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2026-27 county guide

Canyon County for Idaho Hunters

Unit shares both ways, A and B elk tag lines, 7 drawn hunts, 2025 harvest in the units that cross into Canyon County, public land by owner and the shops around Caldwell.

1Hunting units
1Elk zones
SouthwestIDFG region
MountainTime zone
11,544Public GIS acres
7Hunt numbers

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)

Canyon County size, people and time zone

Canyon County sits wholly inside the IDFG Southwest Region, which also takes in Ada, Adams, Boise, Elmore, Gem and Owyhee. Census figures put Canyon County at 266,892 people in 2024 (15.5% up from the 2020 base of 231,116); the courthouse stands in Caldwell. The county spreads across 587 square miles of land, close to 375,711 acres, 39th statewide.

Cross the county line and you reach Ada County, Gem County, Owyhee County and Payette County or, out of state, Malheur County (OR). Canyon County keeps Mountain Time, like 33 other Idaho counties; only the nine northern counties and part of Idaho County use Pacific Time. Nampa hosts the Southwest Region South – Nampa Office, the office IDFG assigns to Canyon County.

CaldwellSeat city
266,892Population
587Dry land
11,544Open land (GIS)
1Hunting units
MountainZone

Population from the Census Vintage 2024 estimates; area from the 2024 Census gazetteer; neighbours from Census county adjacency; regions from the IDFG regions and the IDFG administrative regions layer; offices from the IDFG office locations page; time zone from 49 CFR 71.9. Checked November 12, 2026.

Nearby

Places to hunt and shoot around Canyon County

Shooting Ranges Near Caldwell

Range · 3 mi from Canyon County

Directions
Shooting Ranges Near Nampa

Range · 8 mi from Canyon County

Directions
Shooting Ranges Near Meridian

Range · 15 mi from Canyon County

Directions
Hunting Near Meridian, Idaho

Town · 15 mi from Canyon County

Directions
Hunting Near Boise, Idaho

Town · 24 mi from Canyon County

Directions
Access Yes! Program

Public land · 26 mi from Canyon County

Directions

Canyon County by hunting unit

Percentages come from overlaying the IDFG unit polygons on county lines.

1 IDFG hunting unit reach into Canyon County, and Unit 38 covers the largest piece, 100% of the county. The neighbour with the most shared units is Ada County: 1 of them.

UnitCounty shareUnit shareElk zoneWolf zoneCWD statusOther counties
Unit 38100%30%Boise River ZoneSouthern Idaho—Ada, Elmore, Payette +1

The general black bear tables leave out Unit 38; read the brochure before planning a bear hunt there.

Unit shares from the IDFG Game Units layer overlaid on Census county polygons (GIS shares of land area, both ways); elk zone of each unit from the IDFG Elk Zones layer; wolf zones from the IDFG Wolf Zones layer; CWD units from the 2026 brochure; bear tables from the 2026 brochure. Checked November 12, 2026.

Canyon County zone tags for elk

Area cells name the part of the zone a line covers.

Pick an elk zone before buying a general tag: Canyon County sits in 1 of them, chiefly the Boise River Zone (100%).

ZoneCounty shareZone shareIts units here
Boise River Zone100%13%38

Zone tag seasons reaching Canyon County

ZoneA or BWeaponFromToTakeAreaCap
Boise RiverB TagAny WeaponAug 1, 2026Sep 30, 2026Antlerless or AntleredUnit 38—
Boise RiverB TagAny WeaponOct 1, 2026Dec 31, 2026Antlerless or SpikeUnit 38—
Boise RiverB TagAny WeaponOct 27, 2026Nov 9, 2026AntleredPortion of Unit 39—
Boise RiverA TagArcheryNov 10, 2026Nov 30, 2026Antlerless or AntleredPortion of Unit 39—

Zone shares from the IDFG Elk Zones layer overlaid on county polygons; A and B tag lines from the IDFG Hunt Planner general hunt pages and the brochure elk zone table; tag sale dates from the 2026 brochure. Checked November 12, 2026.

Canyon County CWD rules and wolf zones

CWD rules for 2026 do not reach Canyon County: the zone is Units 14, 18 and part of Unit 1, and testing adds Units 23, 63A, 64 and 69.

Canyon County wolf zones, units and dates

IDFG maps Canyon County into 1 wolf zone, Southern Idaho, and sets wolf dates separately for public and private land. Wolf trapping takes a trapping license plus wolf trapper education; from July 1, 2026 trap checks may use transmitting cameras.

