Wisconsin's 2026 pheasant season opened at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, and runs through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027, the state Department of Natural Resources said in a release carried by EIN Presswire.
For the opening weekend, Oct. 17-18, the daily bag limit is one rooster per day. Starting Monday, Oct. 19, the limit rises to two roosters per day for the rest of the season.
The DNR said pre-stocking began the week of Oct. 12, and it plans to stock approximately 65,000 pheasants from the state game farm on 82 properties statewide. Hunters in northwest Wisconsin can check the DNR stocking list by county to see which local properties will be stocked, as some properties stocked last year are not on this year's list and some new ones were added.
Stocking for this season will end Nov. 19, earlier than in past years. The DNR described the change as a cost-saving measure tied to budget shortfalls.
Several pheasant properties close at noon on weekdays from Oct. 19 through Nov. 3, so hunters are urged to check legal shooting hours for the property they plan to hunt. The DNR also reminded hunters to follow basic firearm safety rules and to wear blaze orange or pink.
