Missouri · Pheasant · 2026–27 Edition
Missouri Pheasant Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Youth pheasant | Statewide (legally) — see source note on where wild birds actually occur | Oct 24 – Oct 25 |
| Regular pheasant | Statewide (legally) — see source note on where wild birds actually occur | Nov 1 – Jan 15 |
02 — Bag limits
| Youth — daily | 2 male pheasants (rooster-only) |
|---|---|
| Youth — possession | 4 |
| Regular — daily | 2 male pheasants (rooster-only) |
| Regular — possession | 4 |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (October 24, 2026) 06:58 — 18:19
Rule: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset — Missouri's standard game-bird shooting-hours rule (confirmed on MDC's dove regulations page; not found stated verbatim on a pheasant-specific page). Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Missouri sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Pheasant hunters in Missouri need a Missouri hunting license — a Small Game Hunting Permit (or the combined Small Game Hunting and Fishing Permit); nonresidents may also use the Nonresident Daily Small Game Permit during the regular season; residents have lifetime-permit options
Missouri hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Missouri — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does pheasant season open in Missouri?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is October 24, 2026. See the table above for each segment and zone.
When does pheasant season end in Missouri?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 15, 2027. Individual segments and zones can close earlier — see the table above.
Can I shoot hen pheasants in Missouri?
See the bag limit table above — most states restrict the daily bag to roosters only, but rules vary and this is worth double-checking against Missouri Department of Conservation before you hunt.
How many pheasants can you shoot in Missouri per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Youth — daily — 2 male pheasants (rooster-only). Youth — possession — 4. Regular — daily — 2 male pheasants (rooster-only). Regular — possession — 4. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting pheasant in Missouri?
On opening day (October 24, 2026) legal light runs 06:58 to 18:19. The rule is: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset — Missouri's standard game-bird shooting-hours rule (confirmed on MDC's dove regulations page; not found stated verbatim on a pheasant-specific page). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Missouri sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt pheasant on my own land in Missouri without a license?
Missouri resident landowners with 5 or more acres, and their immediate household, may hunt that land without a permit — except bear, deer, elk, and turkey. Taking deer or turkey under this privilege needs at least 20 contiguous acres, and waterfowl still needs the federal Duck Stamp.
Verified · Missouri Department of Conservation · Last verified 2026-08-15
Publisher's note. Season dates, bag limits and permit types read directly from MDC's own 'Pheasant: Regulations' page (Youth Oct. 24-25, 2026, ages 6-15; Regular Nov. 1, 2026-Jan. 15, 2027; both segments 2 male pheasants daily, 4 in possession; rooster-only). MDC's own 'Getting Started Pheasant Hunting' page confirms the season is legally statewide, quoting the agency directly: 'Hunters may take pheasants statewide. This change was made 4 years ago because pheasants are already geographically limited in the state' — i.e. MDC deliberately did NOT carve the legal season into a northern-only zone, since the population is already self-limiting geographically. That same page and MDC's own field guide both state where the birds actually are: 'Pheasants are most abundant in northwest Missouri and portions of northeast Missouri,' and the field guide narrows it further — the ring-necked pheasant is 'found only in about the northern quarter of Missouri, and in the Bootheel region,' described there as 'an uncommon permanent resident in the northern Glaciated Plains and rare in the central part of the Mississippi Lowlands.' Practical takeaway for hunters: legally you may hunt pheasant anywhere in Missouri, but a huntable wild population exists almost exclusively in roughly the state's northern quarter (northwest is best, northeast secondary), with only a rare, incidental presence in the southeastern Bootheel lowlands — the rest of the state has essentially no wild birds to find despite the open season. Shooting hours were not stated verbatim on the pheasant regulations page itself; one-half hour before sunrise to sunset is confirmed on MDC's own dove-hunting regulations page as the standard Missouri game-bird shooting-hours rule and is consistent with third-party guides for pheasant specifically, but was not found stated in those exact words on a pheasant-specific MDC page — treat as high-confidence but not page-verbatim for pheasant.