Oklahoma › Species › Bobwhite and Scaled Quail
Quail, pheasant, squirrels and rabbits
Bobwhite and scaled quail hunting in Oklahoma, 2026-27
The 2026-27 ODWC rules for quail, with public land and computed legal light.
Photo: cuatrok77 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Bobwhite and Scaled Quail hunting at a glance
ODWC opens quail on November 14, 2026 and the last quail window shuts on February 15, 2027, 1 segment in all. The ODWC limit summary for quail reads: 10 daily / 20 possession.
- Season shape (quail): Nov 14-Feb 15; shotgun, longbow, raptors.
- Limit (quail): 10 daily / 20 possession.
From ODWC quail regulations and 2026-2027 Oklahoma Fishing & Hunting Regulations p. 43 (as of November 2, 2026), checked November 3, 2026.
GearHeading out for small game season? Small game gear checklist →
Every quail season row
Every quail row below shares the same reach.
| Season | Zone | Bag | From | To | Days | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Statewide | See limits | Nov 14, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | 94 |
Bobwhite and Scaled Quail row details
- No pot shooting (shooting birds on the ground).
- Some WMAs closed to nonresidents after Jan 31.
- Quail row note: shooting hours sunrise to sunset.
- Adult nonresident 5-day license not valid for quail.
From ODWC quail regulations and 2026-2027 Oklahoma Fishing & Hunting Regulations p. 43, checked November 3, 2026.
The Oklahoma quail bag
Oklahoma sets the quail limit in these rows; season rows sometimes add a zone quota or a possession rule of their own.
| Row | Limit |
|---|---|
| Quail | 10 daily / 20 possession. |
| Season | 10 daily, 20 in possession after the first day. |
From ODWC quail regulations and 2026-2027 Oklahoma Fishing & Hunting Regulations p. 43, checked November 3, 2026.
Land rules for quail hunters
- OLAP (quail): Oklahoma Land Access Program: enrolled private walk-in hunting, fishing and stream access; Land Access Permit required; foot traffic only; statewide seasons; trapping limited to water sets, box and enclosed-trigger traps; elk hunting prohibited; access 2 hours before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset; falconry now legal on OLAP.
- Department land (quail): Portable stands only, removed within 14 days after the hunt; equipment marked with customer ID; camping limits (16 consecutive days; 21 in 30); no ATVs except designated; horses restricted Oct 1-Jan 1 and spring turkey; bird-dog training closed June 1-Aug 31; public lands not listed as open are closed; under-14s supervised.
The OLAP rules above apply to quail hunters on enrolled private land.
From ODWC OLAP hunting regulations and ODWC Department-Managed Area Rules, checked November 3, 2026.
Harvest figures for quail
Harvest of quail is estimated statewide only, by the 2025 Game Harvest Survey; there is no county table, so no best-county list is given.
| Survey row | Hunters | Days hunted | Harvest estimate | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quail | 17,701 | 101,749 | 199,757 | 151,170 to 248,344 |
From 2025 Game Harvest Survey, checked November 3, 2026.
Where to hunt quail on public ground
256 public places carry a quail season in their 2026-27 special regulations or species list; the biggest are below.
| Area | Type | Counties | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ouachita WMA | WMA | Le Flore, McCurtain | 354,559 |
| Ouachita WMA – Le Flore Unit | WMA unit | Le Flore | 221,559 |
| Three Rivers WMA | WMA | McCurtain, Pushmataha | 185,199 |
| Ouachita WMA – McCurtain & Tiak Units | WMA unit | McCurtain | 133,000 |
| Oklahoma Land Access Program (OLAP) | Program | Beaver, Blaine +23 | 91,185 |
| Honobia Creek WMA | WMA | Pushmataha | 78,998 |
| Camp Gruber Training Center | Military | Muskogee | 51,840 |
| Eufaula WMA | WMA | Latimer, McIntosh +2 | 48,614 |
| Wister WMA | WMA | Le Flore | 35,500 |
| Salt Plains NWR | Refuge | Alfalfa | 32,464 |
| Cherokee WMA | WMA | Cherokee | 31,360 |
| Black Kettle WMA | WMA | Roger Mills | 30,710 |
| Fort Gibson WMA | WMA | Cherokee, Mayes +1 | 25,298 |
| Fort Gibson PHA | PHA | Cherokee, Mayes +1 | 21,798 |
| James Collins WMA | WMA | Latimer, Pittsburg | 21,353 |
OLAP walk-in tracts make up 150 of the list; a Land Access Permit is required on them.
From lands.json (ODWC area pages, special regulations, OLAP layer and federal rules), checked November 3, 2026.
Bobwhite and Scaled Quail: guns, bows and methods
| Rule | Legal arms | Banned |
|---|---|---|
| Quail | For quail: Shotgun (conventional or muzzleloading), longbow, raptors. | Not for quail: pot shooting. |
| Shot size | For quail: Shot up to #4 buckshot for wildlife other than waterfowl and crane. | Not for quail: shot larger than #4 buckshot (feral hogs exempt). |
- Dogs (quail): Dogs may not be used to take bear, deer, elk, antelope or turkey; year-round training/sport chase allowed without means to kill outside season; leashed tracking dog for downed game after notifying a game warden.
- Department-managed lands (quail): Portable stands only, removed within 14 days after the hunt; equipment marked with customer ID; camping limits (16 consecutive days; 21 in 30); no ATVs except designated; horses restricted Oct 1-Jan 1 and spring turkey; bird-dog training closed June 1-Aug 31; public lands not listed as open are closed; under-14s supervised.
- Shooting from roads (quail): No shooting from or across any public road, highway, right-of-way or railroad right-of-way.
