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Species
Idaho Hunting by Species
All 46 IDFG game, furbearer and protected species for 2026-27, from elk zones and moose draws to chukar slopes, geese and the closed list.
Photo: Bureau of Land Management Idaho (CC BY 2.0)
Idaho game species by IDFG group
This index covers all 46 species pages for Idaho: 39 with 2026-27 season rows and 7 protected or no-season entries that explain why. The pages draw on the Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules brochure, the two-year Moose, Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat brochure for 2025 and 2026, the Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer brochure for 2026 and 2027, the Migratory Game Bird brochure for 2026-2027, the sage-grouse brochure and the IDFG Hunt Planner. Big game accounts for 1,349 of the 1,401 season rows, because IDFG writes general deer, elk, bear and lion dates unit by unit and gives every controlled hunt its own number (644 hunt rows covering 614 hunt numbers, with 33,111 numbered tags). Upland birds, small game, waterfowl and furbearers run on statewide, area or regional calendars, and the migratory bird areas are lists of counties. Moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat dates come from a brochure that covers two years, so each of those rows is labelled as the 2026 hunt from the 2025 and 2026 edition.
From Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, Moose, Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat 2025 & 2026, Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 & 2027, Migratory Game Bird 2026-2027 and Sage-grouse 2026-2027 (Idaho Department of Fish and Game); data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Big game: deer to wolves
Deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, black bear, mountain lion and gray wolf: general seasons by hunting unit, A and B elk tags by zone and 614 controlled hunt numbers.
Bighorn Sheep
Rams Only
Black Bear
One black bear per legal tag; females with young protected
Deer
One deer per legal tag in possession
Elk
Antlered
Gray Wolf
Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits)
Moose
Antlered
Mountain Goat
Either-sex
Mountain Lion
One mountain lion per tag; females with spotted kittens protected
Pronghorn
Antlerless or Antlered
Wild turkey, spring and fall
Spring 2027 and fall 2026 general turkey seasons by unit, with the youth spring hunt.
Wild Turkey
Either sex
Upland birds from grouse to pheasant
Forest grouse by area, sharp-tailed grouse, sage-grouse by zone with a tag, chukar, gray partridge, California and bobwhite quail and rooster pheasants.
Chukar
8 + 8 daily, 24 + 24 possession
Forest Grouse
4 daily, 12 possession (aggregate)
Gray Partridge
8 + 8 daily, 24 + 24 possession
Pheasant
3 roosters daily (2 on release areas), 9 possession
California and Bobwhite Quail
10 daily, 30 possession
Sage-grouse
See zone limits; 2 tags per hunter
Sharp-tailed Grouse
2 daily, 6 possession
Rabbits, hares and red squirrels
Cottontail rabbits, snowshoe hares and red squirrels, the upland game animals.
Cottontail Rabbit
8 daily, 24 possession
Red Squirrel
8 daily, 24 possession
Snowshoe Hare
8 daily, 24 possession
Ducks, geese, coots, snipe and swans
Ducks, scaup, coots, snipe, Canada, white-fronted and light geese by area, and the swan controlled hunt in four north Idaho counties.
American Coot
25 daily
Canada Goose
5 daily, 15 possession
Ducks and Mergansers
7 (2 hen mallard, 2 redhead, 3 pintail, 2 canvasback, 2 scaup); possession 3x
Light Geese
20 daily, 60 possession
Scaup
7 (2 hen mallard, 2 redhead, 3 pintail, 2 canvasback, 2 scaup); possession 3x
Swan
1
White-fronted Goose
6 daily, 18 possession
Wilson's Snipe
8 daily
Doves, crows and cranes
Mourning dove, American crow and sandhill crane.
Eight furbearers for trappers
Badger, beaver, bobcat, marten, mink, muskrat, river otter and red fox under the trapping license.
Seven species with no season
Gambel's and mountain quail, pygmy rabbit, hen pheasants, Canada lynx, female black bears with young, hawks, owls and eagles, and grizzly bears.
Gambel's and Mountain Quail
No season.
Pygmy Rabbit
Season closed.
Hen Pheasant
No season on hen (female) pheasants.
Canada Lynx
Threatened species; be sure of target when hunting bobcat.
Female Black Bears with Young
May not be taken.
Hawks, Owls and Eagles
Protected (general rules).
