| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Window 1 | 30 AUG 2026 – 31 JAN 2027 | 155d |
| Window 2 | 30 AUG – 31 DEC 2026 | 124d |
As publishedArea 1: Aug 30, 2026 - Jan 31, 2027; Area 2: Aug 30, 2026 - Dec 31, 2026
Bag/possession limit is shared in aggregate across all 3 forest grouse species.Sparsely distributed; found in dense conifer forests generally from the Salmon and Payette river drainages north. Same Area 1 / Area 2 split and dates as ruffed/dusky grouse.
Spruce grouse is the patchiest and most range-restricted of Idaho's three forest grouse species. Independent sourcing places its Idaho distribution generally from the Salmon and Payette river drainages northward — dense conifer forests of spruce, fir, and lodgepole pine — with Idaho representing the southernmost extent of the species' entire North American range. This tracks closely with IDFG's own forest-grouse regulatory Area 1 (Panhandle counties plus northern Clearwater-region portions of Adams and Idaho counties, which gets the extended season), since spruce grouse is essentially absent from the drier, more open forest of Area 2's southern two-thirds of the state.
Preliminary: Idaho's statewide forest-grouse forecast hasn't published as of August 29 (last year's edition came out September 5), so there's no real spruce grouse count or survey to rate against yet. What we do know: statewide temperature and precipitation were close to normal this year, precipitation even slightly above normal since January, and winter 2025-26 was mild with very little snow, unremarkable conditions, not a red flag. Idaho's confirmed 2026 drought is specific to the sagebrush country sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse use in the south, well removed from the dense conifer forest north of the Salmon and Payette drainages where spruce grouse live, so it isn't read as a concern here. Treat this rating as a placeholder rather than a real read on the season; check back once the statewide forecast publishes, expected in early September.
No forest-grouse survey has published yet for Idaho; rated flat in the absence of any confirmed good or bad news, not from an actual count.
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