It's a day many hunters have had marked on their calendars for months.
The 2016 pheasant hunting season opens Saturday in much of Idaho, with the season in northern Idaho already open.
The season runs through November 30 in eastern Idaho and through December 31 in southern and northern Idaho.
Shooting hours start one-half hour before sunrise, except on nine wildlife management areas in southern Idaho where pheasants are stocked. Shooting hours in those areas start at 10 a.m. during the pheasant season. The areas include the C.J. Strike, Cartier Slough, Fort Boise, Market Lake, Montour, Mud Lake, Niagara Springs, Payette River, and Sterling Wildlife Management areas.
The daily bag limit is three cocks, and the possession limit is nine, except on WMAs where pheasants are stocked -- in which case the daily limit is two cocks and six in possession, according to Idaho Fish and Game officials.
“All hunters must have a valid 2016 Idaho hunting license on their possession while hunting. Hunters should note that on July 1, 2016, the age requirement for a WMA pheasant permit changed to 18. Those under 18 can hunt pheasants on a Fish and Game WMA without a permit,” said Fish and Game Conservation Information Supervisor Mike Demick.
“The permit must be signed in ink by the holder, validated by entering the harvest date and location, and removing a notch from the permit for each pheasant taken. Each permit allows hunters to take two pheasants per day and up to six pheasants per permit. Multiple permits may be purchased,” he added.
All upland game hunters are required to wear a minimum of 36 square inches of visible hunter orange above the waist during the pheasant season when hunting on WMAs where pheasants are stocked. A hunter orange hat meets this requirement.
For details, hunters are urged to consult the current upland seasons and rules brochure available at all license vendors, Fish and Game offices and online at https://idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/rules/upland-furbearer-turkey
