Unit 16A Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 279 sq mi
General season — resident tags over the counter
Residents buy general deer tags over the counter — no draw, no points. Nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw.
What hunting Unit 16A is like
Unit 16A sits almost entirely within the Nezperce National Forest, with about 16% of its ground inside the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness. Terrain runs steep and broken across most of the unit, with elevations climbing from 1,700 feet up to 7,800 feet and a typical hunt playing out around 5,400 feet. At lower and mid elevations conifer dominates the cover, often above 75% of the band, while higher elevations open up with a mix of conifer, sagebrush, and grass and meadow — country that rewards a hunter willing to glass long distances and then put in the legwork on foot. Wilderness ground inside the unit is closed to motorized travel, which keeps that portion of the unit foot- and stock-based hunting only.
Almost the entire unit, about 279 square miles, is National Forest generally open to public hunting, which is the one figure a hunter can count on going in — though public ownership here still means steep ground and real distances rather than easy access. The Shissler fire burned about 11,000 acres on the unit's southeast side, roughly 6% of the total area; this fall the burn sits five to eight years out, a stage when regrowth is thick and deadfall keeps piling up as burned trees continue to topple. Hunters working that ground should expect heavy brush and downed timber, and should check for current fire closures before heading in.
Both general deer tags run September 15 through November 20 and both land squarely on the fall's key movement and rut phases. Residents buy either tag over the counter with no draw required, while nonresidents go through a random draw in which they apply for one specific tag — the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag — chosen at the time of application, not after the draw. Neither tag's second-tag privilege carries over into Unit 16A.
General-season deer (2026)
The Regular Deer tag is valid for mule deer or white-tailed deer unless a season says otherwise; the White-tailed Deer tag is white-tailed deer only. Residents buy general deer tags over the counter; nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw.
| Season | Dates | Legal deer | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular deer tag · Any weapon Second deer tag may not be used in Units 16A, 17, 19, and 20 | September 15 – November 20 | Antlered or antlerless | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging, Primary Rut |
| White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon Second white-tailed deer tag may not be used in Units 16A, 17, 19 and 20 | September 15 – November 20 | Antlered or antlerless | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging, Primary Rut |
Regular deer tag · Any weapon · September 15 – November 20
Early in this season bucks are just out of velvet and still holding to their summer haunts, feeding into the morning before bedding in shade for most of the day — glassing shady pockets and north-facing slopes in this steep, broken country can turn up a bedded buck worth a midday stalk. Through October those bucks grow steadily more nocturnal but mostly stay put, so persistence on the glass early and late pays off; toward the end of the month some begin drifting toward rutting ground, so working the country between summer range and likely staging areas is worth the effort. By November the rut is on, and incoming weather can push deer down out of the high country onto more glassable ground — fresh snow is a good time to cut buck tracks, and finding does is the surest way to find a buck nearby. The regular deer tag covers either mule deer or white-tailed deer, antlered or antlerless, over this entire stretch, and the second deer tag privilege does not apply in this unit.
White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon · September 15 – November 20
This white-tailed deer season runs the same calendar as the regular tag and moves through the same fall phases, so the pattern holds: bucks feed into the morning and bed in shade for most of the day early on, making shady draws and north-facing slopes worth glassing for a midday stalk. As velvet sheds and October wears on, bucks grow more nocturnal but tend to stay near their summer ground until late month, when some start shifting toward rutting areas — glassing the country between the two is a sound approach in this timber-heavy terrain. Once the rut arrives in November, weather can push whitetails down onto lower, more glassable ground, and fresh snow makes for good buck-track hunting; locating does is the most reliable way to locate a rutting buck. This tag is restricted to white-tailed deer, antlered or antlerless, and the second white-tailed deer tag privilege does not carry over into this unit.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 1,700–7,800 ft, typically around 5,400 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 9% gentle · 43% moderate · 44% steep · 4% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~279 sq mi
- National forests
- Nezperce National Forest
- Designated wilderness
- Selway Bitterroot Wilderness (16%) — closed to motorized vehicles
Habitat & cover
What grows here, by elevation. Each band adds to 100% on its own — these are shares of that band, not of the unit.
Lower elevations
- Conifer77%
- Sagebrush21%
- Grass and meadow2%
Mid elevations
- Conifer82%
- Sagebrush9%
- Grass and meadow8%
Higher elevations
- Conifer55%
- Sagebrush33%
- Grass and meadow11%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Recent fires
Wildfires in the last several seasons that burned a meaningful share of Unit 16A. Fire perimeters show where a fire burned, not how hot — and closures change through the year, so check current fire closures and restrictions before you go.
- Shissler fire, 2020 — about 11,000 acres in the unit (6%), mostly on its southeast side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 100% of Unit 16A is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest.
- National Forest100%
- Private<1%
Fall weather
- August — highs around 78°F, lows around 43°F
- September — highs around 68°F, lows around 37°F
- October — highs around 53°F, lows around 30°F, about 1.3 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 40°F, lows around 23°F, about 11.1 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 33°F, lows around 17°F, about 27.3 in of snowfall
Unit 16A deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy a deer tag for Unit 16A over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag over the counter for Unit 16A with no draw or application needed.
How do nonresidents get a general deer tag for Unit 16A?
Nonresidents go through a random draw, and they apply for a specific tag — either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag — as part of that application. The tag is chosen when applying, not after the draw results come back.
Which deer tags are valid in Unit 16A?
Two general tags cover Unit 16A: the regular deer tag, good for mule deer or white-tailed deer, and the white-tailed deer tag, good for white-tailed deer only. Both run any weapon from September 15 through November 20 and both allow antlered or antlerless deer.
Do either of the general seasons in Unit 16A fall during the rut?
Yes. Both the regular deer tag season and the white-tailed deer tag season run September 15 through November 20, which covers the Primary Rut phase in November along with the pre-rut staging period leading into it.
How much of Unit 16A is public land a hunter can count on?
About 100 percent of the unit, roughly 279 square miles, is National Forest generally open to public hunting. That said, being open doesn't mean easy access — the ground is steep and broken, and part of it lies within the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness, which is closed to motorized travel.
Data sources & methodology
- Idaho Fish and Game — Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons & Rules — general and controlled season dates, legal animals and the brochure's unit notes
- Idaho Fish and Game — Idaho Hunt Planner — unit boundaries, the national forests and wilderness areas in each unit, and controlled-hunt drawing results behind the odds bands
- Idaho Fish and Game — 2026 Nonresident General Tags and Tags Allocated to Outfitters — which general elk zone tags are capped
- USGS / MRLC — National Land Cover Database — habitat and cover classes by elevation band
- USGS PAD-US — Protected Areas Database of the United States — land ownership and access
- Daymet daily climate, 1991–2020 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) — fall weather
- National Interagency Fire Center — wildfire perimeters — recent fires, their size and where they burned
Controlled-hunt draw difficulty is a qualitative band from resident first-choice results, not published odds. Land shares are separate, non-overlapping categories. Confirm current dates and rules in the Idaho Big Game Seasons & Rules brochure before you hunt. Unit data last updated September 29, 2026.