Utah · Pheasant · 2026–27 Edition
Utah Pheasant Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Youth pheasant hunt | Statewide (excludes closed areas and Goshen Warm Springs WMA) | Oct 31 – Nov 5 |
| General season | Statewide (excludes closed areas and Goshen Warm Springs WMA) | Nov 7 – Dec 6 |
02 — Bag limits
| Youth — daily | 2 male birds |
|---|---|
| Youth — possession | 6 male birds |
| General — daily | 2 male birds |
| General — possession | 6 male birds |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (October 31, 2026) 06:24 — 17:56
Rule: 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset — the standard upland game bird rule stated in the 2026-27 guidebook (citing Utah Admin. Rules R657-9-10/-11), applying to both the youth and general pheasant hunts. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Utah sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Pheasant hunters in Utah need a Utah hunting license — A Utah hunting or combination license is required for both the youth and general pheasant hunts — no separate upland game permit or habitat/pheasant stamp is needed. Privately run Commercial Hunting Areas (CHAs) need no state hunting license at all, only hunter education or trial-hunting program authorization.
Where to hunt public land in Utah — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does pheasant season open in Utah?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is October 31, 2026. See the table above for each segment and zone.
When does pheasant season end in Utah?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is December 6, 2026. Individual segments and zones can close earlier — see the table above.
Can I shoot hen pheasants in Utah?
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 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources before you hunt.
How many pheasants can you shoot in Utah per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Youth — daily — 2 male birds. Youth — possession — 6 male birds. General — daily — 2 male birds. General — possession — 6 male birds. 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 Utah?
On opening day (October 31, 2026) legal light runs 06:24 to 17:56. The rule is: 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset — the standard upland game bird rule stated in the 2026-27 guidebook (citing Utah Admin. Rules R657-9-10/-11), applying to both the youth and general pheasant hunts. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Utah sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt pheasant on my own land in Utah without a license?
No — Utah requires a license, permit, or tag to hunt protected wildlife regardless of land ownership. Utah's 'Landowner Permit' program grants qualifying landowners priority access to big-game tags — that's an allocation benefit, not a license exemption, and applicants must still be able to lawfully hold a hunting license.
Verified · Utah Division of Wildlife Resources · Last verified 2026-08-15
Publisher's note. Official 2026-27 Utah Waterfowl, Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook, downloaded and read directly with pdftotext (the CDFW-style '2026-27 season dates' table and the dedicated 'Ring-necked pheasant' entry under 'Partridge and pheasant hunts' both give the same dates). The youth hunt (Oct 31–Nov 5, 2026, 2 male birds/6 in possession) and the general statewide season (Nov 7–Dec 6, 2026, no permit required, 2 male birds/6 in possession) are the only two dated season types; a separate falconry allowance lets falconers take pheasants of either sex during the same 'all upland game' falconry window (Sept 1, 2026–Feb 28, 2027) that covers every upland species, per the guidebook's falconry chapter — because that window is far wider than the two dated hunts and only differs from them in permitting sex, it is described here rather than folded into a methods row that would otherwise dominate the page's opener/closes with a falconry-only technicality. IMPORTANT NUANCE FLAGGED BY THIS PROJECT'S PRIOR SCOPING, CONFIRMED HERE: Utah runs a genuine wild season (above) alongside a separate, non-trivial release program. DWR itself stocks roughly 12,000 pen-raised roosters statewide during the youth and general hunts, concentrated near population centers (interactive release map referenced at wildlife.utah.gov/pheasantfaq), so the wild-season dates above cover both wild and DWR-released birds hunted together on the same public land under the same rules. Separately, the guidebook describes privately run Commercial Hunting Areas (CHAs), which run their own much longer season (Aug 31–Mar 31), charge per-bird, and require no state hunting license at all (only hunter education or trial-hunting authorization) — a distinct, privately operated stocked-bird channel outside the public season covered by this file. Only males (either wild or released) may be harvested in the general and youth hunts; the Goshen Warm Springs WMA in Utah County is closed to all hunting.