Unit 24 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 878 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 24 is like
Unit 24 covers 878 square miles of rolling to moderately steep country, with elevations running from 4,500 feet up to 9,000 feet and a typical hunt around 5,800 feet. Cover shifts with elevation: lower ground mixes conifer with sagebrush, riparian strips and grass and meadow openings, mid elevations turn heavily to conifer timber, and the higher country opens back up into sagebrush and conifer. Most of the unit is foot-and-glass country rather than technical terrain, with a modest share of steep or rugged ground, so the challenge here is more about covering miles and finding vantage points than climbing cliffs.
About 54 percent of Unit 24, roughly 473 sq mi, is generally open to public hunting across Boise National Forest, Payette National Forest, Idaho state endowment land, BLM and a State Wildlife Management Area — the only ground a hunter can plan on without asking permission, though endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and should not be assumed open. Private land makes up about 43 percent of the unit and requires written permission, and a small unclassified share rounds out the rest. Three fires have burned into the unit in recent seasons: the Snag fire (2024) on the southeast side, and the Lava fire (2024) and Four Corners fire (2022) both on the southwest side, together touching a modest fraction of the total acreage. Two to four years out, these burns can be some of the best glassing ground in the unit, with cleared sightlines and new feed drawing deer to their edges morning and evening; hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
General deer tags carry the unit: residents buy either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag over the counter with no draw, while nonresidents apply for one of those same two tags in a random draw, choosing the specific tag when applying rather than after the draw. Archery seasons run August 30 through September 30 for both tags, and the fall any-weapon seasons open October 10, with the regular deer tag closing October 31 and the white-tailed deer tag running through November 20 and into the rut.
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 · Archery | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered or antlerless | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| White-tailed deer tag · Archery | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered or antlerless | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Regular deer tag · Any weapon | October 10 – October 31 | Antlered; antlerless: youth only | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
| White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon | October 10 – November 20 | Antlered or antlerless | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging, Primary Rut |
Regular deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This archery season catches bucks still in their summer routine, moving through the Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern phase and into the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase by late September. Bucks bed in shade through the heat of the day, so the play is to glass at first light to find one and watch where he beds, then close the distance at midday while he's down, or glass again in the evening and come back for him the next morning. Deer are near water but a mature buck can get by on very little, so working the shady pockets and north-facing slopes near feed is worth the time even away from obvious water. The regular deer tag is valid on either mule deer or white-tailed deer, antlered or antlerless, through this stretch.
White-tailed deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Running the same August 30 to September 30 window, this white-tailed deer archery season finds bucks bachelored up and still on summer patterns before easing into the velvet-shed transition late in the month. The approach is the same glass-first game: spot a buck early, mark his bed, and either stalk him at midday or watch him into last light and return at dawn. A buck that disappears from a hillside is usually still there, tucked into a nearby crevice or draw, so it pays to work the ground carefully rather than move on. The white-tailed deer tag allows antlered or antlerless deer, but only white-tailed deer are legal under it.
Regular deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 31
By the time this any-weapon season opens October 10, bucks are sliding into the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase and growing harder to catch on their feet during daylight; most are still holding near their summer ground early on. As the season runs toward its October 31 close, deer entering the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase start drifting toward rutting grounds, so glassing the country between summer range and likely staging ground can pay off late. Light early-season snow can start to move deer onto more visible ground. The regular deer tag allows an antlered mule deer or white-tailed deer, with antlerless only for youth hunters this season.
White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – November 20
This long white-tailed deer any-weapon run opens October 10 with bucks turning nocturnal in the Early Fall Migration phase, carries through the Early Pre-Rut staging period as deer start shifting toward rutting ground, and by November 11 lands squarely in the Primary Rut. That rut stretch is the best reason to hunt this season here: incoming weather can push deer down out of the high country onto ground that's easier to glass and reach, November snow accumulates enough to make fresh tracks easy to read, and hunting early and late in the day near does usually turns up a rutting buck nearby. The white-tailed deer tag covers antlered or antlerless white-tailed deer for the entire run, making it the most flexible tag on the calendar in Unit 24.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,500–9,000 ft, typically around 5,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 43% gentle · 43% moderate · 13% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~473 sq mi
- National forests
- Boise National Forest and Payette National Forest
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
- Conifer31%
- Other cover24%
- Sagebrush19%
- Riparian16%
- Grass and meadow10%
Mid elevations
- Conifer86%
- Sagebrush11%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer60%
- Sagebrush33%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Other cover1%
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 24. 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.
- Snag fire, 2024 — about 13,000 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its southeast side.
- Lava fire, 2024 — about 9,600 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its southwest side.
- Four Corners fire, 2022 — about 6,300 acres in the unit (1%), mostly on its southwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 54% of Unit 24 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, Idaho state endowment land, BLM and State Wildlife Management Area.
- National Forest43%
- Idaho state endowment land10%
- BLM<1%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Unclassified ownership3%
- Private43%
Idaho state endowment land is generally open to hunting unless posted closed or leased — check the parcel before planning around it.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 78°F, lows around 45°F
- September — highs around 69°F, lows around 38°F
- October — highs around 54°F, lows around 30°F, about 0.8 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 39°F, lows around 22°F, about 9.8 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 31°F, lows around 14°F, about 24 in of snowfall
Unit 24 deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy a deer tag for Unit 24 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag over the counter with no draw or application required. Nonresidents, by contrast, must apply for one of those same tags through a random draw.
How do nonresidents get a general deer tag for Unit 24?
Nonresidents enter a random draw and apply for a specific tag, either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag, at the time they apply. The tag is not chosen after the draw, so the decision has to be made up front.
Which deer tags are valid in Unit 24?
The regular deer tag covers mule deer or white-tailed deer unless a specific season restricts it further, while the white-tailed deer tag is valid for white-tailed deer only. Both tags have separate archery and any-weapon seasons with their own dates and legal-animal rules.
Is there a season in Unit 24 that falls during the rut?
The white-tailed deer tag any-weapon season, October 10 through November 20, is the one that reaches into the Primary Rut phase in its later weeks. The archery seasons and the regular deer tag any-weapon season all fall outside the rut.
How much of Unit 24 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 54 percent of the unit, roughly 473 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across Boise National Forest, Payette National Forest, Idaho state endowment land, BLM ground and a State Wildlife Management Area. Private land makes up about 43 percent and requires written permission to hunt.
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.