Idaho Pheasant & Quail Season 2026-27: Small Game Dates

Q: When does pheasant season open in Idaho in 2026-27?

Pheasants - All Varieties: October 15, 2026 to December 31, 2026, varying by zone across 2 rows in the agency table. Idaho Department of Fish and Game publishes it under that name, and the zone table on this page was read from its own page on September 19, 2026.

Q: When is quail season in Idaho?

California and Bobwhite Quail: September 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Idaho Department of Fish and Game publishes it under that name, and the zone table on this page was read from its own page on September 19, 2026.

Q: Does Idaho have a grouse season?

Forest Grouse: Dusky (Blue), Ruffed, and Spruce: August 30, 2026 to January 31, 2027, varying by zone across 2 rows in the agency table. Idaho Department of Fish and Game publishes it under that name, and the zone table on this page was read from its own page on September 19, 2026.

Q: Which small game zone am I in, in Idaho?

Idaho sets different dates by zone for at least one species, and the boundaries are the agency's own, drawn along interstates, highways and county lines. Your zone is determined from the agency's own map: Idaho Department of Fish and Game publishes the official zone map and boundary descriptions, linked from this page.

Q: Where are the bag limits, legal methods and licence rules for Idaho small game?

At Idaho Department of Fish and Game, whose regulations page is linked on this page. Those rules are legally binding, change annually and vary by species, by zone and by land ownership. This page carries the season windows themselves, with source and read date attached.

Q: Can these Idaho small game dates change?

Yes. Agencies amend season orders, add or drop zones, and occasionally correct their own published tables mid season. This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 19, 2026, says so in the copy, and links the exact Idaho Department of Fish and Game page it read on September 19, 2026. Treat the agency page as the final word on the morning you hunt.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 19, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.

October 15, 2026 to December 31, 2026

Pheasant

published

September 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Quail

published

August 30, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Grouse

published

August 30, 2026 to March 31, 2027

Rabbit

published

August 30, 2026 to March 31, 2027

Squirrel

published

2 zone rows

Zone structure

as the agency draws it

Five seasons, one state

Idaho small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Idaho Department of Fish and Game dates forest grouse (dusky, ruffed and spruce), California and bobwhite quail, chukar and gray partridge, sage-grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, pheasant, cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare and red squirrel separately, so each species is below under the agency’s own name for it, with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them.

Pheasants - All Varieties

published

Pheasants - All Varieties runs October 15, 2026 to December 31, 2026 across all zones.

Idaho pheasants - all varieties, as published by Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide, resident hunters	October 15, 2026	December 31, 2026
Statewide, nonresident hunters	October 20, 2026	December 31, 2026	Nonresidents open five days after residents

Dates read from Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 Seasons and Rules, Idaho Fish and Game, accessed 2026-09-19.

Idaho standardized its pheasant season statewide for 2026 with a hard October 15 opener for residents and an October 20 opener for nonresidents, both closing December 31. A week long statewide youth pheasant season runs ahead of the general opener and is under other seasons.

Opening day, the daily limit and the full season calendar are on the Idaho pheasant season page.

California and Bobwhite Quail

published

California and Bobwhite Quail runs September 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027 across all zones.

Idaho california and bobwhite quail, as published by Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 15, 2026	January 31, 2027

Dates read from Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 Seasons and Rules, Idaho Fish and Game, accessed 2026-09-19.

Idaho's quail season covers California (valley) and bobwhite quail on one standardized statewide window from September 15 through January 31. The booklet states there is no season on Gambel's or mountain quail, and it asks hunters to report mountain quail sightings rather than hunt them.

Forest Grouse: Dusky (Blue), Ruffed, and Spruce

published

Forest Grouse: Dusky (Blue), Ruffed, and Spruce runs August 30, 2026 to January 31, 2027 across all zones.

Idaho forest grouse: dusky (blue), ruffed, and spruce, as published by Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Area 1 (Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce and Shoshone counties, and Adams and Idaho counties except the portions in game management units 19A, 20A, 22, 23 and 26)	August 30, 2026	January 31, 2027
Area 2 (Remainder of the state)	August 30, 2026	December 31, 2026

Dates read from Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 Seasons and Rules, Idaho Fish and Game, accessed 2026-09-19.

Idaho dates dusky, ruffed and spruce grouse together as forest grouse in two areas. Both open August 30; the northern Area 1 runs through January while the rest of the state closes December 31. Sage-grouse and sharp-tailed grouse are dated separately and are under other seasons.

Cottontail Seasons

published

Cottontail Seasons runs August 30, 2026 to March 31, 2027 across all zones.

Idaho cottontail seasons, as published by Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	August 30, 2026	March 31, 2027

Dates read from Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 Seasons and Rules, Idaho Fish and Game, accessed 2026-09-19.

Cottontail is open statewide for seven months from the last weekend of August through March. The booklet dates snowshoe hare on the same window, which is under other seasons, and states that the pygmy rabbit season is closed.

Red Squirrel Seasons

published

Red Squirrel Seasons runs August 30, 2026 to March 31, 2027 across all zones.

Idaho red squirrel seasons, as published by Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	August 30, 2026	March 31, 2027

Dates read from Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 Seasons and Rules, Idaho Fish and Game, accessed 2026-09-19.

Red squirrel is the only tree squirrel with a dated season in Idaho's upland game booklet; it runs statewide from August 30 through March 31, matching the cottontail season. The booklet carries no fox or gray squirrel season.

