MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters and the general public that the 2026 pheasant season opens at 9:00 am on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, and runs through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027.
The opening weekend, Oct. 17-18 has a daily bag limit of one rooster per day. Starting Monday, Oct. 19, the daily bag limit increases to two roosters per day. This limit remains in place for the remainder of the season.
Pre-stocking efforts began the week of Oct. 12 to ensure birds are on the landscape for the season opener. The DNR plans to stock approximately 65,000 pheasants from the state game farm on 82 properties statewide. Stocking for the 2026 pheasant season will end on Nov. 19. This is earlier than in years past and is a necessary cost-saving measure due to budget shortfalls.
Several pheasant hunting properties close at noon on weekdays beginning Oct. 19 through Nov. 3. Hunters are encouraged to double-check the legal shooting hours on the properties they intend to hunt in the online hunting regulations.
The Richard Bong State Recreation Area, which supports a managed pheasant hunt and releases pheasants daily, will be the only property that will stock pheasants the week of Nov. 30. Daily pheasant hunting permits are required. More information can be found on the Richard Bong hunting website.
Hunters can use the DNR’s Fields and Forest Lands Interactive Gamebird Hunting Tool to locate properties stocked with pheasants. The tool also allows hunters to use aerial maps, topography and measuring tools to identify areas of interest and make their trips more productive and enjoyable.
Hunters are also reminded to please double-check the DNR’s Pheasant Stocking Information webpage for a list of the properties that will be stocked with pheasants this fall. Some properties that were stocked last year are not being stocked this year, and some new properties were added to the list as well. Select the county you intend to hunt in to see which properties in that county will be stocked.
Pheasant hunters should remember to follow the basic rules of firearm safety:
T – Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
A – Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
B – Be certain of your target, what’s before and beyond it.
K – Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot.
Additionally, hunters are encouraged to wear blaze orange or pink while pheasant hunting to increase visibility for other hunters and outdoor recreators. During any gun deer season, at least 50% of any hunter’s clothing above the waist must be blaze orange or pink, except for waterfowl hunters.
For more information, including complete pheasant hunting regulations, shooting hours and helpful tips, visit the DNR’s Pheasant Hunting webpage.
Funding Information
Wisconsin income taxes are not used to directly fund any wildlife projects or to facilitate the hunting/trapping seasons. Instead, 95% of the funding for wildlife management projects comes from the fees from hunting and trapping license fees and a federal tax on firearm and ammunition purchases.
The Wildlife Management Program directly supports key wildlife projects, including population surveys, habitat restoration, wildlife disease monitoring and the maintenance for 650,000 acres of public land managed for hunting, trapping and other outdoor recreation.
Wisconsin, as well as most states, has seen the number of purchased licenses drop over the last 20 years, which directly limits available funding for current and future wildlife projects and limits our ability to combat rising costs from inflation.
Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
Published on: Oct 16, 2026 at 6:21 pm