Youth Pheasant Seasons in the Midwest
Parents and mentors planning a first rooster hunt need one thing before the calendar fills: youth-only or mentored dates, age cutoffs, bags, and who may carry a gun. This guide compares 2026–27 youth / special pheasant frameworks for South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana using official wildlife agency pages—and flags anything that still needs a morning-of confirm.
Quick compare (2026–27 youth / special pheasant)
| State | Youth / special window | Age eligibility (summary) | Daily bag / possession (youth window) | Accompanying adult | Youth can hunt regular season? | Official anchor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | Sept. 26 – Oct. 4, 2026 (youth & mentored) | Ages 12 (or turn 12 by Dec. 31) through 17 with hunter safety + small game license; mentored path for youth under 16 | 3 / 15 roosters | Unarmed adult required | Yes (with proper license; NR youth licenses use 5-day periods) | GFP pheasant · Key Dates |
| Nebraska | Oct. 24–25, 2026 | Youth 15 or younger | TBD — confirm in 2026–27 Small Game guide (recent guides used 2 / 4 roosters) | Adults generally may not shoot pheasants; exception at declared Special Youth Hunt WMAs | Yes — regular Oct. 31, 2026 – Jan. 31, 2027 | NGPC Hunting Seasons |
| Kansas | Nov. 7–8, 2026 (youth & disability — planning) | Youth 17 and younger (recent regs); immediate supervision by adult 18+ | Daily 4 cocks; youth possession often 2× daily (8) — confirm in Fall 2026–Spring 2027 summary | Adult 18+ immediate supervision | Yes — regular typically follows (planning Nov. 14, 2026 – Jan. 31, 2027) | KDWP When to Hunt · Hunting Regulations |
| Iowa | Oct. 24–25, 2026 | Resident hunters 15 or younger | 1 / 2 roosters | Adult 18+ with valid hunting license (habitat fee if normally required); only the youth may shoot pheasants | Yes — regular Oct. 31, 2026 – Jan. 10, 2027 | Iowa Hunting Seasons |
| North Dakota | Oct. 3–4, 2026 | Legally licensed residents & nonresidents 15 or younger | Daily 3; possession same as regular per proclamation (12) | Adult 18+ must accompany; may not carry a firearm or hunt any species | Yes — regular Oct. 10, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027 | NDGF pheasant · Small Game proclamation |
| Minnesota | No statewide youth-only pheasant season listed on DNR pheasant page | Youth hunt under regular framework with age-based licenses/stamps | Regular bags apply (see MN section) | Follow general small-game / hunter-ed rules — confirm booklet | Yes — statewide Oct. 10, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027 | MN DNR pheasant |
| Montana | Sept. 19–20, 2026 (youth only) | Legally licensed youth ages 15 and under | 3 cock pheasants / possession 3× daily (9) | Nonhunting adult 18+; Apprentice Hunter mentors must be 21+ | Yes — regular resident/private Oct. 10, 2026 – Jan. 1, 2027 (NR public/access-program delay) | 2026 Upland Game Bird PDF |
Chronological map (earliest first): MT Sept. 19–20 → SD Sept. 26–Oct. 4 → ND Oct. 3–4 → NE & IA Oct. 24–25 → KS Nov. 7–8 (planning) → MN has no separate youth pheasant weekend on the live DNR pheasant page.
South Dakota — longest youth window
GFP’s Youth Only (youth and mentored) pheasant season runs Sept. 26 – Oct. 4, 2026—nine days before the resident-only and traditional openers. From gfp.sd.gov/pheasant and the hunting/trapping handbook materials:
- Eligibility: Resident and nonresident youth age 12 (or who turn 12 by Dec. 31 of the current year) through 17 with a valid hunter safety certificate and small game license. Youth under 16 in the Mentored Hunt program may hunt during this window.
- Companion: All youth hunters must be accompanied by an unarmed adult. GFP advises at least one exterior fluorescent orange or pink garment for everyone on the youth hunt.
- Bag / hours: Daily 3 rooster pheasants; possession 15 (accrues at 3/day). Shooting hours 10 a.m. Central Time to sunset statewide (same clock rule as traditional season).
- Open area note: Statewide on private and public land, with road right-of-way limits during the youth period—read the live pheasant page before parking on a ditch.
Youth can continue into resident-only (Oct. 10–12) and traditional (Oct. 17, 2026 – Jan. 31, 2027) seasons with the right license stack. Nonresident youth small game / mentored licenses are typically valid for two 5-day periods—plan which days land in youth vs traditional. Deep dive: South Dakota Pheasant Hunting 2026 · South Dakota Walk-In Guide.
