Idaho upland and waterfowl shotguns for 2026 and 2027

Idaho bird hunting splits into two worlds. One is a chukar slope above the Snake River where you climb a thousand feet for a covey that flushes downhill, and the other is a Pacific Flyway marsh on the Upper Snake or the Coeur d'Alene chain lakes with a dozen decoys out. The seasons below come from the 2026 and 2027 Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer brochure and the 2026 to 2027 Migratory Game Bird brochure, both published by Idaho Fish and Game.

Upland dates for 2026 and 2027

Chukar and gray partridge: statewide, September 15, 2026 through January 31, 2027. Daily bag 8 chukar and 8 gray partridge, possession 24 and 24.
California and bobwhite quail: statewide, September 15, 2026 through January 31, 2027, daily bag 10 in the aggregate, possession 30. The season is closed on Gambel's quail and mountain quail.
Forest grouse, meaning dusky, ruffed and spruce: Area 1 in the Panhandle and north-central counties runs August 30, 2026 through January 31, 2027; Area 2, the rest of the state, runs August 30 through December 31, 2026. Daily bag 4 in the aggregate, possession 12.
Pheasant: statewide, residents October 15 through December 31, 2026, nonresidents October 20 through December 31, 2026. Daily bag 3 roosters, possession 9, and only 2 of the daily 3 may come from an Upland Game Bird Permit release area. The youth season runs October 8 through 14, 2026 for licensed hunters 17 and younger.

Fish and Game stocks pheasants on a list of release areas that needs an Upland Game Bird Permit. In the southwest that means Fort Boise, C.J. Strike, Montour, Payette River and Roswell Marsh; in the east, Market Lake, Mud Lake, Sterling, Portneuf and Cartier Slough; in the north, Boundary-Smith Creek, Coeur d'Alene River and the Craig Mountain Redbird area. Southwest and Magic Valley sites are stocked through December, eastern sites through November.

Waterfowl dates for 2026 and 2027

Idaho splits ducks into three areas. Area 1 is everything not in the other two, and runs October 19, 2026 through January 31, 2027. Area 2 covers Bear Lake, Bonneville, Butte, Clark, Fremont, Jefferson, Madison, Teton and Valley counties plus described parts of Bingham and Caribou, and runs October 3, 2026 through January 15, 2027. Area 3 covers Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, and runs October 10, 2026 through January 22, 2027.

The daily duck bag, including mergansers, is 7 of any kind, with no more than 2 female mallard, 2 redhead, 3 pintail, 2 canvasback and 2 scaup. Possession is three times the daily bag. Wilson's snipe is 8 a day and coots 25. The youth, veterans and active military waterfowl weekend was September 26 and 27, 2026.

Canada goose has four areas: Area 1, the southwest and central counties including Ada and Canyon, runs October 19, 2026 through January 31, 2027; Area 2 matches duck Area 2 at October 3 through January 15; Area 3 runs November 3, 2026 through February 15, 2027; Area 4 in the southeast has a September 1 to 15 segment and then October 3 through December 31. The Canada goose bag is 5 daily, 15 in possession.

Licenses, stamps and shot

Every waterfowl hunter 16 or older needs the federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, physically signed in ink across the face, or an electronic stamp bought online. You also need an Idaho hunting license and the state migratory bird validation, and your shotgun must be plugged so it cannot hold more than three shells. Nontoxic shot approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is required for all waterfowl. It is not required for doves, which open September 1, or for upland birds, though many wildlife management areas require it on their ground regardless of species.

Shotguns for chukar country

Chukar hunting is a mountaineering problem with a shotgun attached. Weight is the enemy: a 6.5-pound 20 gauge over-under or a light 12-gauge semi-automatic beats a heavy duck gun by the third ridge. Improved cylinder and modified, 7.5 or 6 shot, and a vest that carries water for you and the dog. Gray partridge in the same country and California quail down in the brush along the Boise, Payette and Snake rivers ask for the same gun.

For pheasants on the release areas and the farm edges around Nampa, Blackfoot and Rexburg, a 12 or 20 gauge with modified choke and 5 or 6 shot is the standard answer, and a pump gun that has been rained on for fifteen seasons is as good as anything new.

Shotguns for the marsh

A 12-gauge semi-automatic with a 3-inch chamber is the default duck gun in Idaho, and a 20 gauge kills ducks over decoys perfectly well if you keep the range honest. Look for a gas or inertia action that runs when it is nine degrees at Mud Lake in January, a stock you can shoot in bulky clothing, and choke tubes rated for steel. For big Canada geese on the Snake, step up to 3-inch or 3.5-inch loads of BB or BBB steel and an improved modified tube.

Ducks over decoys: steel 2 or 3, improved cylinder to modified
Pass shooting and geese: steel BB or BBB, modified to improved modified
Layout and field goose hunting: a longer barrel, 28 or 30 inches, helps the swing

Where to go

Public bird ground in Idaho is generous. The Snake River breaks above Lewiston and Weiser, the Owyhee front, the Boise foothills and the Bruneau country all hold chukar; the Coeur d'Alene chain lakes, Lake Lowell, C.J. Strike, Market Lake and Mud Lake hold ducks. Check the migratory brochure for the closed areas before you park. Browse shotguns and ammunition in the catalog, see what is near you on the city pages, and read the Idaho gun laws guide if you are shipping a gun in from another state.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.