As publishedDec 5, 2026 - Jan 3, 2027
Cocks only — it is unlawful to possess a pheasant with proof of sex removed, so hens are effectively protected. Restricted to a subset of Panhandle/High Plains counties per TPWD's county listing tables (pg. 29-45 of the 2026-27 booklet); not statewide. Also unlawful to hunt pheasant by dragging a cable/chain/rope device to lure them.
TPWD runs a separate annual roadside pheasant survey (~44 twenty-mile routes across the Panhandle/High Plains, run since 1976) distinct from the quail survey -- confirmed via direct fetch of TPWD's own pheasant management page 2026-08-19. Fieldwork occurs in October-November, later than the August quail-survey window, so no 2026 results can exist yet; long-term population trend is described by TPWD as declining.