- Motor vehicles (quail): No hunting or harassing wildlife from motor-driven land, air or water conveyances except non-ambulatory/motor vehicle permit holders (vehicle stopped, engine off); vehicles may follow dogs on public roads/waterways and on private land with permission.
Drones may help recover a wounded quail on private land only after a game warden is notified; they are banned on ODWC lands.
From ODWC quail regulations, ODWC general hunting regulations and ODWC Department-Managed Area Rules, checked November 3, 2026.
Field rules for quail hunters
- Orange rule (quail): The orange rule reaches quail hunters whenever a big game firearm season is open where they hunt: head covering or upper garment.
- Reporting quail: Quail need no harvest report; E-Check applies to big game and turkey only.
- Bobwhite and Scaled Quail transfers: Give written or electronic transfer information (names, addresses, customer ID, date taken, number/type, confirmation number); no compensation.
From the ODWC big game regulations, ODWC general hunting regulations and the 2026-2027 regulations guide, checked November 3, 2026.
Bobwhite and Scaled Quail: licenses, stamps and permits
Residents 18+ and nonresidents 18+ need a hunting license unless exempt; youth 17 and under are exempt from the base license but need the Youth Annual Super license for deer, turkey, waterfowl, elk, bear, antelope, furbearers or trapping. Resident landowners/tenants hunting only their own (or agriculturally leased) land are exempt from the hunting license. Permanently disabled non-ambulatory residents are exempt. No license for feral hogs on private land (except big game licenses during big game firearm seasons).
| Name | Residency | Category | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Hunting | Resident | Age 18+ | $36 | 365 days |
| Youth Annual Super Hunting | Resident | Age 17 and under | $26 | 365 days |
| Nonresident Annual Hunting | Nonresident | Age 18+ | $209 | 365 days |
| Nonresident Game Bird Permit | Nonresident | Any age hunting game birds on a WMA (GMA, PHA, WRP, WDU, WMU | $100 | 365 days |
| Land Access Permit | Both | Residents 18-63, nonresidents any age, lifetime holders | $100 res., $200 nonres. | Jan 1-Dec 31 |
From the ODWC license fee page and the ODWC license requirements, checked November 3, 2026.
Bobwhite and Scaled Quail legal light by county
Legal light for quail on key dates, in Central Time, for counties where the quail season applies.
Quail, legal time: Official sunrise to official sunset. OLAP walk-in areas: quail and pheasant hunting closes 4:30 p.m.
| Day | Marker | County | Town | Sun up | Sun down | Hunting window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 14, 2026 | Opens | Cimarron County | Boise City area | 7:27 a.m. | 5:43 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 5:43 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | Opens | Oklahoma County | Oklahoma City area | 7:04 a.m. | 5:25 p.m. | 7:04 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | Opens | Tulsa County | Tulsa area | 6:59 a.m. | 5:18 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | Opens | McCurtain County | Idabel area | 6:50 a.m. | 5:17 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 5:17 p.m. |
| Feb 15, 2027 | Closing day | Cimarron County | Boise City area | 7:40 a.m. | 6:29 p.m. | 7:40 a.m. to 6:29 p.m. |
| Feb 15, 2027 | Closing day | Oklahoma County | Oklahoma City area | 7:17 a.m. | 6:10 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 6:10 p.m. |
| Feb 15, 2027 | Closing day | Tulsa County | Tulsa area | 7:12 a.m. | 6:04 p.m. | 7:12 a.m. to 6:04 p.m. |
| Feb 15, 2027 | Closing day | McCurtain County | Idabel area | 7:05 a.m. | 6:02 p.m. | 7:05 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. |
Rules from the ODWC big game regulations and ODWC migratory bird regulations; sunrise and sunset worked out with the NOAA solar formula (Central Time); checked November 3, 2026. Legal hours for all 77 counties.
Northern bobwhite crouched in dry grass and twigs. Photo: Jean Ogden Just Chaos Photography (CC BY 2.0)
Northern bobwhite quail. Photo: USFWS Headquarters (CC BY 2.0)
Scaled quail with its white-tipped crest standing in dry grass. Photo: Ron Knight (CC BY 2.0)
Bobwhite and Scaled Quail questions
Must quail harvests be reported?
Quail need no harvest report; E-Check applies to big game and turkey only.
Are quail open on Sundays?
Yes; no Sunday restriction appears in the 2026-27 regulations or Title 29, so quail seasons run every day.
Can I quail hunt OLAP until sunset?
Official sunrise to official sunset. OLAP walk-in areas: quail and pheasant hunting closes 4:30 p.m.
What days are open for quail in Oklahoma?
From November 14, 2026 through February 15, 2027; zone and segment details are in the table above.
How many quail may one hunter keep?
The quail limit reads: 10 daily / 20 possession.
How much is a license for quail in Oklahoma?
Look at Annual Hunting (resident, $36); Youth Annual Super Hunting (resident, $26); Nonresident Annual Hunting (nonresident, $209); Nonresident Game Bird Permit (nonresident, $100).
Can I use a rifle on quail in Oklahoma?
The quail weapons rule allows shotgun (conventional or muzzleloading), longbow, raptors.
How early may I shoot quail?
The quail rule on hours: Official sunrise to official sunset. OLAP walk-in areas: quail and pheasant hunting closes 4:30 p.m.
What public places are open for quail?
256 public places, including Ouachita WMA, Ouachita WMA – Le Flore Unit and Three Rivers WMA.
Is hunter orange required for quail?
The orange rule reaches quail hunters whenever a big game firearm season is open where they hunt: head covering or upper garment.
Other photos on this page: Jean Ogden Just Chaos Photography (CC BY 2.0); USFWS Headquarters (CC BY 2.0); Ron Knight (CC BY 2.0).