Unit 45 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 1,275 sq mi
Controlled hunts only
Unit 45 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 from long odds to very long odds.
What hunting Unit 45 is like
Unit 45 is gentle and rolling country, with most of its area classed as gentle terrain and only a small sliver of steep ground. Elevation runs from around 2,500 feet up to 7,400 feet, with the bulk of the unit sitting near 4,200 feet, and cover shifts with elevation: lower ground is mostly grass and meadow with some sagebrush, mid elevations turn mostly to sagebrush with grass and meadow filling the rest, and the higher country is dominated by sagebrush with small pockets of riparian growth and timber. The open, rolling nature of the ground makes for a lot of walk-and-glass hunting, with country that rewards patience behind good optics more than technical climbing.
About 64 percent of Unit 45, roughly 819 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across BLM, Idaho state endowment land, a State Wildlife Management Area, and National Forest ground — the only acreage a hunter can really count on, since endowment parcels can still be posted closed or under lease. The remaining 36 percent is private and requires written permission. Four wildfires have burned into the unit in recent years: the Bray fire of 2022 burned about 20,000 acres on the southeast side, the Berry fire of 2024 burned about 14,000 acres on the south side, another 2024 fire burned about 6,300 acres on the west side, and a 2026 fire burned about 5,100 acres on the northwest side. The three older burns are now two to four years old and can be some of the better glassing and feeding country in the unit, while the newest burn is still within its first year and will be in transition; hunters should check for current fire closures before heading out.
Deer hunting in Unit 45 is entirely by controlled hunt — there is no general season here. Residents and nonresidents alike must draw one of three controlled hunts, each a pure random draw with a limited number of tags, and none of them fall during the November rut.
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 45 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal deer | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 45 · Archery Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | August 15 – September 14 | Antlered only | Long odds | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Controlled hunt 45 · Muzzleloader Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | October 1 – October 14 | Antlered only | Long odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Controlled hunt 45 · Any weapon Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | October 15 – October 31 | Antlered only | Very 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 45 · Archery · August 15 – September 14
This archery hunt opens while bucks are still deep in their summer pattern, bachelored up and carrying velvet, and it runs on through the point where they shed that velvet in mid-September. Summer scouting and glassing pay off more than anything else here, since the gentle, open terrain of Unit 45 makes it possible to pick apart shady pockets and north-facing slopes from a distance. Bucks tend to feed into the morning on forbs and browse before bedding for most of the day, so the routine is to glass at first light, mark where a buck beds, and close the distance in the middle of the day, or glass again in the evening and return for him the next morning. Once velvet sheds the pattern holds but bucks may bed earlier and stay down later, so a buck that seems to vanish is often still tucked into a nearby draw or crevice. The tag is antlered only, and the hunt draws long odds for resident first-choice applicants.
Controlled hunt 45 · Muzzleloader · October 1 – October 14
By October the bucks that were visible all summer start going nocturnal, and most are still holding near the same ground they used during the summer months. That makes this a hunt of covering the open, rolling country methodically and glassing the fringes of timber and sagebrush at first and last light rather than expecting deer to be moving in daylight. The three-year-old and two-year-old burns on the unit's south, southeast, and west sides can be worth checking, since deer still use that kind of regrowth to feed early and late. This muzzleloader hunt is antlered only, and resident first-choice odds are long.
Controlled hunt 45 · Any weapon · October 15 – October 31
This any-weapon hunt spans the same nocturnal stretch of October before sliding into the early pre-rut, when deer begin staging for migration toward their rutting ground. Early in the season the approach is the same as the muzzleloader hunt — glass the open country at the edges of daylight near where bucks summered — but by the back half of October it pays to start watching the ground between summer range and likely rut destinations. The gentle terrain here makes long-range glassing practical for picking up deer on the move. The tag is antlered only, and this hunt carries very long odds for resident first-choice applicants, the toughest draw of the three controlled hunts in Unit 45.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 2,500–7,400 ft, typically around 4,200 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 77% gentle · 19% moderate · 4% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~819 sq mi
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
- Grass and meadow55%
- Other cover23%
- Sagebrush21%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush63%
- Grass and meadow36%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush71%
- Other cover14%
- Grass and meadow7%
- Riparian4%
- Conifer4%
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 45. 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.
- Bray fire, 2022 — about 20,000 acres in the unit (3%), mostly on its southeast side.
- Berry fire, 2024 — about 14,000 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its south side.
- Unnamed fire, 2024 — about 6,300 acres in the unit, mostly on its west side.
- Unnamed fire, 2026 — about 5,100 acres in the unit, mostly on its northwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 64% of Unit 45 is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, Idaho state endowment land, State Wildlife Management Area and National Forest.
- BLM57%
- Idaho state endowment land6%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- National Forest<1%
- Private36%
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 87°F, lows around 55°F
- September — highs around 76°F, lows around 46°F
- October — highs around 61°F, lows around 36°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 46°F, lows around 27°F, about 1.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 36°F, lows around 20°F, about 7.1 in of snowfall
Unit 45 deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter buy a deer tag for Unit 45 over the counter?
No. Deer hunting in Unit 45 is entirely by controlled hunt, so both residents and nonresidents must be drawn for one of the three controlled hunts offered rather than buying a tag over the counter.
How do nonresidents get a tag in Unit 45?
Nonresidents enter the same controlled hunt draws as residents, applying for a specific hunt and tag choice at the time they submit their application. The tag is not chosen after the draw — it is selected up front as part of the application.
How hard is it to draw a controlled hunt in Unit 45?
The archery and muzzleloader controlled hunts carry long odds for resident first-choice applicants, while the any-weapon hunt carries very long odds. None of the hunts are guaranteed, and there is no point system in Idaho to improve the odds over time.
Which deer seasons fall during the rut in Unit 45?
None of them. All three controlled hunts in Unit 45 — archery, muzzleloader, and any-weapon — take place before the primary rut period begins in November.
How much of Unit 45 is open to public hunting?
About 64 percent of the unit, roughly 819 square miles, is generally open across BLM, Idaho state endowment land, a State Wildlife Management Area, and National Forest ground. The rest is private land requiring written permission, and even some endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased.
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.