As publishedRegular: Oct 10, 2026 - Jan 3, 2027 (males only); Youth: Oct 3-4, 2026
Male pheasants only.Regular season statewide. Youth season (ages 15 and under with an adult 18+ accompanying, adult may not carry a firearm) runs separately before the regular opener.
2026 spring crowing count: 23.2 crows/stop statewide, up 9% from 2025. All four regions up: southwest 32.7 (+5%), northwest 22.2 (+4%), southeast 23.1 (+24%), northeast 9.3 (+43%, secondary habitat). Survey conducted May 1-June 10, 2026 (100 routes, 3 runs each, 6,000 total survey miles). This is the spring adult crowing count, not the late-summer brood survey that measures actual 2026 chick production/recruitment — that leg hasn't published yet (expected late September 2026, see knowledge-base's 2026 outlook data-collection-plan registry).
"Overwinter survival of adult pheasants has been outstanding" (RJ Gross, ND Game & Fish) — the state typically loses up to 75% of its pheasant population each winter; that hasn't been the case recently.