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Pennsylvania upland and small game
Pheasant Hunting in Pennsylvania
About 232,000 pheasants stocked incrementally through early January (about 17,000 for the junior hunt), weekly releases late Oct.-late Nov., a mid-December release, two post-Christmas releases at many sites, and a tentative mid-February release; 220+ stocked properties on the interactive map; males and females released about 3:1. Below: every 2026-27 segment, the limits, WMU detail, public land, harvest figures and the rules for pheasants.
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie (CC BY 2.0)
Juniors and mentored hunters get Oct 10 to Oct 18, 2026; the regular season opens Oct 24, 2026 and, after a Christmas break, runs to Feb. 28, 2027. Pheasant season now includes all 21 Sundays inside its dates. No pheasant season in either WPRA in 2026-27. The areas: Central Susquehanna WPRA (Northumberland and Montour counties) and Franklin WPRA (Franklin County).
Pheasant: the PGC summary
- Junior hunt Oct. 10-18; regular Oct. 24-Dec. 24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 28, 2027.
- 2 daily, 6 possession, either sex; $26.97 pheasant permit for most adults.
- About 232,000 birds stocked.
2026-27 pheasant calendar
From the first pheasant opener to the last close, 4 segments make up the 2026-27 calendar.
| Hunt | Applies in | Start | End | Length | Sundays | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior hunt | Statewide | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 9 | 2 | |
| Regular season (male or female) | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | 62 | 9 | |
| Regular season (male or female) | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | 65 | 10 | |
| Falconry | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | 212 | 30 |
Season table notes
- Junior hunters (with or without required license) and all mentored hunters regardless of age. 2 daily, 6 possession. Pheasant permit required (free under 17). Closed in Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas.
- 2 daily, 6 possession. Pheasant permit ($26.97) required for most hunters. No open season in Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas except by executive order.
- 2 daily, 6 possession (male or female).
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission seasons and bag limits and the 2026-27 digest, checked October 12, 2026.
What the PGC allows for pheasants
Read these before counting pheasants; the wording is the Game Commission’s.
Ring-necked pheasant limit
2 daily, 6 possession (male or female).
Public land for pheasants
Pheasant hunters have 227 public options in our data, the largest Allegheny National Forest.
| Name | Land type | County | WMUs | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny National Forest | National Forest | Warren, Elk, Forest | 1B/2F/3A | 512,932 |
| Delaware State Forest | State Forest | Pike, Monroe | 3D | 83,519 |
| State Game Lands 13 | State Game Lands | Sullivan, Columbia, Lycoming | 3B | 50,745 |
| State Game Lands 57 | State Game Lands | Wyoming, Luzerne | 3B | 46,676 |
| State Game Lands 211 | State Game Lands | Dauphin, Lebanon, Schuylkill | 4C | 44,479 |
| State Game Lands 44 | State Game Lands | Elk | 2F/2G | 39,335 |
| Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (Pennsylvania) | National Recreation Area | Pike, Monroe, Northampton | 3D | 29,677 |
| State Game Lands 75 | State Game Lands | Lycoming | 2G | 27,500 |
| Gallitzin State Forest | State Forest | Somerset, Cambria, Indiana | 2C/4D | 24,370 |
| State Game Lands 108 | State Game Lands | Cambria, Blair | 2E/4D | 22,739 |
| Ohiopyle State Park | State Park | Fayette | 2C | 20,000 |
| State Game Lands 54 | State Game Lands | Jefferson, Elk | 2F | 19,408 |
