As publishedGeneral: Sept 15 - Oct 31, 2026 (Falconry: Aug 15, 2026 - Mar 15, 2027)
Requires a Sage-grouse Tag purchased first-come-first-served starting 10:00am MDT Aug 3, 2026; max 2 tags/hunter, tag valid for one bird. 12 hunting zones each with an individual quota, statewide quota 4,280 tags for 2026-27 (reported down ~750 tags from the prior cycle per a secondary source, flagged as unverified against a primary source). Areas outside zones 1-8 are closed. Frequently confused with sharp-tailed grouse; hunters cautioned to positively identify target.
IDFG's 2026 spring lek counts found statewide male counts decreased from 2025, which fed directly into the Commission's tag-quota-setting process: statewide sage-grouse tag quota cut to 4,280 for 2026-27, down from 5,030 in 2025 (~15% reduction), per IDFG's own public-comment article on the proposed 2026 season (read in full). Quota is set using a targeted 5% harvest of the fall population index plus each zone's 3-year average success rate, so the cut directly reflects the lek-count decline. No zone-by-zone breakdown or named driver given in this source; the standalone 2026 Population Triggers Analysis PDF (the deeper quantitative report) had not yet been released as of this check.