Wolf zoneUnits in county
Southern IdahoUnit 38
SeasonOwnershipUnits hereFirst dayLast day
HuntingPrivate land38Jul 1, 2026Jun 30, 2027
HuntingPublic land38Jul 1, 2026Jun 30, 2027
TrappingPrivate land38Nov 15, 2026Mar 31, 2027
TrappingPublic land38Sep 10, 2026Nov 14, 2026
TrappingPublic land38Nov 15, 2026Mar 31, 2027

CWD zone, transport and testing rules from the Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules p. 9; 2026 changes from IDFG, What hunters need to know about CWD requirements for 2026; county units from the IDFG CWD zone rules; wolf rules from the 2026 brochure; wolf zones from the IDFG Wolf Zones layer. Checked November 12, 2026.

Canyon County tags and season windows

General tags go over the counter, while a Controlled line needs a successful application in the IDFG draw before the hunt.

SpeciesHuntTag or permitAreaOpening dayFinal dayStatus
DeerArcheryGeneral tagUnit 38Aug 30, 2026Sep 30, 2026
DeerControlled: AntleredControlled2 huntsOct 10, 2026Nov 24, 2026
DeerControlled: Extra AntlerlessControlled4 huntsOct 10, 2026Dec 28, 2026
DeerShort-Range WeaponGeneral tagUnit 38Oct 10, 2026Oct 31, 2026
DeerShort-Range WeaponGeneral tagUnit 38Oct 10, 2026Nov 24, 2026
ElkB TagB tagUnit 38Aug 1, 2026Sep 30, 2026
ElkB TagB tagUnit 38Oct 1, 2026Oct 31, 2026
ElkB TagB tagUnit 38Oct 1, 2026Dec 31, 2026
ElkA TagA tagUnit 38Nov 1, 2026Nov 15, 2026
PronghornControlled: Either SexControlled1 huntSep 25, 2026Oct 24, 2026
Mountain lion
July 2026 –
June 2027
General tagUnit 38Jul 1, 2026Jun 30, 2027
Forest grouse
Forest grouse (dusky,
ruffed, spruce)
Area 2Aug 30, 2026Dec 31, 2026
ChukarChukarStatewideSep 15, 2026Jan 31, 2027
Gray partridgeGray (Hungarian) partridgeStatewideSep 15, 2026Jan 31, 2027
QuailCalifornia and bobwhite quailStatewideSep 15, 2026Jan 31, 2027
Pheasant
Pheasant – youth
(17 and under)
StatewideOct 8, 2026Oct 14, 2026
PheasantPheasant – residentStatewideOct 15, 2026Dec 31, 2026
PheasantPheasant – nonresidentStatewideOct 20, 2026Dec 31, 2026
Cottontail rabbitCottontailStatewideAug 30, 2026Mar 31, 2027
Snowshoe hareSnowshoe hareStatewideAug 30, 2026Mar 31, 2027
Red squirrelRed squirrelStatewideAug 30, 2026Mar 31, 2027
Ducks
Youth and veterans/active
military waterfowl weekend
StatewideSep 26, 2026Sep 27, 2026
DucksDucksPermitArea 1Oct 19, 2026Jan 31, 2027
ScaupScaupArea 1Nov 7, 2026Jan 31, 2027
American cootAmerican cootArea 1Oct 19, 2026Jan 31, 2027
Wilson's snipeWilson's snipeArea 1Oct 19, 2026Jan 31, 2027
Canada gooseCanada gooseArea 1Oct 19, 2026Jan 31, 2027
White-fronted gooseWhite-fronted goose (4 areas)Areas 1-4Oct 3, 2026Feb 15, 2027
Light goose
Snow, blue and
Ross's geese (5
areas)
Areas 1-5Oct 3, 2026Mar 10, 2027
Mourning doveMourning and white-winged dovePermitStatewideSep 1, 2026Oct 30, 2026
American crowAmerican crowStatewideOct 27, 2026Feb 28, 2027
BadgerTrapping and huntingTrappingStatewideJul 1, 2026Jun 30, 2027
BeaverTrappingTrappingStatewideOct 15, 2026Apr 15, 2027
BobcatTrapping and huntingTrappingStatewideDec 14, 2026Feb 16, 2027
MartenTrappingTrappingStatewideNov 1, 2026Jan 31, 2027
MinkTrappingTrappingStatewideOct 15, 2026Apr 15, 2027
MuskratTrappingTrappingStatewideOct 15, 2026Apr 15, 2027
River otterTrappingTrappingStatewideOct 15, 2026Mar 31, 2027
Red fox
Trapping and hunting
– other regions
(year-round)
By regionJul 1, 2026Jun 30, 2027

Check the brochure page before you go.

