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Bobwhite Quail Hunting in Pennsylvania
Bobwhite quail are open Sep 1 to Dec 24, 2026 and again Dec. 26 to March 31, 2027, with no daily limit. This guide gathers the quail calendar, limits, licenses, legal arms and public land.
Photo: USFWS Headquarters (CC BY 2.0)
No open season and no release of quail in the Letterkenny Army Depot Bobwhite Quail Recovery Area. None of the public tracts on our list names quail on its species list, so the list below shows the pheasant release lands instead. The last Game Take Survey figure for quail is 127 birds in 2013.
What the Game Commission highlights
- Sept. 1-Dec. 24 and Dec. 26-March 31, 2027; no limit.
When bobwhite quail are open
3 dated segments for bobwhite quail, each with its length and the Sundays it contains. WMU codes link to the unit guides.
| Season | Unit | From | Through | Days | Sundays in | Open? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | 115 | 16 | |
| Regular season | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | 96 | 14 | |
| Falconry | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | 212 | 30 |
Notes printed with the dates
- No limit. No open season (and no release) in the Letterkenny Army Depot Bobwhite Quail Recovery Area.
- No limit.
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission seasons and bag limits and the 2026-27 digest, checked October 12, 2026.
Bobwhite Quail take, day and season
Limits for bobwhite quail as quick figures and as the PGC prints them.
Bobwhite quail limit
No limit.
Where quail hunters find public ground
Public ground for bobwhite quail: 1 tracts, mostly National Wildlife Refuge, listed largest first.
| Tract | Type | Counties | WMU | Size, acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | Crawford | 1B | 8,959 |
Bobwhite Quail by county
- Crawford County1 tracts
PGC State Game Lands GIS, DCNR forest and park hunting pages and federal managers (PGC layers), retrieved 2026-10-12. Species lists are what each manager names; area rules still apply.
Bobwhite Quail harvest in Pennsylvania
The trend for bobwhite quail from the annual PGC surveys.
| Year | Harvest | Hunters | Hunter days | Per 100 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 127 | 2,280 | 9,012 | 1.41 |
| 2012 | 744 | 1,835 | 4,994 | 14.9 |
| 2011 | 2,260 | 2,578 | 10,161 | 22.24 |
| 2010 | 311 | 3,499 | 12,235 | 2.54 |
| 2009 | 3,452 | 4,412 | 20,502 | 16.84 |
| 2008 | 1,097 | 2,396 | 10,047 | 10.92 |
| 2005 | 2,891 | 3,222 | 12,086 | 23.92 |
| 2003 | 2,059 | 3,518 | 13,834 | 14.88 |
Harvest data: harvest, hunters, hunter days. Estimates as published by the PGC.
Legal requirements for bobwhite quail
The quail rules below come from the digest, the license page and the reporting page.
Licenses
License costs for bobwhite quail this year.
Daily hours
Quail hunters may shoot from 30 minutes before sunup to 30 minutes after sundown, the Game Commission window for small and big game.
Fluorescent orange
For bobwhite quail, the full 250 square inch orange rule applies while hunting and while moving.
Sunday status
Sundays count: all Sundays within the quail dates are legal hunting days. How Sundays work
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission 2026-27 digest, license types and harvest reporting, checked October 12, 2026. Pennsylvania hunting laws · License guide.
Bobwhite Quail weapons and methods
Read the arms table with the season table above: the legal gun depends on the segment.
| Season | Legal arms | Off limits |
|---|---|---|
| Small game | Manual and semiautomatic shotguns 10 gauge or less, 3-shell capacity; manual and semiautomatic rifles and manual handguns .22 rimfire or less; air guns .177-.22 (woodchucks at least .22) with single projectile; muzzleloading rifles/handguns .40 or less and shotguns 10 gauge or less; bows and crossbows. No magazine limit on semiautomatic rifles. | BB ammunition; shot larger than No. 4 lead/No. 2 steel. Rifle/handgun caliber limits (except air guns) do not apply to woodchucks. |
Field rules for bobwhite quail
Hunting parties
Max 25 for deer, elk or bears; max 6 for small game (not waterfowl/dove hunters in blinds or stationary).
Field possession limits
Opening day: no more than the daily limit; afterward no more than three days' limit.
2026-27 digest, sporting arms and unlawful acts pages, checked October 12, 2026.
Bobwhite Quail questions, answered from the PGC
Is there a bag limit on quail in Pennsylvania?
No. Bobwhite quail have no daily or possession limit in 2026-27.
Where is quail hunting closed?
No open season and no release of quail in the Letterkenny Army Depot Bobwhite Quail Recovery Area.
Do quail hunters have to wear orange?
For bobwhite quail, the full 250 square inch orange rule applies while hunting and while moving.
What time does legal light end for bobwhite quail?
Quail hunters may shoot from 30 minutes before sunup to 30 minutes after sundown, the Game Commission window for small and big game.
What can I hunt bobwhite quail with?
Small game: Manual and semiautomatic shotguns 10 gauge or less, 3-shell capacity; manual and semiautomatic rifles and manual handguns .22 rimfire or less; air guns .177-.22 (woodchucks at least .22) with single projectile; muzzleloading rifles/handguns .40 or less and shotguns 10 gauge or less; bows and crossbows. No magazine limit on semiautomatic rifles.
May quail hunters go out on Sundays?
Sundays count: all Sundays within the quail dates are legal hunting days.
How many bobwhite quail can one hunter take in Pennsylvania?
No limit.
Which days are bobwhite quail legal in 2026-27?
The quail dates are regular season Sep 1 to Dec 24, 2026; regular season Dec 26, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027.
What public ground holds bobwhite quail?
1 tracts on our list qualify; the largest are Erie National Wildlife Refuge.
Which permits apply to bobwhite quail?
Quail hunters need: Resident Adult Hunting License ($20.97); Nonresident Adult Hunting License ($101.97); Nonresident 7-Day Small Game License ($31.97).
Kit for hunting Bobwhite Quail country
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Before the quail trip
The Game Commission’s season page is the final word on bobwhite quail; this guide was checked against it on October 12, 2026.
Other photos on this page: TheTurducken (CC BY 2.0); USFWS Mountain-Prairie (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Mountain-Prairie (CC BY 2.0); Jim, the Photographer (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); Shenandoah National Park (Public Domain Mark 1.0).