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

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

Squirrel: October 1, 2026 to June 1, 2027. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks 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 Mississippi?

Rabbit: October 17, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks 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 Mississippi?

Not for the 2026-27 seasons shown here: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks 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 Mississippi small game?

At Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks 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.

No open season

Pheasant

no season

November 26, 2026 to March 7, 2027

Quail

published

No open season

Grouse

no season

October 17, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Rabbit

published

October 1, 2026 to June 1, 2027

Squirrel

published

Statewide

Zone structure

as the agency draws it

Five seasons, one state

Mississippi small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks dates squirrel, rabbit and bobwhite quail, the three small game seasons MDWFP dates 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

no season

Mississippi has no open pheasant season for 2026-27. Pheasant appears nowhere on MDWFP's 2026-2027 Hunting Seasons. Mississippi's small game seasons are squirrel, rabbit and bobwhite quail only; the department dates no wild pheasant season. Source: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

Bobwhite Quail

published

Bobwhite Quail runs November 26, 2026 to March 7, 2027 across all zones.

Mississippi bobwhite quail, as published by Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	November 26, 2026	March 7, 2027

Dates read from 2026-2027 Hunting Seasons, MDWFP, accessed 2026-09-19.

Mississippi's bobwhite season opens on Thanksgiving Day, Nov 26, 2026, and runs to Mar 7, 2027, one of the latest quail closings in the country.

Grouse

no season

Mississippi has no open grouse season for 2026-27. No grouse season appears on MDWFP's 2026-2027 Hunting Seasons; the department's small game seasons are squirrel, rabbit and bobwhite quail only. Source: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

Rabbit

published

Rabbit runs October 17, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Mississippi rabbit, as published by Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	October 17, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from 2026-2027 Hunting Seasons, MDWFP, accessed 2026-09-19.

Rabbit opens Oct 17, 2026, two weeks after the fall squirrel opener, and closes Feb 28, 2027 alongside it.

Squirrel

published

Squirrel runs October 1, 2026 to June 1, 2027 across all zones.

Mississippi squirrel, as published by Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide (segment 1)	October 1, 2026	February 28, 2027	MDWFP dates these as Squirrel - Fall Season and Squirrel - Spring Season
Statewide (segment 2)	May 15, 2027	June 1, 2027

Dates read from 2026-2027 Hunting Seasons, MDWFP, accessed 2026-09-19.

Mississippi runs a fall squirrel season from Oct 1, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 and a short spring season May 15 to Jun 1, 2027. A youth squirrel week precedes the fall opener and is listed under other seasons.

Squirrel - Fall Season Oct. 1 - Feb. 28

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, read September 19, 2026. Read it at the source

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

The rest of the calendar

Other Mississippi small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks 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.

Youth Squirrel

published

Youth Squirrel runs September 24, 2026 to September 30, 2026 across all zones.

Mississippi youth squirrel, as published by Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Private lands, authorized state and federal lands, and open public lands in areas open for squirrel hunting	September 24, 2026	September 30, 2026	Youth 15 and under

Dates read from 2026-2027 Hunting Seasons, MDWFP, accessed 2026-09-19.

A week long youth squirrel season the week before the Oct 1 fall opener.

Mourning and White-winged Doves (Statewide)

published

Mourning and White-winged Doves (Statewide) runs September 5, 2026 to January 24, 2027 across all zones.

Mississippi mourning and white-winged doves (statewide), as published by Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
Zone	Opens	Closes
Statewide (segment 1)	September 5, 2026	October 4, 2026
Statewide (segment 2)	October 24, 2026	November 22, 2026
Statewide (segment 3)	December 26, 2026	January 24, 2027

Dates read from 2026-2027 Hunting Seasons, MDWFP, accessed 2026-09-19.

Listed in the migratory game birds section of the same MDWFP 2026-2027 Hunting Seasons sheet; a three segment season.

Rules

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

Current Mississippi regulations

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

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks: 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 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

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

Mississippi small game season questions

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

When is rabbit season in Mississippi?

Does Mississippi have a pheasant season?

Do small game dates vary by zone in Mississippi?

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

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