of Natural Resources dates 4 further seasons 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.

Rooster Pheasant (Youth)

published

Rooster Pheasant (Youth) runs October 24, 2026 to October 25, 2026 across all zones.

Iowa rooster pheasant (youth), as published by Iowa Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideOctober 24, 2026October 25, 2026

Dates read from Iowa Hunting Seasons, Iowa DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

A two day statewide youth rooster pheasant weekend the weekend before the regular opener.

Gray Partridge

published

Gray Partridge runs October 10, 2026 to January 31, 2027 across all zones.

Iowa gray partridge, as published by Iowa Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideOctober 10, 2026January 31, 2027

Dates read from Iowa Hunting Seasons, Iowa DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Gray partridge open the second Saturday of October, three weeks ahead of pheasant, and run through the end of January statewide.

Rabbit (Jack)

no season

Iowa has no open rabbit (jack) for 2026-27. The agency's 2026-27 small and upland game table lists the jackrabbit season as Closed. Source: Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Mourning Dove

published

Mourning Dove runs September 1, 2026 to November 29, 2026 across all zones.

Iowa mourning dove, as published by Iowa Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideSeptember 1, 2026November 29, 2026

Dates read from Iowa Hunting Seasons, Iowa DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Mourning dove is printed inside the agency's Small Game and Upland Hunting Seasons table in the 2026-27 seasons and limits sheet, opening September 1 and running to the end of November.

Rules

Iowa 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 Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Iowa regulations

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

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

Iowa small game season questions

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 Iowa Department of Natural Resources 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 Iowa Department of Natural Resources, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national small game season guide.