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

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

Squirrel (Gray, Red (Piney) and Eastern Fox): September 5, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Maryland Department of Natural Resources 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 Maryland?

Eastern Cottontail Rabbit: November 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Maryland Department of Natural Resources publishes it under that name, and the zone table on this page was read from its own page on September 19, 2026.

Q: Does Maryland have a pheasant season?

Pheasant: November 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Maryland Department of Natural Resources 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 Maryland?

Not for the 2026-27 seasons shown here: Maryland Department of Natural Resources 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 Maryland small game?

At Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 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 Maryland 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 Maryland Department of Natural Resources 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 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Pheasant

published

November 7, 2026 to January 15, 2027

Quail

published

October 3, 2026 to December 31, 2026

Grouse

published

November 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Rabbit

published

September 5, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Squirrel

published

Statewide

Zone structure

as the agency draws it

Five seasons, one state

Maryland small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Maryland Department of Natural Resources dates eastern cottontail rabbit, gray, red (piney) and eastern fox squirrels, quail, ruffed grouse and pheasant 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 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Maryland pheasant, as published by Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
All counties	November 7, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game Seasons, 2026-2027 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping, Maryland DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Maryland opens pheasant on the first Saturday in November, the same day as rabbit and quail, and runs it in all counties through the end of February. Sunday small game hunting is allowed only in the counties and public lands the guide's Sunday chart lists.

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

Quail

published

Quail runs November 7, 2026 to January 15, 2027 across all zones.

Maryland quail, as published by Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Private lands east of the Susquehanna River and all lands west of the Susquehanna River, excluding Garrett and Allegany Counties	November 7, 2026	January 15, 2027

Dates read from Small Game Seasons, 2026-2027 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping, Maryland DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Bobwhite quail is closed in Allegany and Garrett counties and on lands owned or managed by the Department of Natural Resources east of the Susquehanna River; the guide prints those two closures as their own rows. Everywhere else the season is the first Saturday in November through mid January.

Ruffed Grouse

published

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

Maryland ruffed grouse, as published by Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
All counties	October 3, 2026	December 31, 2026

Dates read from Small Game Seasons, 2026-2027 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping, Maryland DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Ruffed grouse has the earliest upland opener in Maryland, the first Saturday in October, and closes at the end of December in all counties.

Eastern Cottontail Rabbit

published

Eastern Cottontail Rabbit runs November 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Maryland eastern cottontail rabbit, as published by Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
All counties	November 7, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game Seasons, 2026-2027 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping, Maryland DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Cottontail season runs the first Saturday in November through the end of February in all counties.

Squirrel (Gray, Red (Piney) and Eastern Fox)

published

Squirrel (Gray, Red (Piney) and Eastern Fox) runs September 5, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Maryland squirrel (gray, red (piney) and eastern fox), as published by Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
All counties	September 5, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game Seasons, 2026-2027 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping, Maryland DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Gray, red (piney) and eastern fox squirrels open the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and run through the end of February in all counties. The Delmarva fox squirrel is listed with a closed season.

Eastern Cottontail Rabbit Nov. 7–Feb. 28 All counties

Maryland 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

Rules

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

Current Maryland regulations

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

Maryland 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 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

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

Maryland small game season questions

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

When is rabbit season in Maryland?

Does Maryland have a pheasant season?

Do small game dates vary by zone in Maryland?

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

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