Nebraska — Oct. 24–25 weekend
NGPC lists Youth pheasant, quail and partridge: Oct. 24–25, 2026 on the Hunting Seasons page. Regular pheasant/quail/partridge follows Oct. 31, 2026 – Jan. 31, 2027.
From Nebraska Admin. Code (game bird chapter) and longstanding NGPC youth messaging:
- Age: Youth 15 years of age or younger
- Who shoots: Adults accompanying youth are not allowed to shoot pheasants except on WMAs where Special Youth Hunts have been declared (and other posted Commission areas)
- Permits: Resident youths in the youth age band often hunt small game without a hunt permit; nonresident youths generally need the youth hunt permit and Habitat Stamp—confirm on the live permit & stamp pages
- Bag: TBD — confirm daily/possession for the youth weekend in the 2026–27 Small Game and Waterfowl Guide. Recent prior-year guides used 2 roosters daily / 4 possession for youth (regular season commonly 3 / 12)
Special Youth Hunt release sites and any adult bag at those WMAs are announced each fall by Game and Parks—check outdoornebraska.gov news the week before Oct. 24. Trip context: Nebraska Pheasant Hunting 2026 · Nebraska Public Access Atlas Tips.
Kansas — mid-November youth & disability weekend
KDWP has long used a youth and disability pheasant/quail weekend just before the regular mid-November opener. Planning dates that match the second-Saturday-of-November pattern (and KDWP calendar summaries cited on this site’s Kansas guide) are:
- Youth & disability: Nov. 7–8, 2026
- Regular: Nov. 14, 2026 – Jan. 31, 2027
Confirm both on When to Hunt and the Fall 2026–Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary PDF before you travel.
From recent KDWP regulations summaries (verify in the live 2026–27 PDF):
- Youth 17 and younger are eligible for specified youth seasons; youth on those seasons must be under immediate supervision of an adult age 18 or older
- Youth 16+ are generally not eligible for youth-priced permits and must hold a hunting license; resident youth 15 and under often do not need a license—nonresident youth, regardless of age, need a license
- Pheasant daily bag in recent frameworks: 4 cocks (youth and regular); youth-season possession often 2× daily bag (8) vs 4× (16) in regular—confirm
Statewide rooster-only framework has been the norm—confirm any unit notes in the current booklet. More: Kansas Pheasant Hunting 2026 · Kansas WIHA Pheasant Guide.
Iowa — tight bag, clear mentor rule
Iowa DNR’s Hunting Seasons table lists:
| Season | Dates | Daily / possession | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth rooster pheasant | Oct. 24–25, 2026 | 1 / 2 | 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
| Regular rooster pheasant | Oct. 31, 2026 – Jan. 10, 2027 | 3 / 12 | 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
From the Iowa hunting regulations booklet (youth pheasant section):
- Resident hunters ages 15 or younger may hunt roosters during the youth weekend
- Youth may hunt without a hunting license, habitat fee, or hunter education course for that youth season
- An adult 18+ with a valid hunting license (and habitat fee if normally required) must accompany; only the youth may shoot pheasants; the adult may shoot other open-season game
- Blaze orange (≥50% solid on a qualifying article) applies—see Blaze Orange Requirements by State
Confirm the full youth paragraph in the live 2026/27 regs PDF. State guide: Iowa Pheasant Hunting 2026.
North Dakota — two days, adult may not hunt
NDGF has finalized:
- Youth: Oct. 3–4, 2026 (statewide)
- Regular: Oct. 10, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027
From the 2026 Small Game proclamation (§12 Male Pheasants):
- Legally licensed residents and nonresidents 15 years of age or younger may hunt
- An adult at least 18 must accompany the youth into the field
- That adult may not carry a firearm and may not hunt any species of wildlife
- Bag, possession, and hours are the same as regular: daily 3, possession 12, hours ½ hour before sunrise to sunset
Note: The 2026–27 Combo Hunting & Trapping Guide season table has listed youth pheasant possession as 6 in some printings while the signed proclamation text says possession matches regular (12). Trust the live proclamation and reconfirm the morning of the youth weekend.
Nonresidents: the Oct. 10–16 WMA/PLOTS restriction still matters for the regular opener—see ND PLOTS First-Week Rules and North Dakota Pheasant Hunting 2026.
Minnesota — no separate youth pheasant weekend (on the DNR pheasant page)
The live MN DNR pheasant page lists a single statewide season: Oct. 10, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027. It does not list a statewide youth-only pheasant window. Do not invent one.
