| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Window 1 | 14 NOV – 27 DEC 2026 | 44d |
| Window 2 | 10 OCT – 01 NOV 2026 | 23d |
| Window 3 | 28 DEC 2026 – 24 JAN 2027 | 28d |
| Window 4 | 15 AUG 2026 – 28 FEB 2027 | 198d |
As publishedNov 14-Dec 27, 2026 (general); Oct 10-Nov 1 & Dec 28, 2026-Jan 24, 2027 (archery); Aug 15, 2026-Feb 28, 2027 (falconry)
General season is males (roosters) only, hens illegal; 2 males/day first two days then 3/day. Archery Oct 10-Nov 1, 2026 & Dec 28, 2026-Jan 24, 2027 allows up to 1 female per day within the archery bag. Falconry Aug 15, 2026-Feb 28, 2027 allows either sex.
Ring-necked pheasant is CDFW's own official six-region administrative framework (Northern, North Central, Bay-Delta, Central, South Coast, Inland Deserts), quantified in full by a 2014 USGS Western Ecological Research Center final data summary (Fleskes, Skalos, Kohl, and Loughman, prepared for CDFW) drawing on decades of Annual Game Take Survey (AGTS) harvest data and hunter check-station records. The report documents a severe statewide decline from a 1950s-60s peak (driven by "Clean Farming" practices reducing idle/nesting habitat and a shift from cereal grains to orchards and rice), but the six-region ranking of where the (much smaller) remaining population concentrates has stayed consistent.
No formal population survey program exists for this species in this state.
Join the waitlist and tell us what you’re working on — the planner reads it first once your access opens.
Free, invite-gated, unsubscribe anytime. See what it returns