Skip to content
Michigan · 2026-27 season year

Michigan Small Game Season 2026-27

Squirrel: September 15, 2026 to March 31, 2027. Grouse: September 15, 2026 to January 1, 2027. Every date below was read from Michigan 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 10, 2026 to January 1, 2027
Pheasant
published
October 20, 2026 to November 14, 2026
Quail
published
September 15, 2026 to January 1, 2027
Grouse
published
September 15, 2026 to March 31, 2027
Rabbit
published
September 15, 2026 to March 31, 2027
Squirrel
published
4 zone rows
Zone structure
as the agency draws it
Five seasons, one state

Michigan small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Michigan Department of Natural Resources dates ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare and fox, gray and red squirrel, which the DNR lists among its eleven small game species with crow, ground squirrel, woodchuck and woodcock 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 hunting

published

Ring-necked pheasant hunting runs October 10, 2026 to January 1, 2027 across all zones.

Michigan ring-necked pheasant hunting, as published by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Zone 1 pheasant management unitOctober 10, 2026October 31, 2026All of Menominee County and portions of Delta, Dickinson, Iron and Marquette counties; the remaining portion of Zone 1 is closed to pheasant hunting
Zone 2October 20, 2026November 14, 2026
Zone 3October 20, 2026November 14, 2026
December pheasant management unitDecember 1, 2026January 1, 2027Includes all of Zone 3

Dates read from 2026 Small Game Hunting Regulations Summary, Michigan DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Michigan dates pheasant by its three hunting zones: Zone 1 is the Upper Peninsula, where only a management unit in the south central UP opens Oct 10 to 31; Zones 2 and 3 cover the entire Lower Peninsula and open Oct 20 to Nov 14; Zone 3, the southern Lower Peninsula, reopens as the December pheasant management unit from Dec 1, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.

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

Bobwhite quail hunting

published

Bobwhite quail hunting runs October 20, 2026 to November 14, 2026 across all zones.

Michigan bobwhite quail hunting, as published by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Select countiesOctober 20, 2026November 14, 2026Branch, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Huron, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kent, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Montcalm, Oakland, Saginaw, St. Clair, St. Joseph, Sanilac, Shiawassee, Tuscola, Washtenaw and Wayne counties; all other counties are closed to quail hunting

Dates read from 2026 Small Game Hunting Regulations Summary, Michigan DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Bobwhite quail is open only in 27 named southern Lower Peninsula counties, on the same Oct 20 to Nov 14, 2026 window as the Lower Peninsula pheasant season. The DNR notes special rules apply on the Ionia and Highland field trial areas.

Ruffed grouse hunting

published

Ruffed grouse hunting runs September 15, 2026 to January 1, 2027 across all zones.

Michigan ruffed grouse hunting, as published by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Statewide (segment 1)September 15, 2026November 14, 2026
Statewide (segment 2)December 1, 2026January 1, 2027

Dates read from 2026 Small Game Hunting Regulations Summary, Michigan DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Ruffed grouse opens statewide Sep 15 with the rest of Michigan's small game, closes Nov 14, and reopens for December through Jan 1, 2027. Sharp-tailed grouse is dated separately in a Zone 1 management unit and is listed under other seasons.

Cottontail rabbit hunting

published

Cottontail rabbit hunting runs September 15, 2026 to March 31, 2027 across all zones.

Michigan cottontail rabbit hunting, as published by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideSeptember 15, 2026March 31, 2027

Dates read from 2026 Small Game Hunting Regulations Summary, Michigan DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Cottontail rabbit runs statewide from the Sep 15 small game opener through Mar 31, 2027. Snowshoe hare carries the same dates and is listed under other seasons.

Squirrel hunting (fox and/or gray; black phase included)

published

Squirrel hunting (fox and/or gray; black phase included) runs September 15, 2026 to March 31, 2027 across all zones.

Michigan squirrel hunting (fox and/or gray; black phase included), as published by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideSeptember 15, 2026March 31, 2027

Dates read from 2026 Small Game Hunting Regulations Summary, Michigan DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Fox and gray squirrel, black phase included, run statewide Sep 15, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027. The DNR lists red squirrel and ground squirrel as year-round statewide seasons.

Zones 2 and 3 (entire Lower Peninsula) are open to pheasant hunting Oct. 20 – Nov. 14. Zone 3 is open to pheasant hunting Dec. 1 – Jan. 1.
Michigan 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 Michigan small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, Michigan Department of Natural Resources dates 3 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.

Sharp-tailed grouse hunting

published

Sharp-tailed grouse hunting runs October 10, 2026 to October 31, 2026 across all zones.

Michigan sharp-tailed grouse hunting, as published by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Zone 1 sharp-tailed grouse management unitOctober 10, 2026October 31, 2026Boundaries are described in the Wildlife Conservation Order

Dates read from 2026 Small Game Hunting Regulations Summary, Michigan DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

A three week Upper Peninsula season inside the DNR's sharp-tailed grouse management unit, dated Oct 10 to 31, 2026.

Snowshoe hare hunting

published

Snowshoe hare hunting runs September 15, 2026 to March 31, 2027 across all zones.

Michigan snowshoe hare hunting, as published by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideSeptember 15, 2026March 31, 2027

Dates read from 2026 Small Game Hunting Regulations Summary, Michigan DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Snowshoe hare is dated statewide on the same Sep 15 to Mar 31 window as cottontail rabbit.

Small game management seasons (cottontail rabbit, fox and gray squirrel)

published

Small game management seasons (cottontail rabbit, fox and gray squirrel) runs April 1, 2026 to September 14, 2026 across all zones.

Michigan small game management seasons (cottontail rabbit, fox and gray squirrel), as published by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Statewide, private lands onlyApril 1, 2026September 14, 2026Hunting only; Commercial Forest lands open to the public are closed

Dates read from 2026 Small Game Hunting Regulations Summary, Michigan DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

The DNR's spring and summer management seasons for cottontail rabbits, fox squirrels and gray squirrels fill the gap between the Mar 31 close and the Sep 15 opener on private lands only.

Rules

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

Current Michigan regulations

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

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

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