From the Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, the Moose, Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat 2025 and 2026 brochure, the Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 brochure, the Migratory Game Bird 2026-2027 brochure and the IDFG Hunt Planner (Idaho Department of Fish and Game), data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.

Hunt numbers crossing into Canyon County

Rows come from the 2026 draw.

The 2026 draw lists 7 hunt numbers whose units cross into the county (6 deer and 1 pronghorn). Together they carry 75 tags for 2026, but the counts are whole-hunt figures and many hunt areas are smaller than their units or spill into other counties.

The first application period for deer, elk, pronghorn and fall bear runs May 1 to June 5 and results post in early July; the draw is random.

Canyon County deer hunt numbers (6)

NumberKindUnitsWeaponFromToTakeTags
1028Antlered38Short-Range WeaponsOct 10, 2026Nov 24, 2026Antlered5
1029Antlered38Short-Range WeaponsOct 10, 2026Nov 24, 2026Antlered20
1138Extra Antlerless38Short-Range WeaponsOct 10, 2026Oct 29, 2026Antlerless10
1139Extra Antlerless38Short-Range WeaponsOct 30, 2026Nov 18, 2026Antlerless10
1140Extra Antlerless38Short-Range WeaponsNov 19, 2026Dec 8, 2026Antlerless10
1141Extra Antlerless38Short-Range WeaponsDec 9, 2026Dec 28, 2026Antlerless10

Pronghorn hunts with units in Canyon County (1)

NumberKindUnitsWeaponFromToTakeTags
4006Either Sex38Any WeaponSep 25, 2026Oct 24, 2026Antlerless or Antlered10

Hunt numbers, types, units, dates, bags and 2026 tags from the IDFG Hunt Planner hunt pages (each hunt number links its page) matched to the Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules and the Moose, Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat 2025 and 2026 brochure; counties are whole units, so a hunt area can be smaller. Application periods from the 2026 brochure, the moose, sheep and goat brochure and the spring bear page. Checked November 12, 2026.

Canyon County unit harvest, 2025

Bear, lion and wolf cells are animals taken in the unit.

IDFG publishes harvest by unit and by hunt, not by county, so the rows below are 2025 harvest in the hunting units that reach Canyon County (unit totals). 322 general season elk hunters took 51 elk in Unit 38 during 2025. Unit 38 posted the largest general deer harvest among these units, 246.

UnitDeer (success)Elk (success)Turkey
Unit 38246 (28%)51 (16%)227

2025 harvest from the IDFG Hunt Planner statistics: general season deer 2025; general season elk 2025; spring turkey 2025. Deer and elk cells are IDFG’s “All Weapons Combined” unit rows (harvest and success); bear, lion and wolf cells are unit harvest; turkey is the spring unit row. IDFG publishes harvest by hunting unit and controlled hunt only (Hunt Planner harvest statistics); no county harvest exists. `counties` on unit rows list every county named in the unit boundary description. Checked November 12, 2026.

Canyon County forests, BLM and WMAs

Solid points on the map are places in the county; hollow ones lie just outside it.

Of every hundred acres in Canyon County, about 3 are public hunting ground, 11,544 acres on the merged layers. No owner outweighs BLM land here: 8,978 acres. Call the Four Rivers Field Office about BLM roads and closures here; its share is roughly 8,978 of 8,978 BLM acres.

OwnerAcres (GIS)ShareStatus
WMA land1,579under 1%WMA rules apply
Public domain (BLM)8,9782%Open to hunting
Refuge land988under 1%Refuge-specific
Public total (union)11,5443%Counted once
State endowment land592under 1%Read rule

Idaho Department of Lands endowment land adds about 592 acres, kept out of the public total because recreation there is a secondary use.

Canyon County places, card by card

Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area

IDFG WMA · 1,630 acres

Unit 38

Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife refuge · 11,453 acres · also Owyhee and Payette

Units 31/32/38

Boise District

BLM district · 3,946,282 acres · also Owyhee and Elmore

Units 22/23/24 +13

Four Rivers Field Office

BLM field office · 1,254,788 acres · also Elmore and Ada

Units 22/23/24 +12

Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area

BLM conservation area · 599,951 acres · also Ada and Elmore

Units 38/40/41 +2

Canyon County neighbours with open land

Acres are GIS measures of polygons with water over 2 square km removed, not official acreage: IDFG WMA layer, PAD-US 4.1 (forest, grassland, BLM, refuge, park, endowment, Reclamation, military, DOE and tribal land), IDFG Access Yes! 2026 layer, IDFG Large Tracts layer; refuges counted only when listed in 50 CFR 32.31; tribal rule from 18 U.S.C. 1165; closures from the 2026 brochure; Craters of the Moon from the NPS laws and policies page. Checked November 12, 2026.

