North Dakota Pheasant & Grouse Season 2026-27: Small Game Dates

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

Male Pheasants: October 10, 2026 to January 3, 2027. North Dakota Game and Fish Department 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 North Dakota?

Ruffed Grouse: September 12, 2026 to January 3, 2027. North Dakota Game and Fish Department 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 North Dakota?

Not for the 2026-27 seasons shown here: North Dakota Game and Fish Department 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 North Dakota small game?

At North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota Game and Fish Department 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 12, 2026 to January 3, 2027

Grouse

published

units open year-round per the agency

Rabbit

published

September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Squirrel

published

Statewide

Zone structure

as the agency draws it

Five seasons, one state

North Dakota small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. North Dakota Game and Fish Department dates male pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse, ruffed grouse, Hungarian partridge, tree squirrels and rabbits separately, so each species is below under the agency’s own name for it, with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them.

Male Pheasants

published

Male Pheasants runs October 10, 2026 to January 3, 2027 across all zones.

North Dakota male pheasants, as published by North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	October 10, 2026	January 3, 2027

Dates read from 2026 Small Game, Waterfowl and Furbearer Proclamation and Hunting Regulations, ND Game and Fish, accessed 2026-09-19.

North Dakota's regular pheasant season opens the second Saturday of October and runs statewide through January 3, with a two day youth pheasant weekend the Saturday and Sunday before.

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

Quail

no season

North Dakota has no open quail season for 2026-27. The upland sections of the 2026-2027 Small Game, Waterfowl and Furbearer Proclamation cover male pheasants, Hungarian partridge, sharp-tailed grouse, pinnated grouse, ruffed grouse, sage grouse and tree squirrels, and quail appear nowhere in it. Source: North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

Ruffed Grouse

published

Ruffed Grouse runs September 12, 2026 to January 3, 2027 across all zones.

North Dakota ruffed grouse, as published by North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 12, 2026	January 3, 2027

Dates read from 2026 Small Game, Waterfowl and Furbearer Proclamation and Hunting Regulations, ND Game and Fish, accessed 2026-09-19.

The proclamation dates ruffed grouse separately from the prairie grouse, statewide from the second Saturday of September through January 3. Sharp-tailed grouse run the same dates with one closed area in the southeast, and both pinnated grouse (prairie chicken) and sage grouse are closed in 2026.

Rabbit

published

North Dakota rabbit, as published by North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	Open year-round, per the agency

Dates read from 2026 Small Game, Waterfowl and Furbearer Proclamation and Hunting Regulations, ND Game and Fish, accessed 2026-09-19.

The Department lists rabbit among the species whose hunting seasons are open statewide year-round, and its Rabbits season page prints the season as Open Year-round.

Tree Squirrels

published

Tree Squirrels runs September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

North Dakota tree squirrels, as published by North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 12, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from 2026 Small Game, Waterfowl and Furbearer Proclamation and Hunting Regulations, ND Game and Fish, accessed 2026-09-19.

Tree squirrels open the same September Saturday as the grouse and partridge and run statewide through the end of February.

Some rows above say “open year-round” rather than carrying a date. That is the agency’s own designation for those units.

Male pheasants may be taken statewide from October 10, 2026 through January 3, 2027

North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 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 North Dakota small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, North Dakota Game and Fish Department dates 6 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 Pheasant Season

published

Youth Pheasant Season runs October 3, 2026 to October 4, 2026 across all zones.

North Dakota youth pheasant season, as published by North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	October 3, 2026	October 4, 2026	Residents and nonresidents 15 years of age or younger

Dates read from 2026 Small Game, Waterfowl and Furbearer Proclamation and Hunting Regulations, ND Game and Fish, accessed 2026-09-19.

A two day statewide youth pheasant weekend one week before the regular opener.

Sharp-Tailed Grouse

published

Sharp-Tailed Grouse runs September 12, 2026 to January 3, 2027 across all zones.

North Dakota sharp-tailed grouse, as published by North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide except the closed portion in the southeast	September 12, 2026	January 3, 2027	The portion bordered on the west by ND Highway 32, on the north by the Sheyenne River, on the south by ND Highway 11 and on the east by the Red and Bois de Sioux Rivers is closed to sharp-tailed grouse hunting

Dates read from 2026 Small Game, Waterfowl and Furbearer Proclamation and Hunting Regulations, ND Game and Fish, accessed 2026-09-19.

Sharp-tailed grouse run on the ruffed grouse calendar everywhere except one closed block in the southeastern corner of the state.

Pinnated Grouse (Prairie Chicken)

no season

North Dakota has no open pinnated grouse (prairie chicken) for 2026-27. The proclamation states that the pinnated grouse (prairie chicken) season will be closed in 2026. Source: North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

Sage Grouse

no season

North Dakota has no open sage grouse for 2026-27. The proclamation states that the sage grouse season will be closed in 2026. Source: North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

Hungarian Partridge

published

Hungarian Partridge runs September 12, 2026 to January 3, 2027 across all zones.

North Dakota hungarian partridge, as published by North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 12, 2026	January 3, 2027

Dates read from 2026 Small Game, Waterfowl and Furbearer Proclamation and Hunting Regulations, ND Game and Fish, accessed 2026-09-19.

Hungarian partridge run statewide on the same September to January calendar as the grouse.

Doves

published

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

North Dakota doves, as published by North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 1, 2026	November 29, 2026

Dates read from 2026 Small Game, Waterfowl and Furbearer Proclamation and Hunting Regulations, ND Game and Fish, accessed 2026-09-19.

Doves are dated in the same proclamation, statewide from September 1 through November 29.

Rules

North Dakota 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 North Dakota Game and Fish Department, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current North Dakota regulations

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

North Dakota Game and Fish Department: 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

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

North Dakota small game season questions

When does pheasant season open in North Dakota in 2026-27?

When is grouse season in North Dakota?

Does North Dakota have a quail season?

Do small game dates vary by zone in North Dakota?

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

Can these North Dakota 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 North Dakota Game and Fish Department 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 North Dakota Game and Fish Department, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national small game season guide.