| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Season | 19 SEP 2026 – 03 JAN 2027 | 107d |
As publishedSept. 19, 2026 - Jan. 3, 2027
Statewide.Same rifle/handgun restriction as pheasant (.22 rimfire only).
Minnesota's August Roadside Survey (ARS, running continuously since 1955) is the primary regional source for gray partridge, the same fixed 7-region agricultural-region grid (Northwest, West Central, Central, East Central, Southwest, South Central, Southeast) already used for MN pheasant and mourning dove. MN DNR's own reporting identifies the Southwest and Southeast regions as having the greatest number of gray partridge observations of the seven, the state's best opportunities for the species.
Minnesota's gray (Hungarian) partridge season is statewide, Sept. 19, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027, 5 birds daily/10 possession, with the same .22-rimfire-only rifle/handgun restriction as pheasant. MN DNR's 2026 August Roadside Survey, the same statewide count that tracks pheasant, puts the gray partridge index at 1.3 birds per 100 miles, down from last year's 2.2 and below the 10-year average of 2.8. That leaves the species 89% below its longer-term average of 11.8 birds per 100 miles. DNR doesn't point to a specific cause for this year's drop; its own framing is that gray partridge are generally rare statewide, though locally abundant in pockets. Worth knowing for trip planning: the same survey found pheasant numbers up sharply this year, so a Minnesota pheasant trip shouldn't count on partridge as an easy bonus bird the way it might in a stronger partridge year.
A continued decline against both the 10-year and longer-term averages, per MN DNR's own 2026 survey. No species-specific cause is named in the source.
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