River Otter Harvest Quota
The river otter trapping season opens October 15 in the Panhandle, Clearwater, Magic Valley, Southeast, Upper Snake and Salmon Regions, and November 1 in the Southwest Region.
The map at the bottom of this page shows the counties within each trapping region; county descriptions are located near the map. The table below displays the status of each region for the current trapping season.
River Otter Quota Status
Updated: February 17, 2026
| Trapping Region | Harvest Quota | Otters Harvested | Harvest Quota Remaining | Date Quota Met | Status | Season Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panhandle | 45 | 42 | 3 | OPEN | Oct 15 - Mar 31, 2026 | |
| Clearwater | 20 | 20 | 0 | January 27, 2026 | CLOSED January 30, 2026, 11:59 PM | Oct 15 - Mar 31, 2026 |
| Southwest | 25 | 25 | 0 | February 10, 2026 | CLOSED February 13, 2026 | Nov 1 - Mar 31, 2026 |
| Magic Valley | 30 | 30 | 0 | February 9, 2026 | CLOSED February 12, 2026 11:59 PM | Oct 15 - Mar 31, 2026 |
| Southeast | 15 | 4 | 11 | OPEN | Oct 15 - Mar 31, 2026 | |
| Upper Snake | 15 | 0 | 15 | OPEN | Oct 15 - Mar 31, 2026 | |
| Salmon | 15 | 15 | 0 | February 3, 2026 | CLOSED February 6, 2026, 11:59 PM | Oct 15 - Mar 31, 2026 |
| TOTALS | 165 | 136 | 29 | |||
| The river otter season will close in each region 72 hours after the harvest quota for that region is reached. Trappers will be allowed to keep otters within this 72-hour period provided their personal quota of 3 has not been filled. Please call 1-800-323-4334 for the most up-to-date information on harvest limits and closures. | ||||||
Trapping Regions
- Panhandle - Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties.
- Clearwater - Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis and Nez Perce counties.
- Southwest - Ada, Adams, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Valley and Washington counties.
- Magic Valley - Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka and Twin Falls counties.
- Southeast - Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida and Power counties.
- Upper Snake - Bonneville, Butte, Clark, Fremont, Jefferson, Madison and Teton counties.
- Salmon - Custer and Lemhi counties.
