| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Season | 10 OCT 2026 – 03 JAN 2027 | 86d |
As publishedOct. 10, 2026 - Jan. 3, 2027
Statewide, roosters only.Shooting hours are 9 a.m. to sunset (not the standard 1/2 hour before sunrise used for most other small game). Rifle/handgun restricted to.22 caliber rimfire short/long/long rifle. Blaze orange/pink required above the waist. Pheasant stamp required for residents/nonresidents ages 18-64 in addition to a small game license.
Minnesota's August Roadside Survey (ARS), running continuously since 1955 with 170 established routes across the state's farmland regions, is the richest primary source for pheasant regional structure in the state, a fixed 7-region agricultural grid (Northwest, West Central, Central, East Central, Southwest, South Central, Southeast) from MN DNR's own 2025 report (Steven Woodley). Pheasant indices increased in every region in 2025, but MN DNR's own highlights state plainly that the Southwest, South Central, West Central, and Central regions were 'greatest' and 'should provide the best pheasant hunting opportunities in the state.' MN DNR's own pheasant-range page confirms the species 'ranges over the southern half of Minnesota,' with one notable carve-out: pheasants are absent from the bluffs and coulees of the driftless area in southeastern Minnesota (the same rugged, forested terrain that instead supports the state's remnant bobwhite quail population).
Minnesota's pheasant season is statewide, roosters only, Oct. 10, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027, with a split bag limit: 2 roosters daily/6 possession through Nov. 30, then 3 daily/9 possession starting Dec. 1. A pheasant stamp is required for hunters ages 18-64. MN DNR's 2026 August Roadside Survey, its 167-route count running since 1955, is out and shows real growth: the statewide pheasant index came in at 89.9 birds per 100 miles, up nearly 20% from last year's 75.2. The brood index rose 39% even as adult rooster and hen counts each ticked down slightly, pointing to a strong hatch rather than just more birds carrying over from last year. DNR's own biologists credit a mild, low-snow winter for strong hen survival over the winter, followed by a drier, warmer spring and summer across most of the state that favored nesting and brood-rearing. One thing to know before planning a trip around both species: the same survey found gray (Hungarian) partridge down sharply this year, so don't count on partridge as an easy bonus bird on a Minnesota pheasant hunt this season.
A mild, low-snow winter supporting strong hen overwinter survival, followed by a drier, warmer spring and summer favorable to nesting and brood-rearing, per MN DNR's own 2026 survey.
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