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Rhode Island · 2026-27 season year

Rhode Island Small Game Season 2026-27

Quail: October 17, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Rabbit: October 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Every date below was read from Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife’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 17, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Pheasant
published
October 17, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Quail
published
No open season
Grouse
no season
October 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Rabbit
published
September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Squirrel
published
Statewide
Zone structure
as the agency draws it
Five seasons, one state

Rhode Island small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife dates pheasant, bobwhite quail, cottontail rabbit, and gray and red squirrel dated together; ruffed grouse is closed 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 October 17, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Rhode Island pheasant, as published by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideOctober 17, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game Seasons and Limits, 2026-2027 Rhode Island Hunting and Trapping Regulations Abstract, RI DEM, accessed 2026-09-19.

Rhode Island's pheasant season opens the third Saturday of October and runs to the end of February statewide; the Division runs the pheasant program that supplies it and posts an annual Pheasant Program Report on its hunting page. A youth pheasant window in mid October is recorded under otherSeasons.

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

Bobwhite Quail

published

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

Rhode Island bobwhite quail, as published by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideOctober 17, 2026February 28, 2027The abstract's table prints one date cell spanning the pheasant and bobwhite quail rows

Dates read from Small Game Seasons and Limits, 2026-2027 Rhode Island Hunting and Trapping Regulations Abstract, RI DEM, accessed 2026-09-19.

Bobwhite quail shares the pheasant window, October 17 to February 28, in the abstract's small game table.

Ruffed Grouse

no season

Rhode Island has no open grouse season for 2026-27. The abstract's 2026-2027 small game table prints the ruffed grouse season as CLOSED, and the Division's seasons bind-in repeats it. Source: Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Cottontail Rabbit

published

Cottontail Rabbit runs October 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Rhode Island cottontail rabbit, as published by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideOctober 1, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game Seasons and Limits, 2026-2027 Rhode Island Hunting and Trapping Regulations Abstract, RI DEM, accessed 2026-09-19.

Cottontail rabbit opens October 1 and runs to the end of February statewide.

Gray and Red Squirrel

published

Gray and Red Squirrel runs September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Rhode Island gray and red squirrel, as published by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideSeptember 12, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game Seasons and Limits, 2026-2027 Rhode Island Hunting and Trapping Regulations Abstract, RI DEM, accessed 2026-09-19.

Rhode Island dates gray and red squirrel together from the second Saturday of September to the end of February statewide.

Pheasant | October 17–February 28, 2027
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife, 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 Rhode Island small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife dates one further season 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

published

Youth Pheasant runs October 10, 2026 to October 12, 2026 across all zones.

Rhode Island youth pheasant, as published by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideOctober 10, 2026October 12, 2026

Dates read from Small Game Seasons and Limits, 2026-2027 Rhode Island Hunting and Trapping Regulations Abstract, RI DEM, accessed 2026-09-19.

A three day youth pheasant window, October 10 to 12, a week before the regular October 17 opener.

Rules

Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Rhode Island regulations

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

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

Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife 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 Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national small game season guide.