Nonresident Pheasant Licenses Compared
Planning a Midwest rooster trip starts with what the license actually buys—full season vs day packages, habitat stamps, and any first-week public-land rules. This page compares nonresident pheasant stacks for South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana using official agency fee tables. Treat every dollar amount as a planning aid: agent/online fees and mid-year bills change—trust the live cart.
Quick compare (adult nonresident pheasant stack)
Planning totals below are the common adult (typically 16+ or 18+) pheasant path: base small-game/hunt license plus required habitat/stamp products. Short-trip and youth options are in each state section.
| State | Core NR product | Day / period limit | Habitat / stamp add-ons | Planning stack (adult) | Buy / verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | Small Game | Two 5-day periods (10 days total) | Habitat stamp $25 (ages 18+) | ~$167 ($142 + $25) | GFP license types · Go Outdoors SD |
| Nebraska | Hunt (small game) | Annual (calendar/permit year) | Habitat stamp $25 (1-year) | ~$153 ($128 + $25) | Permit pricing · Go Outdoors NE |
| Kansas | Annual Hunt | 365 days from purchase (full season window) | No separate habitat stamp for general hunt (confirm cart) | ~$127.50 license | Licenses & fees · Go Outdoors KS |
| Iowa | Hunting / Habitat combo | Annual (licenses expire Jan. 10) | Habitat bundled in listed combo | $144 (18+) | NR hunting licenses · Go Outdoors Iowa |
| North Dakota | Small Game + certificate + GG&H | 14 consecutive days or two 7-day periods (may buy more) | Certificate $5 + General Game & Habitat $20 | ~$175 ($150 + $5 + $20) | NDGF nonresident |
| Minnesota | Small Game + pheasant stamp | Annual (or 72-hour short trip) | Pheasant stamp validation $7.50 (ages that require it) | ~$110.50 ($103 small game + $7.50 stamp) before extra issuing fees | DNR hunting licenses · ELS fee PDF |
| Montana | Conservation + Base Hunting + Upland Game Bird | Season (or 3-day upland) | Conservation $10 + Base Hunting $50 | ~$187 ($10 + $50 + $127) before AISPP/fees; 3-day $60 + prereqs | NR fees · ols.fwp.mt.gov |
TBD — confirm-on-official-site: Convenience/agent fees, auto-renew, and any mid-season fee changes. Kansas HIP is for migratory birds—not a pheasant stamp—but checkout may still offer it; buy only what the regs require for your species list.
How to read the table
- Day packages (SD, ND) force you to pick start dates. A long multi-week circuit can mean a second small-game license.
- Full-season / 365-day licenses (KS, NE annual, IA annual, MN annual) are simpler for opener-through-late-season trips.
- Habitat / stamps are easy to miss in the cart—SD, NE, IA, ND, and MN all stack something beyond a bare “hunt” line for most adults.
- Public-land timing: North Dakota’s first seven days of regular pheasant season close WMAs and PLOTS to nonresidents (see ND section). Montana nonresidents on public land or Block Management / access-program land start 10 days later (2026 pheasant: Oct. 20). Those are not license fees, but they change trip math.
South Dakota
GFP lists Nonresident Small Game at $142* for two 5-day periods (10 days). Privileges include pheasant and other listed small game; the product also includes predator/varmint and shooting-preserve privileges per the license types table. Asterisks note agent fees not included.
Habitat stamp (18+): $25 for nonresidents (one per license year). GFP materials and the hunting handbook list the stamp separately from the small-game fee—expect it on your first eligible purchase.
| Product | Planning fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nonresident Small Game | $142 | Two 5-day periods |
| Habitat stamp (NR, 18+) | $25 | Required with hunting/fishing license purchases (youth/preserve exceptions per GFP FAQ) |
| Youth Small Game (12–17) | $10 | Two 5-day periods |
| Mentored Small Game (<16) | $10 | Mentor rules apply |
Trip tip: Plot your two 5-day windows before you buy. Opener week + Thanksgiving week is a common split—confirm exact GFP period rules at purchase.