Canyon County IDFG contacts and shops

Region: IDFG Southwest Region. Call the office before driving in with a skull or hide to present.

IDFG Southwest Region South – Nampa Office

IDFG office · 15950 N. Gate Blvd, Nampa

Canyon County towns and their units

  • Caldwell73,088 people · Unit 38 · 4 places within 10 mi
  • Nampa117,350 people · Unit 38 · 4 places within 10 mi
  • Parma2,198 people · Unit 38 · 6 places within 10 mi

Caldwell, Nampa and Parma have a town page with nearby land within 10 and 25 miles. 14 sporting goods shops, 8 taxidermists and 3 meat processors list an address in the county.

43rd State Armory

Caldwell, Canyon County

Rising Star Custom Meats Inc

Caldwell, Canyon County

Veriforce Tactical Limited

Caldwell, Canyon County

Agency Arms

Caldwell, Canyon County · about 3 mi away

Imperial Taxidermy

Caldwell, Canyon County · about 4 mi away

Paynter Taxidermy

Caldwell, Canyon County · about 4 mi away

Boise Gun Co

Nampa, Canyon County · about 5 mi away

Re Creation Taxidermy

Nampa, Canyon County · about 5 mi away

Roaring Stag Taxidermy

Caldwell, Canyon County · about 6 mi away

Offices from the IDFG office locations page; skull and hide rule from the 2026 brochure; towns from the 2024 Census gazetteer; shops from Yellow Pages listings and chain store locators; outfitters from the IDFG outfitter layer of OGLB licences. Listings not individually verified; call ahead. Checked November 12, 2026.

Canyon County hunting calendar

On November 11, 2026 the county showed 8 dates ahead, covering DU conservation dinner, DU sportsman’s bingo, RMEF chapter banquet, hunter and bowhunter, pre-study, hunter certification and wolf trapper certification. Full when read: 1.

DateEventWhereLinkSource
Nov 14, 2026Nampa Sportsman's Super Bingo kind: DU sportsman’s bingo
Nampa Elks Lodge
Tickets

starts 3 p.m. MT

Source, read 11/11/2026
Nov 19–20, 2026Hunter & Bowhunter Certification, pre-study (Nampa) kind: hunter and bowhunter, pre-studyRegister-Ed page

2 sessions, last Nov 20

full when read (15 seats)

Source, read 11/11/2026
Dec 12, 2026Canyon County Fall Conservation Dinner kind: DU conservation dinner
O'Conner Field House
Tickets

starts 4 p.m. MT

Source, read 11/11/2026
Dec 12, 2026Wolf Trapper Certification (Nampa) kind: wolf trapper certificationRegister-Ed page

21 of 30 seats open when read

Source, read 11/11/2026
Dec 21–29, 2026Hunter Certification (Nampa) kind: hunter certificationRegister-Ed page

4 sessions, last Dec 29

9 of 18 seats open when read

Source, read 11/11/2026
Feb 6, 2027RMEF Treasure Valley Chapter Banquet kind: RMEF chapter banquetTickets

starts 5 p.m. MT

hall not named yet

Source, read 11/11/2026
Feb 27, 2027Nampa Conservation Dinner kind: DU conservation dinner
Nampa Elks Lodge
Tickets

starts 4 p.m. MT

Source, read 11/11/2026
May 1, 2027Idaho DU Bingo Fiesta kind: DU sportsman’s bingo
O'Conner Field House
Tickets

starts 3 p.m. MT

Source, read 11/11/2026

A chapter night near here we left out? Add it

Canyon County: club benches and clay fields

6 ranges in Canyon County; Nampa Public Shooting Range is an IDFG, BLM-land or city range.

