Minnesota Pheasant & Grouse Season 2026-27: Small Game Dates

Q: When does pheasant season open in Minnesota in 2026-27?

Pheasant, Ring-Necked: October 10, 2026 to January 3, 2027. Minnesota 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 grouse season in Minnesota?

Grouse, Ruffed & Spruce: September 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027. Minnesota 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 Minnesota?

Not for the 2026-27 seasons shown here: Minnesota 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 Minnesota small game?

At Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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.

October 10, 2026 to January 3, 2027

Pheasant

published

No open season

Quail

no season

September 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027

Grouse

published

September 19, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Rabbit

published

September 19, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Squirrel

published

Statewide

Zone structure

as the agency draws it

Five seasons, one state

Minnesota small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources dates ring-necked pheasant, ruffed and spruce grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, greater prairie chicken, Hungarian partridge, cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare, jackrabbit and gray and fox 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.

Pheasant, Ring-Necked

published

Pheasant, Ring-Necked runs October 10, 2026 to January 3, 2027 across all zones.

Minnesota pheasant, ring-necked, as published by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	October 10, 2026	January 3, 2027

Dates read from Upland Birds Season Dates, Minnesota DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Minnesota's pheasant opener is the second Saturday of October, Oct 10 in 2026, three weeks after the rest of the small game seasons, and the season runs statewide to Jan 3, 2027. The DNR dates no separate youth pheasant season.

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

Quail

no season

Minnesota has no open quail season for 2026-27. The DNR's upland birds season dates list grouse, partridge, pheasant, prairie chicken, dove, rail, snipe, woodcock and turkey; no quail season is dated anywhere on the department's season pages. Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Grouse, Ruffed & Spruce

published

Grouse, Ruffed & Spruce runs September 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027 across all zones.

Minnesota grouse, ruffed & spruce, as published by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 19, 2026	January 3, 2027

Dates read from Upland Birds Season Dates, Minnesota DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Minnesota dates ruffed and spruce grouse together, statewide from the Sep 19, 2026 small game opener to Jan 3, 2027. Sharp-tailed grouse is a separate Northwest zone season listed under other seasons.

Rabbit, Cottontail & Snowshoe Hare

published

Rabbit, Cottontail & Snowshoe Hare runs September 19, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Minnesota rabbit, cottontail & snowshoe hare, as published by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 19, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Upland Birds Season Dates, Minnesota DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare are dated together under one DNR row, Sep 19, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027; jackrabbit is a separate row with the same dates, listed under other seasons.

Squirrel, Gray & Fox

published

Squirrel, Gray & Fox runs September 19, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Minnesota squirrel, gray & fox, as published by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 19, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Upland Birds Season Dates, Minnesota DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Gray and fox squirrel run statewide Sep 19, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027, the same window as rabbit.

10/10/26 - 01/3/27 Pheasant, Ring-Necked Statewide

Minnesota 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 Minnesota small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources dates 5 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.

Grouse, Sharp-Tailed

published

Grouse, Sharp-Tailed runs September 19, 2026 to November 30, 2026 across all zones.

Minnesota grouse, sharp-tailed, as published by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Northwest zone	September 19, 2026	November 30, 2026

Dates read from Upland Birds Season Dates, Minnesota DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Sharp-tailed grouse is open only in the DNR's Northwest zone, Sep 19 to Nov 30, 2026.

Partridge, Hungarian

published

Partridge, Hungarian runs September 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027 across all zones.

Minnesota partridge, hungarian, as published by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 19, 2026	January 3, 2027

Dates read from Upland Birds Season Dates, Minnesota DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Hungarian partridge shares the grouse window, Sep 19, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027, statewide.

Prairie Chicken, Greater

published

Prairie Chicken, Greater runs September 26, 2026 to October 4, 2026 across all zones.

Minnesota prairie chicken, greater, as published by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Prairie chicken quota areas	September 26, 2026	October 4, 2026	Licenses are drawn by lottery; the DNR's 2026 application deadline was Aug 14

Dates read from Upland Birds Season Dates, Minnesota DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

A nine day greater prairie chicken season in the DNR's quota areas, Sep 26 to Oct 4, 2026, open to hunters drawn in the summer lottery.

Rabbit, Jack

published

Rabbit, Jack runs September 19, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Minnesota rabbit, jack, as published by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 19, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Upland Birds Season Dates, Minnesota DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Jackrabbit carries its own DNR row with the same dates as cottontail and snowshoe hare.

Dove, Mourning

published

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

Minnesota dove, mourning, as published by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 1, 2026	November 29, 2026

Dates read from Upland Birds Season Dates, Minnesota DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Listed on the same DNR upland birds season dates page.

Rules

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

Current Minnesota regulations

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

Minnesota 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 ruffed grouse standing on snow with its feathers puffed against the cold, crest raised, in front of bare frosted branches — A ruffed grouse in northern Minnesota snow. Grouse seasons open in September or October in the northern forest states and several run through the winter. Photo: Courtney Celley, USFWS. “Ruffed grouse (53480965635)”, USFWS Midwest Region, Public domain

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

Minnesota small game season questions

When does pheasant season open in Minnesota in 2026-27?

When is grouse season in Minnesota?

Does Minnesota have a quail season?

Do small game dates vary by zone in Minnesota?

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

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