Wisconsin Pheasant & Squirrel Season 2026-27: Small Game Dates

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

Pheasant: October 17, 2026 to January 3, 2027. Wisconsin 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 squirrel season in Wisconsin?

Squirrels (gray and fox): September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Wisconsin 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: Does Wisconsin have a quail season?

Bobwhite quail: October 17, 2026 to December 9, 2026. Wisconsin 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: Which small game zone am I in, in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin sets different dates by zone for at least one species, and the boundaries are the agency's own, drawn along interstates, highways and county lines. Your zone is determined from the agency's own map: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources publishes the official zone map and boundary descriptions, linked from this page.

Q: Where are the bag limits, legal methods and licence rules for Wisconsin small game?

At Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 17, 2026 to January 3, 2027

Pheasant

published

October 17, 2026 to December 9, 2026

Quail

published

September 12, 2026 to January 3, 2027

Grouse

published

September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027, plus units the agency lists as year-round

Rabbit

published

September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Squirrel

published

3 zone rows

Zone structure

as the agency draws it

Five seasons, one state

Wisconsin small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources dates ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, Hungarian partridge, cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare and gray and fox squirrel; sharp-tailed grouse keeps game bird status but has no 2026 season 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 January 3, 2027 across all zones.

Wisconsin pheasant, as published by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	October 17, 2026	January 3, 2027

Dates read from Season Dates and Application Deadlines, Wisconsin DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Wisconsin's pheasant season opens the third Saturday of October, Oct 17 in 2026, and runs statewide to Jan 3, 2027; the DNR's pheasant page confirms the window is unchanged for 2026. The DNR dates no separate statewide youth pheasant season; its youth seasons are deer, turkey and waterfowl.

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

Bobwhite quail

published

Bobwhite quail runs October 17, 2026 to December 9, 2026 across all zones.

Wisconsin bobwhite quail, as published by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	October 17, 2026	December 9, 2026

Dates read from Season Dates and Application Deadlines, Wisconsin DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Bobwhite quail opens with pheasant on Oct 17, 2026 and closes earlier, on Dec 9, 2026.

Ruffed grouse

published

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

Wisconsin ruffed grouse, as published by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Zone A	September 12, 2026	January 3, 2027
Zone B	October 17, 2026	December 8, 2026

Dates read from Season Dates and Application Deadlines, Wisconsin DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Ruffed grouse Zone A opens with Wisconsin's Sep 12 small game opener and runs to Jan 3, 2027, while Zone B is a shorter Oct 17 to Dec 8, 2026 season; the zone boundaries are on the DNR's ruffed grouse zone map.

Cottontail rabbit

published

Cottontail rabbit runs September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Wisconsin cottontail rabbit, as published by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Northern Zone	September 12, 2026	February 28, 2027	North of U.S. Hwy. 10 to Waupaca and north of State Hwy. 54 to Algoma
Southern Zone	October 17, 2026	February 28, 2027	South of U.S. Hwy. 10 to Waupaca and south of State Hwy. 54 to Algoma
Milwaukee County	Open year-round, per the agency

Dates read from Season Dates and Application Deadlines, Wisconsin DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Cottontail rabbit opens Sep 12 in the Northern Zone and Oct 17 in the Southern Zone, both closing Feb 28, 2027; the DNR lists Milwaukee County as year-round. Snowshoe hare is a year-round open season and is listed under other seasons.

Squirrels (gray and fox)

published

Squirrels (gray and fox) runs September 12, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Wisconsin squirrels (gray and fox), as published by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 12, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Season Dates and Application Deadlines, Wisconsin DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Gray and fox squirrel run statewide from the Sep 12, 2026 small game opener to Feb 28, 2027.

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

Squirrels (gray and fox) Statewide Sept. 12 – Feb. 28, 2027

Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources dates 4 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.

Hungarian partridge

published

Hungarian partridge runs October 17, 2026 to January 3, 2027 across all zones.

Wisconsin hungarian partridge, as published by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide (closed in Clark, Marathon, and Taylor counties)	October 17, 2026	January 3, 2027

Dates read from Season Dates and Application Deadlines, Wisconsin DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Hungarian partridge shares the pheasant window, Oct 17, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027, and is closed in Clark, Marathon and Taylor counties.

Sharp-tailed grouse

no season

Wisconsin has no open sharp-tailed grouse for 2026-27. The DNR's dates page lists sharp-tailed grouse as No Season 2026, and its sharp-tailed grouse page says the Sharp-tailed Grouse Advisory Committee and department biologists agreed there should not be a hunting season in 2026, with the bird keeping its game species status. During an active season hunting is limited to Zone 10. Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Snowshoe hare

published

Wisconsin snowshoe hare, as published by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	Open year-round, per the agency

Dates read from Season Dates and Application Deadlines, Wisconsin DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

The DNR's small game season table lists snowshoe hare as a year-round open season statewide.

Mourning Dove

published

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

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

Dates read from Season Dates and Application Deadlines, Wisconsin DNR, accessed 2026-09-19.

Listed under Migratory Birds on the same DNR season dates page.

Rules

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

Current Wisconsin regulations

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

Wisconsin 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 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

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

Wisconsin small game season questions

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

When is squirrel season in Wisconsin?

Does Wisconsin have a quail season?

Which small game zone am I in, in Wisconsin?

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

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