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West Virginia · 2026-27 season year

West Virginia Small Game Season 2026-27

Squirrel: September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Rabbit: November 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Every date below was read from West Virginia Division 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.
November 7, 2026 to January 2, 2027
Pheasant
published
November 7, 2026 to January 2, 2027
Quail
published
October 17, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Grouse
published
November 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Rabbit
published
September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Squirrel
published
2 zone rows
Zone structure
as the agency draws it
Five seasons, one state

West Virginia small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources dates gray, black, albino and fox squirrel, ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, cottontail rabbit, snowshoe or varying hare and ring-necked pheasant 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

published

Ring-necked Pheasant runs November 7, 2026 to January 2, 2027 across all zones.

West Virginia ring-necked pheasant, as published by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideNovember 7, 2026January 2, 2027
Hillcrest WMANovember 14, 2026December 5, 2026The agency lists Hillcrest WMA as its own pheasant row

Dates read from Hunting Seasons, 2026-2027 Hunting and Trapping Seasons table, WVDNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Pheasant opens the first Saturday in November alongside rabbit and quail and closes Jan 2, 2027. Hillcrest WMA carries a separate, shorter window that the seasons table prints as its own row.

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

Bobwhite Quail

published

Bobwhite Quail runs November 7, 2026 to January 2, 2027 across all zones.

West Virginia bobwhite quail, as published by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideNovember 7, 2026January 2, 2027Bobwhite quail hunting closed on Tomblin WMA

Dates read from Hunting Seasons, 2026-2027 Hunting and Trapping Seasons table, WVDNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Bobwhite quail runs the first Saturday in November through Jan 2, 2027, the same window as pheasant. The table notes that quail hunting is closed on Tomblin WMA.

Ruffed Grouse

published

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

West Virginia ruffed grouse, as published by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideOctober 17, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Hunting Seasons, 2026-2027 Hunting and Trapping Seasons table, WVDNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Ruffed grouse opens the third Saturday in October and runs through the end of February statewide.

Cottontail Rabbit

published

Cottontail Rabbit runs November 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

West Virginia cottontail rabbit, as published by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideNovember 7, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Hunting Seasons, 2026-2027 Hunting and Trapping Seasons table, WVDNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Cottontail rabbit opens the first Saturday in November and runs through the end of February. Snowshoe or varying hare shares the same window as a separate agency row.

Squirrel (Gray, Black, Albino and Fox)

published

Squirrel (Gray, Black, Albino and Fox) runs September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

West Virginia squirrel (gray, black, albino and fox), as published by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideSeptember 12, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Hunting Seasons, 2026-2027 Hunting and Trapping Seasons table, WVDNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

The general squirrel season opens the second Saturday in September and runs through the end of February. A two day youth squirrel season the weekend before, Sep 5 and 6, 2026, is listed as its own row.

Squirrel: Sept. 5-6, 2026
West Virginia Division 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 West Virginia small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources 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.

Squirrel (Youth Season)

published

Squirrel (Youth Season) runs September 5, 2026 to September 6, 2026 across all zones.

West Virginia squirrel (youth season), as published by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideSeptember 5, 2026September 6, 2026

Dates read from Hunting Seasons, 2026-2027 Hunting and Trapping Seasons table, WVDNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

A statewide youth squirrel weekend the Saturday and Sunday before the general squirrel opener.

Snowshoe or Varying Hare

published

Snowshoe or Varying Hare runs November 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

West Virginia snowshoe or varying hare, as published by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideNovember 7, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Hunting Seasons, 2026-2027 Hunting and Trapping Seasons table, WVDNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Hare runs on the same window as cottontail rabbit.

Rules

West Virginia 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 West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current West Virginia regulations

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

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

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