| State Game Lands 36 | State Game Lands | Bradford | 3B | 18,972 |
| State Game Lands 42 | State Game Lands | Westmoreland, Cambria, Somerset | 2C | 18,041 |
| State Game Lands 87 | State Game Lands | Clearfield | 2E | 17,296 |
212 more tracts for pheasants
State Game Lands 51 (16,945 ac) · State Game Lands 86 (14,320 ac) · Moraine State Park (14,000 ac) · State Game Lands 58 (12,630 ac) · State Game Lands 79 (11,689 ac) · State Game Lands 48 (11,080 ac) · State Game Lands 39 (10,869 ac) · State Game Lands 80 (10,818 ac) · State Game Lands 95 (10,626 ac) · Ricketts Glen State Park (10,287 ac) · State Game Lands 111 (10,286 ac) · State Game Lands 61 (9,972 ac) · State Game Lands 106 (9,857 ac) · State Game Lands 214 (9,661 ac) · State Game Lands 170 (9,463 ac) · State Game Lands 159 (9,448 ac) · State Game Lands 147 (9,378 ac) · State Game Lands 264 (9,018 ac) · State Game Lands 84 (9,010 ac) · Erie National Wildlife Refuge (8,959 ac) · State Game Lands 208 (8,833 ac) · State Game Lands 60 (8,773 ac) · State Game Lands 198 (8,688 ac) · State Game Lands 24 (8,585 ac) · State Game Lands 143 (8,476 ac) · State Game Lands 119 (8,375 ac) · Conemaugh River Lake (8,367 ac) · State Game Lands 187 (8,157 ac) · State Game Lands 66 (8,106 ac) · State Game Lands 64 (8,100 ac) · State Game Lands 223 (8,063 ac) · State Game Lands 82 (7,930 ac) · State Game Lands 97 (7,587 ac) · State Game Lands 120 (7,398 ac) · Raccoon Creek State Park (7,000 ac) · State Game Lands 124 (6,847 ac) · State Game Lands 74 (6,568 ac) · Tioga-Hammond Lakes (6,488 ac) · State Game Lands 49 (6,437 ac) · State Game Lands 70 (6,335 ac) · State Game Lands 235 (6,271 ac) · State Game Lands 40 (6,200 ac) · State Game Lands 46 (6,053 ac) · French Creek State Park (6,000 ac) · State Game Lands 65 (6,000 ac) · State Game Lands 53 (5,958 ac) · State Game Lands 179 (5,814 ac) · Blue Marsh Lake (5,755 ac) · State Game Lands 219 (5,703 ac) · State Game Lands 213 (5,646 ac) · Prince Gallitzin State Park (5,600 ac) · State Game Lands 262 (5,476 ac) · State Game Lands 232 (5,183 ac) · State Game Lands 31 (5,157 ac) · State Game Lands 101 (5,058 ac) · State Game Lands 96 (5,031 ac) · State Game Lands 244 (4,872 ac) · State Game Lands 276 (4,775 ac) · State Game Lands 69 (4,476 ac) · State Game Lands 226 (4,322 ac) · and 152 more in the directories
Where pheasants counties rank
- Erie County13 tracts
- Crawford County12 tracts
- Schuylkill County12 tracts
- Indiana County10 tracts
- Cambria County9 tracts
- Jefferson County8 tracts
- Washington County8 tracts
- Bradford County7 tracts
- Lancaster County7 tracts
- Mercer County7 tracts
- Somerset County7 tracts
- Warren County7 tracts
- Armstrong County6 tracts
- Berks County6 tracts
- Clarion County6 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.
Survey harvest of pheasants
PGC survey figures for pheasants; they are estimates, not check-station counts.
| Year | Harvest | Hunters | Hunter days | Per 100 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 214,577 | 43,150 | 285,287 | 75.21 |
| 2024 | 184,053 | 40,735 | 280,975 | 65.51 |
| 2023 | 156,411 | 34,782 | 215,857 | 72.46 |
| 2022 | 177,006 | 39,406 | 242,902 | 72.87 |
| 2021 | 196,673 | 42,414 | 254,216 | 77.36 |
| 2020 | 216,982 | 43,216 | 265,049 | 81.86 |
| 2019 | 179,023 | 35,692 | 220,994 | 81.01 |
| 2018 | 168,532 | 33,709 | 218,509 | 77.13 |
Harvest data: harvest, hunters, hunter days. Estimates as published by the PGC.
Pheasant licenses and requirements
Everything here is from the 2026-27 digest and applies statewide unless a WMU or area says otherwise.
Fees
The paperwork for pheasants, with fees.
Shooting time
Legal light for pheasants opens a half hour before sunrise and closes a half hour after sunset.
Safety orange
Orange is required for pheasants: 250 square inches combined over head, chest and back.
