Ohio · Pheasant · 2026–27 Edition
Ohio Pheasant Season 2026–27: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Youth small game (pheasant, rabbit, quail) | Statewide, all public hunting areas open to youth hunters | Oct 24 – Oct 25 |
| Youth small game (pheasant, rabbit, quail) — second weekend | Statewide, all public hunting areas open to youth hunters | Oct 31 – Nov 1 |
| Regular season (roosters only) | 41 stocked public wildlife areas statewide, including Killdeer Plains, Delaware, Kokosing Lake, Berlin Lake, and Caesar Creek wildlife areas | Nov 6 – Jan 10 |
02 — Bag limits
| Statewide — daily | 2 (roosters only, no hens) |
|---|
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (October 24, 2026) 07:51 — 18:37
Rule: Sunrise to sunset — the Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations state this under 'Pheasant Hunting' as its own rule. Ohio is unusual in setting different hours per species rather than one blanket rule: squirrel opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes at sunset, deer runs 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, and pheasant gets neither margin. Do not carry another Ohio species' hours over to pheasant. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Ohio sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Pheasant hunters in Ohio need an Ohio hunting license.
Where to hunt public land in Ohio — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does pheasant season open in Ohio?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is October 24, 2026. See the table above for each segment and zone.
When does pheasant season end in Ohio?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 10, 2027. Individual segments and zones can close earlier — see the table above.
Can I shoot hen pheasants in Ohio?
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 Ohio Division of Wildlife before you hunt.
How many pheasants can you shoot in Ohio per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Statewide — daily — 2 (roosters only, no hens). 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 Ohio?
On opening day (October 24, 2026) legal light runs 07:51 to 18:37. The rule is: Sunrise to sunset — the Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations state this under 'Pheasant Hunting' as its own rule. Ohio is unusual in setting different hours per species rather than one blanket rule: squirrel opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes at sunset, deer runs 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, and pheasant gets neither margin. Do not carry another Ohio species' hours over to pheasant. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Ohio sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt pheasant on my own land in Ohio without a license?
Ohio residents who own land — plus their parents, children, and grandchildren under 18 — may hunt it without a hunting license; the same applies to tenants and their children. Deer and turkey still need their own permit.
Verified · Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. ohiodnr.gov's own pages render as JS-heavy navigation shells for automated fetchers, so the season dates below come from ODNR's official '2026-27 Hunting and Trapping Season Dates' PDF (author William Babb, ODNR Division of Wildlife, created April 27, 2026), fetched directly as binary and read locally with pdftotext -layout for an exact, non-AI-summarized transcription of the table. Confirmed rows: 'Youth small game: cottontail rabbit, ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail — Oct. 24, 2026 to Oct. 25, 2026' and a second youth weekend 'Oct. 31, 2026 to Nov. 1, 2026'; 'Ring-necked pheasant (roosters only) — Nov. 6, 2026 to Jan. 10, 2027 — 2 daily.' Stocking figures are from ODNR's own 2025 program (the 2026 release count/site list is announced by ODNR press release each October and was not yet out as of this verification): 'more than 14,000' pen-raised ring-necked pheasants released at 41 public wildlife areas, confirmed consistently across Highland County Press, Farm and Dairy, and Spectrum News 1 coverage of ODNR's release schedule (initial release around Oct. 25, then Nov. 1, Nov. 7/general-season opener, Nov. 15, and a Thanksgiving-week release around Nov. 27), at named sites including Killdeer Plains, Delaware, Kokosing Lake, Berlin Lake, and Caesar Creek wildlife areas. A regular hunting license is required; no separate pheasant stamp was found.