Youth still hunt pheasants during the regular season under age-based license and stamp rules (small game for ages 16+; pheasant stamp for many ages 18–64—confirm the fee PDF). Blaze orange or pink above the waist is required. Bags on the DNR page:
| Dates | Daily | Possession |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 10 – Nov. 30 | 2 roosters | 6 |
| Dec. 1 – Jan. 3, 2027 | 3 roosters | 9 |
Mentored or “learn to hunt” pheasant events may be offered by local clubs or DNR programs—those are not a statewide youth season. Start: Learn to hunt opportunities · Minnesota Pheasant Hunting 2026 · Minnesota WIA Validation Guide.
Montana — northern plains youth opener (Sept. 19–20)
Montana FWP’s finalized 2026 Upland Game Bird regulations:
- Youth only: Sept. 19–20, 2026
- Eligibility: Legally licensed youth ages 15 and under, accompanied by a nonhunting adult at least 18; mentors for Apprentice Hunters must be at least 21
- Bag: 3 cock pheasants daily; possession 3× daily (9)
- Regular: Residents (and NRs on private land not in an access program) Oct. 10, 2026 – Jan. 1, 2027; nonresidents on public land / hunting-access programs (incl. Block Management) begin Oct. 20
Some 10- and 11-year-olds may be eligible via Youth Hunting Opportunities / Apprentice Hunter—see the Upland booklet. Full state page: Montana Pheasant Hunting 2026.
Cross-state planning tips
- Pick the weekend that matches your age band. SD’s 12–17 (+ mentored under 16) is not the same as IA/NE/ND/MT “15 and under” or KS “17 and under.”
- Read the companion rule twice. ND and MT adults generally cannot hunt; IA adults cannot shoot pheasants; NE adults cannot shoot pheasants except at declared Special Youth Hunt sites; SD adults must be unarmed.
- Bags shrink on some youth weekends. Iowa’s 1 / 2 is the tightest in this set; do not assume the regular 3-bird bag.
- Orange travels. Iowa and Minnesota require blaze for pheasant; GFP advises it for SD youth weekends—pack a solid blaze hat/vest anyway (blaze compare).
- Nonresident stacks. Compare youth products and period licenses on Nonresident Pheasant Licenses Compared—especially SD’s two 5-day youth periods and ND’s first-week PLOTS/WMA rule for the regular opener.
- Minnesota: plan a regular-season mentored hunt, not a phantom youth opener.
Related guides on this site
- South Dakota Pheasant Hunting 2026
- Nebraska Pheasant Hunting 2026
- Kansas Pheasant Hunting 2026
- Iowa Pheasant Hunting 2026
- North Dakota Pheasant Hunting 2026
- Minnesota Pheasant Hunting 2026
- Montana Pheasant Hunting 2026
- Nonresident Pheasant Licenses Compared
- Blaze Orange Requirements by State
- Hunting Pheasants Without a Dog
Official sources
- South Dakota GFP — Pheasant (youth eligibility, unarmed adult, bag 3/15, hours); Key Dates (Youth Only Sept. 26–Oct. 4, 2026); Hunting and Trapping handbook PDF
- Nebraska Game and Parks — Hunting Seasons (youth Oct. 24–25, 2026; regular Oct. 31, 2026–Jan. 31, 2027); 2026–27 Small Game and Waterfowl Guide; Neb. Admin. Code Title 163, Ch. 4, §005 (youth eligibility / adult shoot rules)
- Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks — When to Hunt; Hunting Regulations (Fall 2026–Spring 2027 summary PDF — confirm youth Nov. 7–8 and bags)
- Iowa DNR — Iowa Hunting Seasons (youth Oct. 24–25, 1/2; regular Oct. 31–Jan. 10, 2027, 3/12; hours 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.); 2026–27 Hunting, Trapping & Migratory Game Bird Regulations booklet (youth companion rules)
- North Dakota Game and Fish — Pheasant hunting (youth Oct. 3–4, 2026 finalized); 2026 Small Game proclamation (§12 youth rules; bag 3 / possession 12); 2026–27 Combo Hunting & Trapping Guide PDF
- Minnesota DNR — Pheasant hunting (statewide Oct. 10, 2026–Jan. 3, 2027; bags; no youth-only window listed); hunting regulations booklet
- Montana FWP — 2026 Upland Game Bird Hunting Regulations PDF (youth Sept. 19–20; bag 3/9; nonhunting adult 18+; apprentice mentor 21+); Hunting Seasons