Pheasant season opens Oct. 12 or Oct. 19 depending on the area

Pheasant season opens Oct. 12 in North Idaho and Oct. 19 in South and East Idaho. See area maps for opening dates on page 11 of the Idaho Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer seasons and rules. 

Fish and Game will stock over 28,000 pheasants this year at locations in every region of the state. Hunters can see a full list of where and when pheasants will be released statewide on the Pheasant Stocking Program webpage. 

Know the rules where pheasants are stocked

All pheasant stocking areas fall under the same rules as Wildlife Management Areas where pheasants have been stocked in the past, which include:

• The two pheasant daily bag limit, and six pheasant possession limit apply.
• Each Upland Game Bird Permit allows the take of six pheasants, and multiple permits may be purchased.
• When a pheasant is reduced to possession, the hunter must immediately validate the permit by entering the harvest date and location in non-erasable ink and remove a notch from the permit for each pheasant taken. 
• Shooting hours are from 10 a.m. to one half hour after sunset, during the pheasant season, with the exception of the Clearwater Region, where shooting time is 8 a.m. and online sign-up is required.
• All upland game bird hunters are required to wear at least 36 squares inches of visible hunter orange above the waist during pheasant season (a hunter orange hat meets this requirement). This includes all upland game bird hunters on Upland Game Bird Permit Release Areas, not just those pursuing pheasants. This is not a requirement for upland game hunters who are hunting other sites.
• The permit is not required to hunt any other upland game bird species in Idaho, including in Upland Game Bird Permit Release Areas.
• The Upland Game Bird Permit is not required for pheasant hunting outside of Upland Game Bird Permit Release Areas.

Pheasant hunting rules, including shooting hours and bag limits, are different for hunting outside of areas where pheasants are stocked. Those rules can also be found in the Idaho Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer seasons and rules, and are largely unchanged from previous years.