Nampa Public Shooting Range
IDFG range

Nampa, Canyon County

Built for: air gun, archery, to 25 yd

Public (IDFG) · idfg.idaho.gov, checked Nov 11, 2026

Nampa Rod and Gun
Club
Club on BLM land

Nampa, Canyon County

Built for: rifle, handgun, rimfire, black powder, air gun

Access not stated · boisegunclub.com, checked Nov 11, 2026

Caldwell Archery Range
archery range

Caldwell, Canyon County

Built for: archery, 3D archery

Access not stated · findarcheryranges.com, checked Nov 11, 2026

Caldwell Gun Club
sporting clays course

Caldwell, Canyon County

Built for: trap, sporting clays, 5-stand, black powder, shotgun

Access not stated · boisegunclub.com, checked Nov 11, 2026

Endless Archery
archery range

Nampa, Canyon County

Built for: archery, 3D archery

Access not stated · findarcheryranges.com, checked Nov 11, 2026

Parker Brothers Hunting
archery range

Caldwell, Canyon County

Built for: archery, 3D archery

Access not stated · findarcheryranges.com, checked Nov 11, 2026

13 more ranges in the counties next door.

Local shoot calendar

Date, shootFormatPage
Dec 5, 2026Concealed carry classListing
Dec 12-13, 2026Gun showListing

Ranges from IDFG range pages, the BLM qualified range list, club sites and directory listings, checked November 12, 2026.

Canyon County hours on key season dates

Deer, elk, bear, lion and wolf hunters around Canyon County share the same half-hour rule at both ends of the day.

DateOpenerRiseSetBig game hours
Aug 1, 2026General elk opener6:35 a.m. MT9:12 p.m. MT6:05 a.m. MT to 9:42 p.m. MT
Aug 30, 2026Archery deer opener7:07 a.m. MT8:28 p.m. MT6:37 a.m. MT to 8:58 p.m. MT
Sep 15, 2026Chukar opener7:25 a.m. MT8:00 p.m. MT6:55 a.m. MT to 8:30 p.m. MT
Oct 19, 2026Duck opener8:04 a.m. MT6:59 p.m. MT7:34 a.m. MT to 7:29 p.m. MT
Dec 21, 2026Shortest day8:17 a.m. MT5:13 p.m. MT7:47 a.m. MT to 5:43 p.m. MT

Worked out with the NOAA formula.

Hours rule from the Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules (wolf and upland game animals: same rule, wolf, upland); time zone from 49 CFR 71.9; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Mountain Time); migratory bird hours: IDFG migratory bird table; checked November 12, 2026. Legal hours for every county.

Canyon County hunting kit

Each button opens a fresh Amazon search, so the prices you see are current.

Amazon links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you.

Bugle tube

September bulls in the high timber answer a bugle.

Check Amazon

Rangefinder

Worth the room in the truck bed: rangefinder.

Check Amazon

Shooting sticks

Packed for this trip and matched to the game here: shooting sticks.

Check Amazon

Snow boots

One less thing to borrow at camp: snow boots.

Check Amazon

Geese flying over Lake Lowell at dawn at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge

Geese flying over Lake Lowell at dawn at Deer Flat National Wildlife RefugePhoto: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)

A flock of geese crossing the dawn sky over Lake Lowell

A flock of geese crossing the dawn sky over Lake LowellPhoto: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)

Marsh plants silhouetted against a dawn sky at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge

Marsh plants silhouetted against a dawn sky at Deer Flat National Wildlife RefugePhoto: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)

Canyon County: common questions

Which species have controlled hunts reaching Canyon County?

6 deer and 1 pronghorn: 7 hunt numbers in all.

How many GIS acres of public hunting land does Canyon County hold?

About 11,544 GIS acres, 3% of the county.

Is CWD sampling required around Canyon County?

No testing or transport rule applies here in 2026.

Which clock do Canyon County shooting times follow?

Mountain Time; every time printed on this page carries its zone label.

How far is the nearest IDFG office from Canyon County?

About 10 miles in a straight line from mid-county to the Southwest Region South – Nampa Office in Nampa.

Which Canyon County unit gave up the most general season elk in 2025?

Unit 38, 51 (general season elk), a figure for the whole unit.

What hunter orange rule applies in Canyon County?

IDFG recommends hunter orange. It becomes required on pheasant ground where the Upland Game Bird Permit is needed and on sponsored hunts like organized youth hunts (36 square inches minimum above the waist).

Do I report an unsuccessful hunt in Canyon County?

Yes. Unsuccessful deer, elk and pronghorn hunters report within 10 days after the season closes.

What unit numbers apply when hunting Canyon County?

1 of them, biggest first: Unit 38.

How do A and B elk tags work around Canyon County?

Each zone sells an A tag and a B tag with different seasons, and you may hold one general elk tag. Zones here: Boise River Zone.

From the Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, IDFG hunter orange policy, harvest reporting, CWD rules, 49 CFR 71.9, 18 U.S.C. 1165 and the county data above. Checked November 12, 2026.

Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0).