State guide: South Dakota Pheasant Hunting 2026 · Walk-in: South Dakota Walk-In Guide.
Nebraska
Live Permit Pricing (hunting permits):
| Product | Planning fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nonresident Hunt Permit (16+) | $128 | Small-game / hunt permit |
| Nonresident 2-Day Hunt (16+) | $89 | Short trip |
| Nonresident Youth (15 and under) | $20 | Plus habitat stamp |
| Habitat stamp (1-year, resident & nonresident) | $25 | Required for NR small-game / pheasant per stamp-requirements page |
Planning stack (adult annual pheasant): about $153 before any extra agent fees.
Stamp requirements (official): nonresidents hunting small game (including pheasant) need a hunt (small game) permit or 2-day small game hunt and a habitat stamp.
State guide: Nebraska Pheasant Hunting 2026.
Kansas
KDWP sells Nonresident Annual Hunt as a 365-day license from purchase—no South Dakota-style 5-day package. Official deer-application materials on ksoutdoors.gov list the nonresident hunting license at $127.50 (ages 16+) and $42.50 junior hunt (15 and younger). Confirm the live hunting fee table / Go Outdoors Kansas cart before you budget.
| Product | Planning fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nonresident Annual Hunt (16+) | $127.50 | Cited on KDWP nonresident deer application pages; confirm hunting fee table |
| Nonresident Youth Hunt (15 and under) | $42.50 | Same sources; confirm age band |
| HIP | Often $2.50 if offered | Required for listed migratory birds—not a pheasant stamp |
Trip tip: One license covers the full regular season window once dates are open—useful if you bounce WIHA counties for weeks.
State guide: Kansas Pheasant Hunting 2026 · WIHA: Kansas WIHA Pheasant Guide.
Iowa
Iowa DNR Nonresident Hunting Licenses table:
| Product | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nonresident Hunting / Habitat 18+ | $144.00 | Standard adult pheasant stack |
| Nonresident Hunting / Habitat <18 | $45.00 | Youth path |
| Nonresident 5-day Hunting / Habitat 18+ | $90.00 | Not valid for deer/turkey |
| Nonresident 5-day Hunting 18+ | $77.00 | Habitat not bundled—usually wrong stack for upland if habitat is required |
Narrative on the same page: hunting license $131 + nonresident habitat fee $15 = the $144 combo for adults.
License-year note: Iowa annual licenses/stamps commonly expire January 10—the same day Iowa’s regular rooster season ends in the 2026–27 framework. Plan renewals if you also hunt later species.
State guide: Iowa Pheasant Hunting 2026.
North Dakota
NDGF nonresident licensing upland/small-game table:
| Item | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small Game (16+) | $150 | Choose 14 consecutive days or two 7-consecutive-day periods; may purchase more than one per year |
| Fishing, Hunting, Furbearer Certificate | $5 | One per year |
| General Game and Habitat License | $20 | One per year |
| Small Game (15 and younger) | n/a license | Certificate $2 + GG&H $20 (confirm youth stack) |
Planning stack (16+): about $175 for one small-game period set.
Critical access rule: Nonresidents may not hunt on NDGF WMAs or PLOTS during the first seven days of regular pheasant season. That restriction covers all hunting on those lands that week, not just roosters. Federal WPAs, state school lands, and private land not in PLOTS are treated differently—read the NDGF note on the same page.
State guide: North Dakota Pheasant Hunting 2026.
Minnesota
Minnesota DNR ELS license fee PDF (total fee column includes listed issuing fee where shown):
| Item | Code / who | Total fee (ELS) |
|---|---|---|
| Nonresident Small Game | 221 · ages 18+ | $103.00 |
| Nonresident 72-hour Small Game | 145 · ages 18+ | $76.00 |
| Nonresident Youth Small Game | 206 · ages 16–17 | $6.00 |
| Pheasant stamp validation | 229 | $7.50 |
| Pheasant stamp pictorial | 244 | $8.25 |
Regs and the pheasant page: ages 18–64 (and nonresidents 65+) generally need the pheasant stamp validation; confirm exemptions in the current hunting regs PDF. The 72-hour product includes stamp validations per DNR materials—handy for a weekend raid.