Sundays this year
Every Sunday inside a pheasant season is open in 2026-27, the first full year of Sunday hunting. Sunday hunting in PA
Stocking schedule
About 232,000 pheasants stocked incrementally through early January (about 17,000 for the junior hunt), weekly releases late Oct.-late Nov., a mid-December release, two post-Christmas releases at many sites, and a tentative mid-February release; 220+ stocked properties on the interactive map; males and females released about 3:1. No season in the Central Susquehanna and Franklin WPRAs.
Pheasant permit
Senior lifetime holders licensed before May 13, 2017 exempt. Junior hunters and mentored hunters under 17 get the junior permit free.
Dog training on game lands
No closed season except on SGLs from the Monday before the youth pheasant season until the statewide pheasant opener; no license needed; landowner permission needed on Sundays on private land.
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission 2026-27 digest, license types and harvest reporting, checked October 12, 2026. Pennsylvania hunting laws · License guide.
What you may hunt pheasants with
The PGC lists legal arms by season; these rows cover pheasants.
| Applies to | Legal sporting arms | Prohibited |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
Methods that matter for pheasants
Dogs
Unlawful to use dogs to hunt elk, bears, deer or spring turkeys; dogs allowed for fall turkey, small game and furbearers (not during regular firearms deer and bear seasons for furbearers). Leashed tracking dogs may recover deer, bear or elk with no permit.
Dog training
No closed season except on SGLs from the Monday before the youth pheasant season until the statewide pheasant opener; no license needed; landowner permission needed on Sundays on private land.
Hunting parties
Max 25 for deer, elk or bears; max 6 for small game (not waterfowl/dove hunters in blinds or stationary).
2026-27 digest, sporting arms and unlawful acts pages, checked October 12, 2026.
Quick answers on pheasants
Do I need a pheasant permit?
Most adults do: $26.97. Senior lifetime holders licensed before May 13, 2017 exempt. Juniors and mentored hunters under 17 get a free permit.
How many pheasants are stocked?
About 232,000 pheasants stocked incrementally through early January (about 17,000 for the junior hunt), weekly releases late Oct.-late Nov., a mid-December release, two post-Christmas releases at many sites, and a tentative mid-February release; 220+ stocked properties on the interactive map; males and females released about 3:1. No season in the Central Susquehanna and Franklin WPRAs.
Can I shoot hen pheasants in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Pheasant season is male or female statewide, two a day and six in possession, except in the Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas.
How many pheasants did hunters take in 2025?
About 214,577, by 43,150 pheasant hunters, according to the PGC Game Take Survey.
Can I hunt pheasants on State Game Lands?
Our list has 227; by acreage, Allegheny National Forest, Delaware State Forest and State Game Lands 13 come first.
Can pheasants be hunted at night?
Legal light for pheasants opens a half hour before sunrise and closes a half hour after sunset.
Is orange needed when hunting pheasants?
Orange is required for pheasants: 250 square inches combined over head, chest and back.
Does Sunday hunting include pheasants?
Every Sunday inside a pheasant season is open in 2026-27, the first full year of Sunday hunting.
Can I use a rifle for pheasants?
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.
When can I hunt pheasants this season?
Pheasant hunters get junior hunt Oct 10 to Oct 18, 2026; regular season (male or female) Oct 24 to Dec 24, 2026; regular season (male or female) Dec 26, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027.
What does the PGC allow per day for pheasants?
2 daily, 6 possession (male or female).
What paperwork do pheasant hunters carry?
For pheasants: Resident Adult Hunting License ($20.97); Adult Pheasant Permit ($26.97); Junior Pheasant Permit (Free); Nonresident 7-Day Small Game License ($31.97).
Before the drive to Pheasant country
Chosen around the hunting done here; listings update on every click.
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Wrapping up pheasants
A State Game Land, park or forest can add its own rules on top of the statewide pheasant rules here.
Other photos on this page: TheTurducken (CC BY 2.0); James Case (CC BY 2.0); Ligocsicnarf89 (CC BY 4.0); ilouque (CC BY 2.0); Enoch Leung (CC BY-SA 2.0); Fyn Kynd (CC BY 2.0).