As publishedNov. 1 – Dec. 15, 2026
Statewide, cock (male) pheasants only; hens illegal except during DNR put-and-take stocked-bird hunts beginning Nov. 21, 2026 ($30/spot). Requires valid hunting license plus Indiana Gamebird Habitat Stamp. HIP not required (resident upland game, not a migratory species).
IDNR runs a real, county-level spring pheasant crowing-count survey, but (per the Tier A registry) it reaches the public only through the Pointing Dog Journal's annual cross-state forecast aggregator, not a standalone IDNR-published document -- a traceability gap noted in Tier A, not a confirmed absence. A 2026 edition of that aggregator page now exists (it didn't as of the Tier A pass), and quotes IDNR biologist Andy Byers directly: "wild pheasant populations are limited but stable where they exist, primarily in northwestern Indiana," naming Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area as a good access point. No county-level numeric data accompanies the quote (unlike the 2025 edition, which named Benton County as highest) -- narrative-only signal, same pattern as Alabama's and Delaware's bobwhite closes in the prior two Tier B batches.