Louisiana Squirrel & Rabbit Season 2026-27: Small Game Dates

Q: When does squirrel season open in Louisiana in 2026-27?

Squirrel: October 3, 2026 to May 23, 2027. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 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 Louisiana?

Rabbit: October 3, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries publishes it under that name, and the zone table on this page was read from its own page on September 19, 2026.

Q: Does Louisiana have a pheasant season?

Pheasant: November 21, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries publishes it under that name, and the zone table on this page was read from its own page on September 19, 2026.

Q: Do small game dates vary by zone in Louisiana?

Not for the 2026-27 seasons shown here: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 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.

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

At Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 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.

Q: Can these Louisiana 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 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries page it read on September 19, 2026. Treat the agency page as the final word on the morning you hunt.

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 21, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Pheasant

published

November 21, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Quail

published

No open season

Grouse

no season

October 3, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Rabbit

published

October 3, 2026 to May 23, 2027

Squirrel

published

Statewide

Zone structure

as the agency draws it

Five seasons, one state

Louisiana small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries dates squirrel, rabbit and quail, plus pheasant dated concurrently with quail, under LDWF's Quadrupeds and Resident Game Birds schedule 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

published

Pheasant runs November 21, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Louisiana pheasant, as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	November 21, 2026	February 28, 2027	Open concurrently with the quail season

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting & WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-19.

LDWF does not print a separate pheasant window; the regulations pamphlet lists pheasant under Quadrupeds and Resident Game Birds with the season 'Open concurrently with Quail Season', which for 2026-27 is Nov 21, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027.

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

Quail

published

Quail runs November 21, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Louisiana quail, as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	November 21, 2026	February 28, 2027	Wildlife management areas follow their own schedules

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting & WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-19.

Louisiana's quail season opens the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Nov 21, 2026, and runs to Feb 28, 2027, closing with rabbit and squirrel.

Grouse

no season

Louisiana has no open grouse season for 2026-27. LDWF's 2026-2027 Quadrupeds and Resident Game Birds schedule dates quail, rabbit, squirrel, pheasant and crows; no grouse season exists in Louisiana. Source: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Rabbit

published

Rabbit runs October 3, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Louisiana rabbit, as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	October 3, 2026	February 28, 2027	Wildlife management areas follow their own schedules

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting & WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-19.

Rabbit opens with squirrel on the first Saturday of October, Oct 3, 2026, and runs to Feb 28, 2027.

Squirrel

published

Squirrel runs October 3, 2026 to May 23, 2027 across all zones.

Louisiana squirrel, as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide (segment 1)	October 3, 2026	February 28, 2027	The spring segment is closed on the Kisatchie National Forest, some national wildlife refuges, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property and some state WMAs
Statewide (segment 2)	May 1, 2027	May 23, 2027

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting & WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-19.

Louisiana runs a fall and winter squirrel season Oct 3, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 and a spring season May 1 to 23, 2027 where open. A two day youth squirrel weekend on private lands precedes the fall opener and is listed under other seasons.

PHEASANT SEASON: Open concurrently with Quail Season.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 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 Louisiana small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries dates 2 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.

Squirrel youth (Private lands only)

published

Squirrel youth (Private lands only) runs September 26, 2026 to September 27, 2026 across all zones.

Louisiana squirrel youth (private lands only), as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Private lands	September 26, 2026	September 27, 2026	Select state wildlife management areas and other public lands also open for youth squirrel hunting under their own schedules

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting & WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-19.

The fourth Saturday of September weekend, a week ahead of the Oct 3 general opener.

Mourning and White-winged Doves and fully-dressed Eurasian Collared and Ringed Turtle Doves

published

Mourning and White-winged Doves and fully-dressed Eurasian Collared and Ringed Turtle Doves runs September 5, 2026 to January 17, 2027 across all zones.

Louisiana mourning and white-winged doves and fully-dressed eurasian collared and ringed turtle doves, as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Zone	Opens	Closes
North Zone (segment 1)	September 5, 2026	September 27, 2026
North Zone (segment 2)	October 10, 2026	November 15, 2026
North Zone (segment 3)	December 19, 2026	January 17, 2027
South Zone (segment 1)	September 5, 2026	September 20, 2026
South Zone (segment 2)	October 17, 2026	November 29, 2026
South Zone (segment 3)	December 12, 2026	January 10, 2027

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting & WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-19.

From the 2026-2027 Migratory Game Bird Schedule printed on the same LDWF hunting schedules summary page as the resident game schedule; three segments in each of two dove zones.

Rules

Louisiana 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 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Louisiana regulations

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

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries: 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

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

Louisiana small game season questions

When does squirrel season open in Louisiana in 2026-27?

When is rabbit season in Louisiana?

Does Louisiana have a pheasant season?

Do small game dates vary by zone in Louisiana?

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

Can these Louisiana small game dates change?

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 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 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 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national small game season guide.