idfg-badge

Idaho Fish and Game

Falconry in gold grasslands / photo by Glenn Oakley

Upland Game Hunting

Learn about upland game hunting in Idaho

Hunters looking to pursue upland game will find several opportunities in Idaho.

Upland Game Animal Opportunities

  • Cottontail rabbit
  • Snowshoe hare
  • Red Squirrel (as of 8/23/18)

Idaho’s native Pygmy rabbit is a protected species and there is no hunting season for them. Be sure of your target.

Pygmy rabbit / Photo by Beth Waterbury

Pygmy - no hunting season
  Tail: buff-gray
  Adult size: - less than 1 foot in length

Cottontail rabbit / Photo by Justin Wilde

Cottontail
  Tail: white
  Adult size: - more than 1 foot in length

 

Looking for upland bird opportunities?

 



Hunter aiming at a squirrel in winter

Fill every crevice of your freezer by hunting these small game species this winter

The skills learned while small game hunting—including tracking, handling a firearm, field dressing and cooking the animals you harvest—harken back to the early days of the sport and later translate directly to big game hunting. Here are three of the most commonly found (and exciting) small game species to hunt this winter.

grouse_hunter_cropped_liess_2022_82387378

The 2024 Upland Game Bird Outlook

Whether you find yourself in the high-mountain timber or the lowland-sagebrush steppe, there’s a good chance you’re in upland bird country. Fish and Game's wildlife biologists in each region provide an overview of upland game birds in their necks of the woods, so hunters can get a look at their favorite areas and quarry.