Pheasant hunting

Annual roadsides report

Check out this year's map of pheasant hunting prospects and supporting data. The information is compiled from sighting data collected each year along 169 25-mile-long routes and released every fall.

License and stamp required

People ages 16-64 must purchase a small game license and pheasant stamp to hunt pheasants in Minnesota. Check the regulations booklet before you go for complete stamp and small game requirements and rules.

You need blaze clothing

Pheasant hunters must wear at least one visible article of clothing above the waist that is blaze orange or pink. This could be a hat, jacket or hunting vest. Remember that more blaze will make you more visible to other hunters.

9 a.m. to sunset (Sunrise and sunset data)

Wildlife Management Areas  • Walk-In Access

Pheasants harvested in the field and being transported must have have one leg or a fully-feathered wing attached.

• A person may not shoot pheasants with a rifle or handgun other than a .22 caliber rimfire using short, long or long rifle ammunition.
• Shotguns used when hunting pheasants may hold more than three shells.

Do you value strong connections to your outdoors and the food you eat? Are you looking for a new way to interact with the fields, woods and waters around you?

Please check out our pheasant hunting how-to guide to get started.

Hunting is only one aspect of the DNR's effort to manage pheasants for the public trust. Visit our pheasant management page to learn about the many things we do to manage ring-necked pheasants for the benefit of all Minnesotans now and into the future.