PointsAfieldSeason2026–27
Massachusetts · Upland

Ring-necked pheasant

Opens in 57 days
Season 2026
2 windows on one classification

Season windows

  1. Window 117 OCT – 29 NOV 202644d
  2. Window 213 DEC – 31 DEC 202619d

As publishedOct 17–Nov 29 & Dec 13–Dec 31, 2026 (closed Nov 30–Dec 12 for shotgun deer season)

What you may take, and when

Take and hours

Bag limit2/day, 4 in possession, no season limit

Licence and outlook

HIP requiredNot required
Exceptions posted at the boundary

Zones 1-14, statewide.Season closed during shotgun deer season (Nov 30–Dec 12, 2026); resumes Dec 13–31. Requires Pheasant/Quail Permit for hunters aged 15+ (both residents and non-residents), in addition to a hunting/sporting or small-game/big-game license. Shot restricted to #1 birdshot or smaller. MassWildlife stocks approximately 40,000 ring-necked pheasants statewide annually.

Population outlook

Massachusetts 2026

Awaiting survey — Massachusetts 2026

Confirmed absence: Massachusetts's entire huntable pheasant supply is MassWildlife-stocked (~40,000 birds/year statewide, stocking since the 1890s), not a wild surveyed population.

Issuing agencyMassachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife)www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-fisheries-and-wildlifeRecord year 2026