Planning stack (adult annual): about $110.50 ($103 + $7.50) before any duplicate/extra fees.
State guide: Minnesota Pheasant Hunting 2026.
Montana
From the 2026 Upland Game Bird license chart and FWP nonresident fees:
| Product | Planning fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation License | $10 | Prerequisite |
| Base Hunting License | $50 | Prerequisite |
| Upland Game Bird (18+) | $127 | Season license |
| Upland Game Bird (12–17) | $63.50 | Youth |
| 3-day Upland Game Bird | $60 | Not valid for pheasants during opening week; not valid for sage grouse |
Planning stack (adult season): about $187 ($10 + $50 + $127) before any AISPP / agent fees—confirm AISPP for ages 16+ on the live fee sheet.
Critical access rule: Nonresidents hunting public lands or private land in a hunting access program (including Block Management) begin 10 days later than residents for pheasant (Oct. 20, 2026). Private land not in an access program can open Oct. 10 with a season license (3-day holders: Oct. 17 on that private ground).
State guide: Montana Pheasant Hunting 2026.
Which state is “cheapest” for nonresidents?
Depends on trip length, not the headline license:
- Weekend raid: Iowa 5-day hunt/habitat ($90), Nebraska 2-day ($89 + $25 habitat ≈ $114), Minnesota 72-hour ($76 with stamps included per product notes) often beat a full SD/ND package.
- One solid week in the classic belt: South Dakota’s $142 + $25 buys 10 licensed days in two blocks—efficient if you use both periods.
- Full season / multi-week DIY: Kansas (~$127.50 365-day), Nebraska annual (~$153 with habitat), Iowa annual ($144), or Minnesota annual (~$110.50 + stamp rules) avoid buying a second period license.
- North Dakota: Budget the $175 stack and a land plan that respects the opener-week WMA/PLOTS rule.
- Montana: Budget the ~$187 season stack (or 3-day + prereqs) and the Oct. 20 public/BMA delay for nonresidents.
Pre-buy checklist
- Confirm hunter education / apprentice rules for your birth year in each state.
- Add habitat / pheasant stamps before you leave the cart.
- For SD/ND, write down period start dates that match lodging and weather.
- Cross-check blaze orange, transport ID, and non-toxic shot rules on GPA/WPA tracts (see shot-size and state guides).
- Prefer official storefronts: Go Outdoors SD / NE / KS / Iowa, gf.nd.gov, Minnesota DNR licensing, and ols.fwp.mt.gov.
Related guides
- 2026 Midwest Pheasant Forecast
- How to Read a Walk-In Map
- Walk-In Access Explained
- Best Public Land Pheasant Hunting
Sources (official)
- South Dakota GFP — License Types & Costs (NR Small Game $142; youth/mentored $10)
- South Dakota GFP — Habitat Stamp FAQ / hunting handbook materials (NR habitat stamp $25 ages 18+)
- Nebraska Game and Parks — Permit Pricing (NR hunt $128; 2-day $89; youth $20; habitat stamp 1-year $25)
- Nebraska Game and Parks — Permit & stamp requirements (NR small game = hunt/2-day + habitat stamp)
- Kansas DWP — Nonresident hunting license figures published on official deer application pages ($127.50 / $42.50 youth); confirm Licenses, Permits & Fees / Go Outdoors Kansas
- Iowa DNR — Nonresident Hunting Licenses ($144 hunt/habitat 18+; $90 5-day hunt/habitat)
- North Dakota Game and Fish — Nonresident Licenses ($150 small game + $5 certificate + $20 GG&H; period options; first-week WMA/PLOTS note)
- Minnesota DNR — ELS license fee PDF (NR small game $103 code 221; 72-hour $76 code 145; pheasant stamp $7.50 code 229)
- Montana FWP — Nonresident license fees + 2026 Upland Game Bird license chart (Conservation $10; Base Hunting $50; Upland $127 / 3-day $60; NR public/access-program delay)