Catoperat
NES Member
In case anyone didn't know, below are the changes to the 2023 hunting seasons taken from the 2023 Abstracts
NEW FOR 2023
Extended Pheasant and Quail Seasons: The pheasant and quail hunting seasons now
open on the Saturday after Columbus Day and close on December 31. Hunters can
now pursue previously stocked pheasants statewide and quail in Wildlife Manage-
ment Zones 11–14 from the Monday after shotgun deer season to the end of the
year (no pheasant and quail hunting during the shotgun deer season).
Expanded hunting implement use on pheasant and quail-stocked Wildlife Manage-
ment Areas (WMA) for certain game: Hunters can now use all legal methods to hunt
game other than pheasant and quail on pheasant and quail-stocked WMAs. Previ-
ously, all hunters were restricted on WMAs to shotgun and archery equipment only.
See each species’ page for details. In addition, legal hunting implements for pheasant
and quail on all public and private land statewide are now shotgun and archery only.
Expanded hunting hours on pheasant and quail-stocked WMAs for certain game:
Hunters targeting game other than pheasant and quail on pheasant and quail-
stocked WMAs are no longer restricted to hunting from sunrise to sunset. See each
species’ page for details. Pheasant and quail hunting hours on all public and private
land statewide are now from sunrise to sunset.
Simplification and expansion of small game seasons: Gray squirrel, cottontail
rabbit, and snowshoe hare seasons have been simplified and expanded into single,
statewide seasons for each species. There is now a single statewide season for gray
squirrel (beginning the Tuesday after Labor Day and ending on the last day of Febru-
ary), and for cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare (beginning the Saturday after Co-
lumbus Day and ending the last day of February). See each species’ page for specific
season dates. The black-tailed jack rabbit season has been eliminated
NEW FOR 2023
Extended Pheasant and Quail Seasons: The pheasant and quail hunting seasons now
open on the Saturday after Columbus Day and close on December 31. Hunters can
now pursue previously stocked pheasants statewide and quail in Wildlife Manage-
ment Zones 11–14 from the Monday after shotgun deer season to the end of the
year (no pheasant and quail hunting during the shotgun deer season).
Expanded hunting implement use on pheasant and quail-stocked Wildlife Manage-
ment Areas (WMA) for certain game: Hunters can now use all legal methods to hunt
game other than pheasant and quail on pheasant and quail-stocked WMAs. Previ-
ously, all hunters were restricted on WMAs to shotgun and archery equipment only.
See each species’ page for details. In addition, legal hunting implements for pheasant
and quail on all public and private land statewide are now shotgun and archery only.
Expanded hunting hours on pheasant and quail-stocked WMAs for certain game:
Hunters targeting game other than pheasant and quail on pheasant and quail-
stocked WMAs are no longer restricted to hunting from sunrise to sunset. See each
species’ page for details. Pheasant and quail hunting hours on all public and private
land statewide are now from sunrise to sunset.
Simplification and expansion of small game seasons: Gray squirrel, cottontail
rabbit, and snowshoe hare seasons have been simplified and expanded into single,
statewide seasons for each species. There is now a single statewide season for gray
squirrel (beginning the Tuesday after Labor Day and ending on the last day of Febru-
ary), and for cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare (beginning the Saturday after Co-
lumbus Day and ending the last day of February). See each species’ page for specific
season dates. The black-tailed jack rabbit season has been eliminated