| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Season | 20 OCT – 14 NOV 2026 | 26d |
As publishedOct 20-Nov 14, 2026 (select counties only)
MI DNR calls this simply 'bobwhite quail hunting.' Open only in 26 named counties: Branch, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Huron, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kent, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Montcalm, Oakland, Saginaw, St. Clair, St. Joseph, Sanilac, Shiawassee, Tuscola, Washtenaw, Wayne. All other Michigan counties are closed to quail hunting. Special rules apply at the Ionia and Highland field trial areas.
Michigan runs a hard regulatory zone for bobwhite quail rather than a density map: MI DNR's 2026 small game regulations summary states plainly that quail can be hunted in 26 named counties only, with 'all other counties closed to quail hunting.' The 26 counties cluster in south-central and southeastern Lower Peninsula farmland, consistent with the species' historic Midwest range edge and its association with grain/brush-edge habitat.
MI DNR's only bobwhite instrument is the long-running Pheasant/Quail Cooperators survey (since 1999): hunter-reported flush counts submitted during the season itself, rather than a discrete pre-season forecast document.
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