Upland game bird
Illinois Pheasant Season and Limits, 2026-27
From the Nov 7, 2026 opener to the Jan 15, 2027 close, the rules for ring-necked pheasant in one place.
Photo: marneejill (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Quick read on ring-necked pheasant in Illinois
Hunters chasing ring-necked pheasant get 2 season lines to work with, from the Nov 7, 2026 opener to the Jan 15, 2027 close. Bag rule in the Digest: 2 daily, 6 possession; roosters only.
Only roosters are legal, hens being off limits except on controlled hunting areas, and the Digest splits the state into a North zone that closes January 8 and a South zone that closes January 15, with the line drawn along US 36, Illinois 29 and Illinois 9. On the public land side, 160 sites name ring-necked pheasant in their IDNR records; 160 have a full page here.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Illinois ring-necked pheasant dates, row by row
One row per printed season; zone names are the Digest's own labels.
| Season line | Reach | License type | Dates | Bag limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upland bird | North Zone | License |
| 2 daily, 6 possession | |
| Upland bird | South Zone | License |
| 2 daily, 6 possession |
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
North and South upland zones for ring-necked pheasant
| Zone | Dates | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| North Zone |
| 2 daily, 6 possession |
| South Zone |
| 2 daily, 6 possession |
Zones for rooster pheasant, quail, Hungarian partridge are divided by US Route 36 from the Indiana state line to Springfield, Illinois Route 29 from Springfield to Pekin, and Illinois Route 9 from Pekin to Dallas City, then due west to the Mississippi River.
Counties are never assigned to the North or South upland zone here, since the Digest defines them by highway.
From Digest upland zone line (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Limits and legal gear for ring-necked pheasant
| Digest line | Daily and possession |
|---|---|
| ring-necked pheasant | 2 daily, 6 possession |
In the species record, IDNR summarizes the legal means for ring-necked pheasant as shotgun.
From Digest season tables and Digest equipment pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Buying list for ring-necked pheasant in Illinois
| Permit | Residency | Digest | Fee table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Hunting | Resident | $12.00 | $12.50 |
| Nonresident Hunting | Nonresident | $57.00 | $57.75 |
| State Habitat Stamp | Either | $5.00 | $5.50 |
| Free site, upland and dove permits | Either | Free | $0.00 |
Expect to pay the fee-table price at a vendor; licenses and state stamps sold from March 1 stay valid through March 31 of the next year.
From Digest license pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Illinois field rules for ring-necked pheasant
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| Hunting hours | Hunting only during the hours specified for each species relative to official sunrise-sunset times; some IDNR sites are more restrictive. |
| Live wildlife possession | May not release captive wildlife except as authorized, bring in live protected wildlife taken outside Illinois without IDNR permission, or retain wildlife alive except as provided in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 970. |
| Windshield cards | Free windshield cards are required at many Illinois public hunting sites; hunters return to record harvest before February 15. |
This is a short list; IDNR sites can be more restrictive than the statewide rules, so check each site before you hunt ring-necked pheasant.
From Digest general rules and Digest hunter orange page (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Public sites that list ring-necked pheasant
The land hub covers 160 sites that name ring-necked pheasant, for instance 42 state fish and wildlife areas, 35 state habitat areas and 24 state parks; the eight largest with pages follow.
| Place | Type | County | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee National Forest | National Forest | Pope and Jackson | 286,498 |
| Hidden Springs Ranger District | Ranger district | Pope and Hardin | 169,222 |
| Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District | Ranger district | Jackson and Union | 117,276 |
| Upper Mississippi River National | Wildlife refuge | Carroll and Jo Daviess | 32,868 |
| Illinois Recreational Access Program | Hunting Access Program | Bond and Christian | 27,000 |
| Cypress Creek | Wildlife refuge | Pulaski and Union | 16,758 |
| Jim Edgar Panther Creek | Fish and wildlife area | Cass | 16,400 |
| Cache River | Natural area | Johnson and Pulaski | 15,425 |
Rules for ring-necked pheasant can differ site by site, so use the page for the area you choose; acreage is as IDNR lists it.
From IDNR site records (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Pheasant hunting kit
Four items that suit an Illinois year, from October bow hunts to January rabbits.
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A ring-necked pheasant hen on the edge of a marshPhoto: James Mann (CC BY 2.0)
A ring-necked pheasant rooster in green grass (photographed in Iowa)Photo: Joanna Gilkeson (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region) (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
A ring-necked pheasant rooster in dry reeds (photographed in Iowa)Photo: Jessica Bolser (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region) (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Pheasant FAQ for Illinois hunters
Which days is ring-necked pheasant open in Illinois?
Dates for ring-necked pheasant are upland bird in the North Zone: November 7, 2026 to January 8, 2027; upland bird in the South Zone: November 7, 2026 to January 15, 2027.
Is there a possession limit for ring-necked pheasant?
Under the Digest, 2 daily, 6 possession; roosters only.
What paperwork covers ring-necked pheasant hunting?
Illinois asks for a hunting license ($12.00 resident, $57.00 nonresident, Digest base prices before vendor fees) and the State Habitat Stamp ($5.00).
What gear is legal for ring-necked pheasant hunting?
IDNR summarizes legal methods as shotgun.
Can I find a county list for upland zones?
Use a road map: Zones for rooster pheasant, quail, Hungarian partridge are divided by US Route 36 from the Indiana state line to Springfield, Illinois Route 29 from Springfield to Pekin, and Illinois Route 9 from Pekin to Dallas City, then due west to the Mississippi River. The upland zones page has the rest.
Do I need a permit for controlled pheasant hunting?
Only roosters are legal outside controlled areas. For public site permits: Free Upland Game Permit lottery August 1-31, 2026.
Can I hunt ring-necked pheasant on a Sunday?
We found no statement on Sundays in the Digest or the IDNR pages, so this page says nothing either way.
Is a hunter safety certificate required for ring-necked pheasant?
Yes if you were born on or after January 1, 1980: you must hold a hunter safety certificate, or show an Illinois or out-of-state hunting license from a prior year, before a license can be sold. Apprentice license holders skip the course and hunt with a licensed hunter 21 or older.
Are there public hunting areas for ring-necked pheasant?
160 sites name ring-necked pheasant among the allowed game, and the public land pages cover 160 of them with local rules.
Other photos on this page: James Mann (CC BY 2.0); Joanna Gilkeson (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region) (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Jessica Bolser (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region) (Public Domain Mark 1.0).