2026 – 2027: September 15, 2026 through January 31, 2027

Idaho Department of Fish and Game, read September 19, 2026. Read it at the source

A rooster ring-necked pheasant with a red face, iridescent green head and white neck ring striding through dry pale crop stubble — A rooster in harvested crop stubble in North Dakota. Most pheasant openers land in October and November, once the fields are cut. Photo: Courtney Celley, USFWS. “Ring-necked pheasant (54120901581)”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Public domain

The rest of the calendar

Other Idaho small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, Idaho Department of Fish and Game dates 5 further seasons on the same small game pages. They are reproduced here under the agency’s own names, because a hunter reading a calendar needs to know which window a licence or stamp actually covers.

Youth Hunt Season (pheasant)

published

Youth Hunt Season (pheasant) runs October 8, 2026 to October 14, 2026 across all zones.

Idaho youth hunt season (pheasant), as published by Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	October 8, 2026	October 14, 2026

Dates read from Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 Seasons and Rules, Idaho Fish and Game, accessed 2026-09-19.

A statewide week long pheasant season for licensed hunters 17 years of age or younger, ending the day before the general resident opener.

Chukar and Gray Partridge

published

Chukar and Gray Partridge runs September 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027 across all zones.

Idaho chukar and gray partridge, as published by Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	September 15, 2026	January 31, 2027

Dates read from Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 Seasons and Rules, Idaho Fish and Game, accessed 2026-09-19.

Chukar and gray partridge share one standardized statewide season, with the entire state open, on the same September 15 through January 31 dates as quail.

Sage-grouse General season

published

Sage-grouse General season runs September 15, 2026 to October 31, 2026 across all zones.

Idaho sage-grouse general season, as published by Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Sage-grouse zones 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 5B, 6E, 6W, 7A, 7B and 8	September 15, 2026	October 31, 2026	All parts of the state not included in zones 1 to 8 are closed

Dates read from Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 Seasons and Rules, Idaho Fish and Game, accessed 2026-09-19.

Sage-grouse seasons are set each July after lek counts and published in a separate brochure; the 2026-2027 brochure opens the general season September 15 through October 31 in the listed zones under a tag system. The brochure states that areas not defined within a zone are closed.

Sharp-tailed Grouse

published

Sharp-tailed Grouse runs October 1, 2026 to November 8, 2026 across all zones.

Idaho sharp-tailed grouse, as published by Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Area 1 (Bingham, Bonneville, Clark and Jefferson counties east of Interstate 15, Power County south of Interstate 86, portions of Cassia County, and Bannock, Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, Fremont, Madison, Oneida and Teton counties)	October 1, 2026	November 8, 2026	Area 2, the remainder of the state, is closed

Dates read from Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 Seasons and Rules, Idaho Fish and Game, accessed 2026-09-19.

Columbian sharp-tailed grouse are open only in the southeastern Area 1, with a season the department extended for 2026 to run October 1 through November 8. The full Cassia County boundary description is in the booklet.

Snowshoe Hare Seasons

published

Snowshoe Hare Seasons runs August 30, 2026 to March 31, 2027 across all zones.

Idaho snowshoe hare seasons, as published by Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	August 30, 2026	March 31, 2027

Dates read from Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 Seasons and Rules, Idaho Fish and Game, accessed 2026-09-19.

Snowshoe hare runs statewide on the same August 30 through March 31 window as cottontail.

Rules

Idaho small game hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by is set by Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Idaho regulations

Bag and possession limits, legal methods, shooting hours, license and stamp requirements, and youth or special season rules for Idaho are set by Idaho Department of Fish and Game, are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game: current regulations

Close view of an eastern cottontail rabbit in green grass, ears up, dark round eye and white chin catching the light — An eastern cottontail. Rabbit is usually the last small game season to close, running into February in most of the East and Midwest. Photo: Grayson Smith, USFWS. “Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (48935527872)”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Public domain

Small game season dates in other Rockies states

Every state’s pheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel dates are on the national small game season page.

A pair of northern bobwhite quail standing together in a carpet of purple violets, the male with a bold white throat and eye stripe, the female buff faced — A bobwhite pair. Quail seasons run from late autumn into winter across the South and Midwest; several western states date scaled, Gambel's and California quail on the same row. Photo: Steve Maslowski, USFWS. “Colinus virginianus USFWS”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, Public domain

Idaho pheasant seasonOpening day, the daily limit and the full Idaho pheasant calendar, read from the same agency.Idaho deer seasonArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer dates for 2026-27, under the same sourcing rules.Idaho turkey seasonSpring and fall wild turkey windows for 2026-27, read from the same agency.Idaho duck seasonDuck and goose season dates by zone and flyway, read from the same agency.Idaho fall foliagePeak color and the first grouse and squirrel weeks overlap. Plan the same trip.

Idaho small game season questions

When does pheasant season open in Idaho in 2026-27?

When is quail season in Idaho?

Does Idaho have a grouse season?

Which small game zone am I in, in Idaho?

Where are the bag limits, legal methods and licence rules for Idaho small game?

Can these Idaho small game dates change?

A fox squirrel with a grey back and rust orange belly crouched on a lichen covered branch against bare winter trees and blue sky — A fox squirrel in bare winter woods in Ohio. Squirrel is the earliest small game opener in many states, from mid August or September, and runs to January or February. “Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger vulpinus) (13255025953)” by Andrew C, CC BY 2.0

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 19, 2026. Every season window is republished from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game page linked beside it, read on September 19, 2026; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Bag and possession limits, legal methods, shooting hours and licence rules are set by Idaho Department of Fish and Game, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national small game season guide.