Unit 44 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 553 sq mi
Controlled hunts only
Unit 44 has no general deer season for adults in the current data; deer hunting here is by controlled hunt. It also has 3 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds long odds.
What hunting Unit 44 is like
Unit 44 runs from low sagebrush benches near 4,200 feet up through timbered ridges topping out around 10,100 feet, with the typical hunt taking place closer to 6,000 feet. The ground is rolling to moderately steep rather than truly rugged, and most of it can be covered on foot, though the higher country inside the Boise National Forest and Sawtooth National Forest demands real effort. Lower slopes run to sagebrush, grass and meadow with pockets of riparian growth, mid elevations are dominated by sagebrush and grass, and the higher country shifts toward a mix of sagebrush, conifer timber and grass — cover that rewards a hunter willing to glass patiently rather than push through blind.
Roughly half the unit, about 284 of its 553 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM and state endowment ground, though endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and should never be assumed open. The rest, close to half the unit, is private and requires written permission. Three burns add variety to the cover: the Wildhorse fire of 2022 on the southwest side and the Chimney fire of 2024 on the northwest side are both two to four years removed this fall and open up glassing and feed, while the older Stewart Creek fire of 2018, also northwest, is five to eight years out and has grown back thick with brush and deadfall. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
Every deer season here is a controlled hunt — there is no general over-the-counter season in Unit 44. Residents apply for these drawn hunts the same as anyone, since Idaho has no points system of any kind; nonresidents choose a specific tag, either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag, at the time they apply rather than after a draw. None of the three controlled hunts falls during the primary rut in November, so tactics lean on summer and early-fall patterns rather than rutting behavior.
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 44 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal deer | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 44 · Archery | August 15 – September 14 | Antlered only | Long odds | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Controlled hunt 44 · Any weapon | September 15 – October 31 | See the hunt's rules | — | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
| Controlled hunt 44 · Any weapon | October 10 – November 10 | Antlerless only | Long odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
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 44 · Archery · August 15 – September 14
This archery hunt opens while bucks are still deep in their summer bachelor-group pattern and closes just as velvet is shedding, so the approach barely changes across the month. Mornings find bucks feeding, then bedding in shade for the bulk of the day, which makes shady pockets and north-facing slopes on Unit 44's rolling terrain the places to glass first thing. A buck spotted and bedded at dawn can often be stalked at midday while he holds tight, and an evening sighting is frequently better used to mark him for a return trip at first light than for an immediate stalk. Water is rarely the limiting factor for a mature buck here — a seep or a passing rainstorm can be enough — so time is better spent glassing forbs and browse near where bucks were seen bedding. Only antlered deer are legal on this hunt, and the draw for residents runs long odds, so it rewards a hunter who has already put in the glassing before the season opens.
Controlled hunt 44 · Any weapon · September 15 – October 31
This long any-weapon season carries bucks through the tail end of velvet shed, into a stretch where they grow steadily more nocturnal, and finally into the early staging movements ahead of the rut. Early on, the same glass-and-stalk rhythm from summer still works — bucks bed in shade for most of the day, so first light is for finding a buck and watching him bed, midday is for closing the distance while he holds still, and evenings are often better spent confirming a bedding area for the next morning than forcing a shot. By October, bucks are spending more of the daylight hours out of sight, and most are still holding in the same country they used through summer, which keeps Unit 44's sagebrush-and-timber mix worth the same patient glassing. Toward the end of the month deer may begin drifting toward their rutting ground, so working the country between summer range and the areas they'll use later in the season can pay off. Legal weapons and the animals that may be taken follow this hunt's specific rules, so hunters should confirm exactly what tag and legal-animal conditions apply before heading out.
Controlled hunt 44 · Any weapon · October 10 – November 10
This late season is for hunters holding an antlerless tag, and it runs into November as bucks would be shifting into early pre-rut staging — though that shift has no bearing on an antlerless hunt. By this point snow is a factor, with November averaging around 6.6 inches and lows near 23°F, conditions that push deer to lower, more sheltered ground and can concentrate them in the sagebrush and grass benches at lower elevations. Working the edges between open sagebrush flats and the timbered draws in the Boise National Forest and Sawtooth National Forest gives a hunter room to spot deer moving between feed and cover as the weather tightens. The Wildhorse and Chimney burns, both still in their early two-to-four-year recovery window, can hold deer feeding on the new grass and brush in the low light of morning and evening, making the edges of unburned timber around them worth checking. Only antlerless deer are legal here, and the resident draw runs long odds, so success depends on covering ground methodically rather than waiting on a single spot.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–10,100 ft, typically around 6,000 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 34% gentle · 47% moderate · 20% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~284 sq mi
- National forests
- Boise National Forest and Sawtooth 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
- Sagebrush43%
- Other cover35%
- Grass and meadow13%
- Riparian6%
- Conifer4%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush68%
- Grass and meadow21%
- Conifer9%
- Riparian1%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush49%
- Conifer31%
- Grass and meadow20%
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 44. 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.
- Wildhorse fire, 2022 — about 8,400 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its southwest side.
- Chimney fire, 2024 — about 6,500 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its northwest side.
- Stewart Creek fire, 2018 — about 5,800 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its northwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 51% of Unit 44 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land.
- National Forest37%
- BLM9%
- Idaho state endowment land5%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private48%
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 81°F, lows around 50°F
- September — highs around 71°F, lows around 42°F
- October — highs around 57°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.3 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 42°F, lows around 23°F, about 6.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 33°F, lows around 16°F, about 19.6 in of snowfall
Unit 44 deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy a deer tag for Unit 44 over the counter?
No. Unit 44 has no general season, so every deer tag here — resident or nonresident — comes through a controlled hunt drawn at random. Residents still avoid an over-the-counter purchase; they apply for the same controlled hunts as everyone else, and Idaho has no points system that improves the odds over time.
How do nonresidents get a tag for Unit 44?
Nonresidents apply through a random draw and must choose a specific tag, either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag, at the time they submit their application. The tag is never chosen after the draw results are known, so the choice has to be made up front based on which controlled hunt is being applied for.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 44 to draw?
The archery hunt and the antlerless any-weapon hunt both carry a resident first-choice draw band of long odds. The middle any-weapon hunt's draw difficulty isn't part of that same published band, so hunters should treat all three as competitive, limited-tag drawings rather than a sure thing.
Which seasons in Unit 44 fall during the rut?
None of them. All three controlled hunts — the archery hunt, the September-to-October any-weapon hunt, and the October-to-November antlerless hunt — take place before the primary rut phase begins in mid-November, so none of them can be hunted as a true rut hunt.
How much of Unit 44 can a hunter count on for public access?
About 51 percent of the unit, roughly 284 of its 553 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM and state endowment land. The remaining ground is private and requires written permission, and even the open state endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased, so access should be confirmed rather than assumed.
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.