PointsAfieldSeason2026–27
Indiana · Upland

Ruffed grouse

Suspended — no open season
Season 2026-27
0 windows on one classification

Season windows

Awaiting survey — No dated season on record

This state's classification carries no date range for the species.

What you may take, and when

Take and hours

Licence and outlook

Bag limitAwaiting survey
HIP requiredAwaiting survey
Exceptions posted at the boundary

Official 2026-27 DNR season chart lists Ruffed Grouse hunting dates literally as 'Suspended' under the Woodland Small Game category — statewide closure, no bag limit applicable. No explanation given on the chart itself; population decline is the commonly cited reason in prior-year DNR communications but that specific rationale was not re-verified in this pass.

Population outlook

Indiana 2026

Awaiting survey — Indiana 2026

Lower-confidence closure, flagged explicitly (mirrors the CA white-tailed ptarmigan and IL ruffed grouse judgment calls from prior Tier B passes): season has been suspended statewide since 2015, and the species was added to Indiana's State Endangered list in Dec 2020 (extremely low populations in ~12 counties). IDNR's own ruffed grouse page (read directly 2026-08-19) confirms historic roadside drumming counts began in 1953 but states nothing about whether monitoring continues today; a fresh search pass found no current IDNR survey, drumming-count data, or monitoring program of any kind. Not a documented confirmed-absence statement from IDNR itself, but the total absence of any current-program evidence across every source checked is the closest fit of the three buckets; worth a second look with different search terms or a direct IDNR wildlife-program inquiry.

Issuing agencyIndiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlifewww.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlifeRecord year 2026