Grizzly Bear
Caution areas in bear tables; bear identification test required; grizzly is listed with re
All 46 Idaho species pages, sortable by group
| Species | Group | Rows | Hunts | Units | First and last day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Coot | Waterfowl | 3 | – | By area |
|
| American Crow | Dove, crow and crane | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Badger | Furbearer | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Beaver | Furbearer | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Bighorn Sheep | Big game | 30 | 30 | 23 |
|
| Black Bear | Big game | 83 | 6 | 89 |
|
| Bobcat | Furbearer | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Canada Goose | Waterfowl | 4 | – | By area |
|
| Chukar | Upland game bird | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Cottontail Rabbit | Upland game animal | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Deer | Big game | 672 | 185 | 99 |
|
| Ducks and Mergansers | Waterfowl | 4 | – | By area |
|
| Elk | Big game | 325 | 221 | 99 |
|
| Forest Grouse | Upland game bird | 2 | – | By area |
|
| Gray Partridge | Upland game bird | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Gray Wolf | Big game | 35 | – | 99 |
|
| Light Geese | Waterfowl | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Marten | Furbearer | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Mink | Furbearer | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Moose | Big game | 94 | 94 | 61 |
|
| Mountain Goat | Big game | 19 | 19 | 22 |
|
| Mountain Lion | Big game | 32 | – | 99 |
|
| Mourning Dove | Dove, crow and crane | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Muskrat | Furbearer | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Pheasant | Upland game bird | 3 | – | By area |
|
| Pronghorn | Big game | 59 | 59 | 43 |
|
| California and Bobwhite Quail | Upland game bird | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Red Fox | Furbearer | 2 | – | By area |
|
| Red Squirrel | Upland game animal | 1 | – | By area |
|
| River Otter | Furbearer | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Sage-grouse | Upland game bird | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Sandhill Crane | Dove, crow and crane | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Scaup | Waterfowl | 3 | – | By area |
|
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | Upland game bird | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Snowshoe Hare | Upland game animal | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Swan | Waterfowl | 1 | – | By area |
|
| White-fronted Goose | Waterfowl | 1 | – | By area |
|
| Wild Turkey | Wild turkey | 7 | – | 54 |
|
| Wilson's Snipe | Waterfowl | 3 | – | By area |
|
| Gambel's and Mountain Quail | No season | 0 | – | – | – |
| Pygmy Rabbit | No season | 0 | – | – | – |
| Hen Pheasant | No season | 0 | – | – | – |
| Canada Lynx | No season | 0 | – | – | – |
| Female Black Bears with Young | No season | 0 | – | – | – |
| Hawks, Owls and Eagles | No season | 0 | – | – | – |
| Grizzly Bear | No season | 0 | – | – | – |
Row, hunt and unit counts from the IDFG 2026-27 brochures and the Hunt Planner, data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Cow moose and calf standing in tall willowsPhoto: Bureau of Land Management Idaho (CC BY 2.0)
A cow moose feeding among flowering marsh plants at Blackfoot ReservoirPhoto: Bureau of Land Management Idaho (CC BY 2.0)
A moose crossing a dirt road on a foggy morningPhoto: Sam Beebe (CC BY 2.0)
Idaho species questions
How many Idaho species pages carry 2026-27 season rows?
39 of the 46 species pages carry IDFG season rows; 7 cover protected or no-season entries such as grizzly bears and Canada lynx.
Which animals does IDFG group as big game?
mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, black bear, mountain lion and gray wolf. Big game brochure covers deer, elk, pronghorn, black bear, mountain lion and gray wolf; moose, sheep and goat in a separate brochure.
Which Idaho tags are sold over the counter?
General season deer, elk (A/B zone tags, some capped), black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf and turkey tags are sold over the counter to residents; capped elk zone tags go on sale July 8 (Sawtooth July 10).
How many controlled hunts does Idaho have?
614 hunt numbers in 644 hunt rows (some hunts have two or three date windows): 228 elk rows, 208 deer rows, 59 pronghorn rows, 94 moose rows, 30 bighorn sheep rows, 19 mountain goat rows and 6 black bear rows, with 33,111 numbered tags; a few hunts print unlimited tags.
How are Idaho controlled hunts drawn?
Deer, elk, pronghorn and fall bear controlled hunts: first application period May 1-June 5, results early July; second period August 5-15 (results by August 25), leftover tags August 25 at 10 am MT; controlled tags must be bought by August 1. The drawing is random.
What do the 2025 Hunt Planner tables show for deer and elk?
Summing IDFG's 2025 all-weapons unit rows gives 36,902 deer and 13,528 elk in the general seasons (sums computed here; IDFG publishes no county harvest).
How many bears, lions and wolves were taken in 2025?
The 2025 unit rows add up to 2,936 black bears, 469 mountain lions and 239 gray wolves (computed here).
Is hunter orange ever mandatory for Idaho hunters?
Hunter orange is recommended, required only while hunting pheasants where the Upland Game Bird Permit is required (including IDFG properties and leases) and on sponsored hunts such as organized youth hunts; minimum 36 square inches above the waist.
Where is chronic wasting disease managed in Idaho?
CWD Management Zones in Units 14, 18 and a portion of Unit 1 (portion of Boundary County east of the Selkirk Mountains crest), as of March 2026. Units 64 and 69 added to mandatory deer testing for 2026; Units 24 and 32A removed after two consecutive years with no detections.