Sage-grouse and sandhill crane tags go on sale Aug. 1

A total of 5,091 sage-grouse tags and 656 sandhill crane tags will go on sale on a first-come, first-served basis Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. MDT. Tags will be available at Idaho Fish and Game license vendors, and online at gooutdoorsidaho.com, and by phone at 1-800-554-8685. 

Sage-grouse

The 5,091 tags will be offered for 12 hunting zones across parts of southern Idaho. Sage-grouse season runs Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Hunters can buy up to two tags and may buy a tag for more than one zone.

During its July 24 meeting in Pocatello, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved the 2024 sage-grouse hunting seasons and tags; the number of sage-grouse tags was increased. A video recap of the full commission meeting and the sage-grouse presentation is available on Fish and Game’s YouTube channel.

An updated sage-grouse seasons and rules brochure, including number of tags available for each hunting zone, is available online at the sage-grouse seasons and rules webpage.

Statewide, sage-grouse lek counts increased 22% from 2023 to 2024, the highest count since implementation of the tag and zone system in 2021. Increases were observed in all hunting zones. Sage-grouse populations show periodic increases and decreases in abundance in roughly 10-year cycles, and Idaho sage-grouse are currently in the upward portion of that cycle. The sage-grouse tag allocation is designed to limit harvest to no more than 10% of the fall population in each reporting zone.

To set tag numbers for each zone, Fish and Game staff first determine allowable harvest of 5-8% of the fall population index in each hunting zone, then assume a 60% harvest success rate for each tag purchased. The fall population index is calculated based on spring 2024 lek counts, estimates of male survival, male-to-female ratios, and recruitment estimates derived from juvenile-to-adult ratios observed during the previous three hunting seasons. 

Fish and Game officials expect to adjust tag numbers annually to maintain sustainable sage-grouse hunting opportunities in Idaho.

Sandhill cranes

There will be 656 sandhill crane tags available for six hunting areas in eastern Idaho. Seasons run Sept. 1-15, Sept. 16-30, or Sept. 1-30 depending on tag type, which is determined by hunt area and season dates. Sandhill crane hunters are also required to purchase a Migratory Bird (HIP) Permit.

The Pacific and Central Flyway Management Plan for the Rocky Mountain Population (RMP) of sandhill cranes allows for the regulated harvest of cranes when the population exceeds 15,000, as estimated by the average of the three most recent reliable pre-migration staging surveys. 

Idaho’s 2024 crane harvest allocation, as provided by the Flyway Management Plan, increased from 2023. Fish and Game staff reference harvest rates observed in previous years to determine the number of tags available for each hunt area.

For seasons and rules for sandhill cranes see the Migratory Game Bird Seasons and Rules webpage.