Hunting for Bobwhite, Pheasant, and other Small Game in Missouri

Missouri features a plethora of upland bird and small game hunting opportunities on public lands across the state.

Missouri has a reputation for high-quality hunting. Many are familiar with the state’s ability to produce large whitetail bucks, but did you know it’s an incredible place for upland bird hunting, too?

Upland enthusiasts can pursue pheasant, quail, dove, woodcock, and more in the Show-Me state. Although 93 percent of Missouri’s lands are privately owned, the seven percent that’s public still spans nearly 3.2 million acres. Over 1.6 million of those acres are federal lands. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has a list of all the state-managed Conservation Areas, which are also open to the public. These Conservation Areas include Quail Restoration Landscapes (QRLs), Dove Management Areas (DMAs), shooting ranges, and more.

“We are fortunate in Missouri to have public lands in every county in the state,” said Kyle Hedges, an upland game habitat manager in Missouri. “Not all of those lands hold upland game birds, but the accessibility to public lands in our state is fantastic. In most portions of the state, there is likely a tract of public land within an hour drive harboring upland bird hunting opportunities.”

Let’s take a closer look at Missouri’s upland birds, season dates, and hunting regulations.

Read: Missouri 2024 Hunting Regulations

2024-25 Missouri Bird Hunting and Small Game Seasons

*These season dates were last updated on September 14, 2024 and may not reflect changes since that date. For the most up-to-date information, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website.

Pheasant

“Pheasant hunting is primarily limited to the northern third of Missouri, although a few pockets of birds can be found in other portions of the state,” said Hedges. “Private or public lands holding lots of pheasants is rare, but high-quality habitat can yield a huntable population.”

If you’re sticking to hunting pheasants on Missouri’s public lands, focus your time on Conservation Areas. “Conservation Areas with a combination of row crop and grassland habitat provide the best opportunity for bagging a rooster,” said Frank Loncarich, a wildlife biologist who specializes in bobwhite and grassland management. Just like any upland bird, pheasant need food and cover, and places where these two resources intersect can offer prime rooster shooting opportunities.

Missouri’s pheasant season runs from November 1, 2024 through January 15, 2025. The daily limit is two roosters, and the possession limit is four roosters. Only male birds may be taken during the hunting season.

Missouri also offers a two-day long youth pheasant season from October 26, 2024 through October 27, 2024. Youth ages 6 through 13 may hunt, and kids without a hunting hunter’s safety certification “must hunt in the immediate presence of a properly licensed adult,” according to Missouri’s hunting regulations. However, the chaperoning adult cannot pheasant hunt, too.

Bobwhite Quail

Bobwhite quail can be found across Missouri, but the most robust populations live in the northern and western parts of the state, explains Loncarich. 

“Look for areas of native grassland or where grassland restoration has occurred,” he said. “Public land within designated QRLs are intentionally managed for quail and offer good opportunities to find birds.” QRL locations can be found on the MDC website.

Quail season opens on November 1, 2024 and closes January 15, 2025. The bag limit is eight birds, and the possession limit is 16.

Youth quail season runs concurrently with the youth pheasant season. Youth quail season opens on October 26, 2024 and closes October 27, 2024. Just like pheasant, youths between the ages of six and 13 may hunt, and those without a hunter’s education certificate must be accompanied by a licensed adult who is not hunting.

Woodcock

“Missouri can provide some great woodcock hunting during the fall migration,” said Hedges. He explained that national woodcock research has shown that woodcock summering in the upper Midwest use Missouri as their primary southern migration route. “The first two weeks of November typically provide the most consistent woodcock hunting in Missouri, as this generally coincides with their peak migration through the state.”

American woodcock season opens on October 18, 2024 and ends December 1, 2024. The bag limit is three birds, and the possession limit is nine.

Dove

Missouri is unique in that the state manages Dove Management Areas. Within DMAs, sunflower food plots are maintained to provide ample feed for resident and migratory doves. Hunting is also permitted on DMAs. 

View Missouri’s list of dove management areas here.

Dove hunting season opens on September 1, 2024 and concludes December 16, 2024. The bag limit is 15, and the possession limit is 45. Both mourning and Eurasian collared dove are both present in Missouri, and the bag and possession limits refer to the combined total of all dove species.

Snipe, Soras, and Rails

Snipes, soras, and rails all skirt that line between being an upland bird and a waterbird. These migratory birds rely on wetlands for food, water, and shelter. Although Missouri has lost 87 percent of its pre-settlement wetlands, 643,000 acres of wetlands remain in the state today, providing habitat for huntable populations of Wilson’s snipe, sora, and Virginia rails. Most of these water-logged areas can be found near the Ozarks, in the southern half of the state, and along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. 

Missouri’s snipe season runs from September 1, 2024, through December 16, 2024. The daily limit is eight, and the possession limit is 24.

Missouri’s sora and Virginia rail season opens on September 1, 2024, and closes on November 9th, 2024. The daily limit of combined rail species is 25, and the possession limit is 75.

Squirrels, Rabbits, and Other Small Game In Missouri

Small game hunting in Missouri doesn’t end with upland birds. The state features robust numbers of squirrels, rabbits, waterfowl, and many other small game species and furbearers. Just keep in mind that jackrabbits may not be hunted or trapped at any time in Missouri.

Rabbit hunting season runs from October 1, 2024, through February 15, 2025. Both cottontails and swamp rabbits may be hunted. The daily limit is six rabbits, two of which may be swamp rabbits. The possession limit is 12 rabbits, four of which may be swamp rabbits.

Missouri’s squirrel hunting season is lengthy and generous. Squirrel season opened on May 25, 2024, and will close on February 15, 2025. The daily limit is 10 and the possession limit is 20.

Missouri Upland Bird Licensing Fees

*These fees were last updated on September 14, 2024, and may not reflect any changes since that date. For the most up-to-date information, visit the MDC website.

Blaze Orange Requirements in Missouri

Missouri urges all hunters to wear blaze orange, and so does Project Upland. However, Missouri only legally requires hunters to don blaze orange during specific times of the hunting season. 

Bird hunters must wear blaze orange if they are hunting during the gun deer season, hunting in an area having a managed firearms deer hunt, or if you are mentoring another hunter during the gun deer season. 

Missouri does not require bird hunters to wear orange if they are hunting migratory birds, hunting on public land where deer hunting is restricted to archery, small game hunting during the antlerless or CWD portions in a closed county, hunting small game or furbearers during the alternative methods portion, or hunting small game or furbearers during the firearms portion of the elk season. You can review Missouri’s blaze orange requirements here on MDC’s website.

Dog Training in Missouri

Dog training on wild birds is allowed in Missouri. However, the state has some restrictions regarding hunting with and training dogs.

Dogs in training may chase but not take wildlife that can be legally hunted with dogs in the state—a hunting permit appropriate for the game your dog is pursuing or a dog training exception is required. Pistols with blank ammunition may be used to train dogs only during daylight hours in closed hunting seasons.

If you plan to hunt rabbits or squirrels with dogs in Missouri, more restrictions apply. You can view MDC’s dog-based regulations here, under the section “Hunting with Dogs.”