Unit 42 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 1,343 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. It also has 1 controlled hunt, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds very long odds.
What hunting Unit 42 is like
Unit 42 is gentle and rolling country, with the vast majority of its ground classed as gentle terrain and only a small sliver of steep or rugged slope. Cover across the unit runs heavily to sagebrush, with pockets of grass and meadow and a small share of conifer timber worked into the mix. Elevations stay modest throughout, from around 4,200 feet at the low end up to roughly 6,800 feet, so this is a unit that rewards long-distance glassing over hard mountain climbing. Almost a third of the unit falls inside the Owyhee River Wilderness, with a much smaller piece in the Pole Creek Wilderness, and both are closed to motorized travel, making them foot- or horseback-only ground within an otherwise accessible landscape.
The large majority of Unit 42, on the order of 96 percent, is generally open to public hunting through a mix of BLM and Idaho state endowment land, though endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and should not be assumed open without checking. Only a small fraction of the unit, around 4.3 percent, is private and requires written permission. That much open ground is a real asset, but with such gentle, open terrain, deer can see and hear hunters from a long way off, so the ease of walking does not necessarily translate into easy access to deer.
Residents can buy a general Regular deer tag over the counter for Unit 42 with no draw required. Nonresidents get into the general seasons through a random draw in which they apply for a specific tag — either the Regular deer tag or the White-tailed deer tag — chosen at the time of application, not afterward. Beyond the general seasons, a single controlled hunt offers a longer, later season into the rut for hunters willing to take a chance on a limited draw.
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 2-point deer only | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered: 2-point deer only | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Regular deer tag · Any weapon 2-point deer only | October 10 – October 24 | Antlered: 2-point deer only | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
Regular deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This archery season opens while bucks are still in velvet and running in loose bachelor groups, carrying through to when they shed velvet in late September. Summer scouting pays off here more than any single tactic, since Unit 42's open, gentle terrain lets a hunter glass big country and pattern a buck before ever picking up a bow. Deer feed on forbs and browse into the morning before bedding in shade for most of the day, so working shady pockets and north-facing slopes at midday can turn up a bedded buck worth stalking. Early and late light are for finding bucks; the hours in between are for closing the distance on one already bedded, and a buck that seems to vanish is usually just tucked into a nearby crevice or draw. Only 2-point bucks are legal under the Regular deer tag for this hunt, so passing on bigger-antlered deer is required by law, not choice.
Regular deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 24
By this October season bucks are sliding into a more nocturnal pattern, moving less in daylight but generally staying near the same ground they used all summer. That makes it a season of covering the same country identified earlier in the fall and putting in glassing time at first and last light rather than expecting to catch deer moving at midday. The Regular deer tag again restricts the harvest to 2-point bucks only, so careful glassing to judge antler configuration before a shot matters as much as finding a buck in the first place. Unit 42's gentle, open ground makes it possible to cover a lot of country by spotting scope, even if the deer themselves are showing less of themselves in daylight.
Controlled deer hunts (2026)
Controlled hunts have a limited number of tags and are drawn by pure random draw — Idaho uses no points, so years of applying do not improve the odds. First choices are drawn before second choices. A hunt marked as covering part of Unit 42 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal deer | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 42 · Any weapon | November 1 – November 24 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging, Primary Rut |
Resident draw is a band in words from the 2026 first-choice results: good, fair, long or very long odds. It is not a published percentage, and nonresident odds differ. Youth-only hunts are shown without a band.
Controlled hunt 42 · Any weapon · November 1 – November 24
This controlled hunt opens as deer are staging along migration routes between summer range and rutting ground, and by its second week bucks are into the primary rut. Early on, glassing the country between summer haunts and likely rut destinations is the way to intercept a buck on the move; once the rut is underway, finding does is the surest way to find a buck nearby. Weather during November, including periodic snowfall and lows near freezing, can push deer down out of higher ground onto more open, glassable terrain, and a fresh snowfall is a good time to cut fresh buck tracks. Only antlered deer are legal under this tag, and the hunt draws by pure random chance with no points involved — Controlled hunt 42 carries very long odds for a resident's first choice, so it is a hunt to apply for hoping for a long season window rather than counting on drawing it.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–6,800 ft, typically around 5,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 85% gentle · 11% moderate · 3% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1,285 sq mi
- Designated wilderness
- Owyhee River Wilderness (30%) and Pole Creek Wilderness (2%) — 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.
Across the unit
- Sagebrush88%
- Grass and meadow7%
- Conifer4%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 96% of Unit 42 is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM and Idaho state endowment land.
- BLM92%
- Idaho state endowment land3%
- Private4%
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 88°F, lows around 51°F
- September — highs around 78°F, lows around 43°F
- October — highs around 63°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.3 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 48°F, lows around 25°F, about 2.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 38°F, lows around 18°F, about 6.1 in of snowfall
Unit 42 deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy a deer tag for Unit 42 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy a general Regular deer tag for Unit 42 over the counter with no draw or application required. The White-tailed deer tag is also available this way for hunters who specifically want white-tailed deer rather than either species.
How do nonresidents get a general deer tag for Unit 42?
Nonresidents go through a random draw for the general seasons, and they apply for a specific tag — either the Regular deer tag or the White-tailed deer tag — at the time they submit their application. The tag choice is locked in when applying, not selected afterward once a draw result comes back.
How hard is it to draw the controlled hunt in Unit 42?
Controlled hunt 42, the November any-weapon hunt, carries very long odds for a resident's first choice in the random draw. It is a pure random draw with a limited number of tags and no points system involved, so it should be treated as a long-shot application rather than a dependable plan.
Which deer tags are valid in Unit 42?
The Regular deer tag covers both mule deer and white-tailed deer unless a specific season restricts it further, while the White-tailed deer tag is valid for white-tailed deer only. Both of Unit 42's general seasons under the Regular deer tag are restricted to 2-point deer only, and the controlled hunt is limited to antlered deer only.
How much of Unit 42 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 96 percent of the unit, a mix of BLM and Idaho state endowment land, is generally open to public hunting. Endowment parcels can occasionally be posted closed or leased, so that share should be treated as generally reliable rather than guaranteed on every acre. The remaining roughly 4.3 percent is private land requiring written permission.
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.