As publishedNov 6, 2026 - Jan 10, 2027
Roosters only (hens illegal).Youth small game season (pheasant included) runs Oct 24-25, 2026 and Oct 31-Nov 1, 2026, same bag as regular season. Most hunting occurs on stocked/put-and-take birds on state Wildlife Areas per ODNR's own 2020-21 hunter survey (wild pheasant harvest ~3,953 birds vs. stocked pheasant harvest ~127,533 birds that season) - relative-scale context only, not current-year data.
No dedicated pre-season population survey or forecast exists for Ohio's wild pheasant population; the only quantitative data found anywhere is retrospective harvest context from the 2020-21 Ohio Hunter Questionnaire (wild pheasant harvest ~3,953 birds vs. stocked pheasant harvest ~127,533 birds that season), confirming most Ohio pheasant hunting occurs on stocked/put-and-take birds on state Wildlife Areas rather than a surveyed wild population.