During a conference call on April 16, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission set the 2020-21 Migratory Game Bird seasons, including waterfowl, mourning dove, American crow and sandhill crane.
Hunters will be able to find exact season dates, zone maps, and shooting hours in Idaho Migratory Game Bird 2020-2021 Seasons & Rules brochure by the summer and well in advance of any of the upcoming seasons. The brochures will be available in print in mid-July and online by early July.
Changes approved by the commission for the upcoming seasons include:
Ducks
- Reduced bag limit for scaup from three to two
- Shifted duck season dates later in most of the state (excluding Valley County and eastern Idaho) so that they end as late as allowed within the federal framework — Jan. 31
- Established a new, two-day Veteran/Military waterfowl season to run concurrent with the youth waterfowl season, Sept. 26-27 (This will require additional legislative rule making.)
Canada Geese
- Shifted Canada goose season dates later in most of the state, now ending on Jan. 31
Sandhill Cranes
- Reduced number of sandhill crane tags available, in response to reductions in the Rocky Mountain population numbers in recent years
Swans
- Established the first-ever swan hunt in northern Idaho (Benewah, Bonner, Boundary and Kootenai counties), with a total of 50 tags offered on a first-come, first served basis. The tags will go on sale at the same time as sandhill crane tags, Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. MDT
