Unit 46 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 2,863 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 46 is like
Unit 46 sits in gentle and rolling country, with the vast majority of its ground classed as gentle terrain and only a sliver of moderate or steep slope. Elevations run from about 2,500 feet up to 6,200 feet, and most of the unit sits around 4,300 feet, so this is foot country in the practical sense — long sightlines and walkable ridgelines rather than technical climbing. A small sliver of the unit, about 1.8%, falls inside the Bruneau-Jarbridge Rivers Wilderness, which is closed to motorized travel and worth knowing about for anyone wanting a quieter corner to hunt on foot. Cover across the elevation bands is dominated by grass and meadow, with sagebrush making up a growing share at higher elevations, so glassing open country is the default approach here rather than picking through heavy timber.
About 76% of Unit 46 is generally open to public hunting, spread across BLM, Idaho state endowment land, and a State Wildlife Management Area — that is the ground a hunter can count on, though state endowment parcels can occasionally be posted closed or leased and should be checked. The remaining private ground, roughly 23%, requires written permission. Four wildfires have burned pieces of the unit in recent years: the Blue Ridge and Sailor Cap fires, both in 2026, on the north and northwest sides; the Coonskin fire from 2024 on the east side; and the East Fork fire from 2018 on the southwest side. Each covers only about 1% of the unit's total acreage, but they add useful variety to the cover mix, from bare, just-burned ground to burns now thick with regrowth. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading out.
Tags here split along two lines: a regular deer tag good for mule deer or white-tailed deer depending on the season, and a white-tailed deer tag that is white-tailed deer only. Residents buy either general tag over the counter with no draw required. Nonresidents get into the general seasons through a random draw, and when applying they choose the specific tag they want — regular deer or white-tailed deer — as part of that application, since the tag itself is what is drawn, not a generic entry that can be pointed at a tag later. Beyond the general seasons, Controlled hunt 47-1 offers a rifle hunt during the rut for those who draw it, though it carries very long odds for resident first-choice applicants.
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 – October 31 | Antlered or antlerless | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
Regular deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This early season catches bucks still in velvet and holding to loose bachelor groups through the gentle, open country of Unit 46. Summer scouting and patient glassing of shady pockets and north-facing slopes pay off more than anything else, since bucks feed into the morning before bedding down for most of the day. A good pattern is to glass at first light to locate a bedded buck, close the distance in the middle of the day while he holds tight, or watch him into the evening and return the next morning. As the season runs into late September and bucks shed velvet, habits change little, though bucks may bed earlier and stay put until after dark, so a buck that seems to vanish is usually just holding in a nearby draw or crevice. The regular deer tag allows either an antlered or antlerless deer during this stretch.
White-tailed deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
The same velvet and bachelor-group pattern plays out for white-tailed bucks through this stretch, and the open, grass-and-sagebrush country of Unit 46 rewards the same glassing-first approach. Locate a buck at first light, watch where he beds for the day, and either stalk him at midday or wait him out and return the following morning once he's bedded again. Deer lean on whatever water is available, even a small seep or a passing rainstorm, while feeding heavily on forbs and browse. Once velvet is shed later in the period, bucks tend to bed earlier and hold longer into the dark, so checking nearby draws and thick pockets is worthwhile when a buck seems to disappear. The white-tailed deer tag covers either an antlered or antlerless deer through this season.
Regular deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 31
By October, bucks are growing steadily more nocturnal, and most are still holding near the same ground they used through summer, so still concentrating glassing effort on those areas makes sense early in the season. Toward the back half of the month deer may start drifting toward their rutting range, and watching the open corridors between summer haunts and that rut country can pay off. This is also a season to keep an eye on the burns from the Blue Ridge, Sailor Cap, Coonskin, and East Fork fires, each offering a different stage of regrowth and visibility. The regular deer tag allows an antlered deer for any hunter, with antlerless deer reserved for youth hunters only.
White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 31
October brings the same nocturnal shift and gradual migration toward rut country seen across the unit, with white-tailed bucks still mostly holding near summer range early on before starting to move late in the month. Glassing the gentle, open terrain between summer bedding areas and the corridors deer use heading toward the rut is the most productive strategy as the season progresses. The unit's recent burns are worth a look during this period too, since the mix of bare ground, fresh regrowth, and thicker older burns changes how and where deer move through them. The white-tailed deer tag is flexible here, allowing either an antlered or antlerless deer for the entire season.
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 46 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal deer | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 47-1 · Any weapon | November 15 – November 30 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Winter Consolidation |
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 47-1 · Any weapon · November 15 – November 30
This late hunt lands squarely in the rut, spanning both the primary rut and the start of winter consolidation, so bucks are preoccupied with does rather than feeding routines. Weather moving through in November can push deer down out of higher ground onto more open, glassable terrain, and a fresh snowfall is a good cue to look for fresh tracks. The most reliable tactic is to find concentrations of does, since bucks will typically be nearby or actively working them, glassing hard in the early and late hours of the day. Only an antlered deer is legal on Controlled hunt 47-1, and residents drawing a first-choice tag face very long odds in the random draw.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 2,500–6,200 ft, typically around 4,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 94% gentle · 4% moderate · 1% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~2,185 sq mi
- Designated wilderness
- Bruneau-Jarbridge Rivers 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.
Lower elevations
- Grass and meadow69%
- Other cover21%
- Sagebrush10%
Mid elevations
- Grass and meadow67%
- Sagebrush20%
- Other cover13%
Higher elevations
- Grass and meadow67%
- Sagebrush32%
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 46. 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.
- Blue Ridge fire, 2026 — about 14,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its north side.
- Coonskin fire, 2024 — about 13,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its east side.
- East Fork fire, 2018 — about 8,600 acres in the unit, mostly on its southwest side.
- Sailor Cap fire, 2026 — about 8,300 acres in the unit, mostly on its northwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 76% of Unit 46 is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, Idaho state endowment land and State Wildlife Management Area.
- BLM72%
- Idaho state endowment land4%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- National Park Service<1%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private23%
Idaho state endowment land is generally open to hunting unless posted closed or leased — check the parcel before planning around it.
Hunting is allowed on some National Park Service land (a national preserve, for example) but not in national monuments or historical parks — check where it is allowed.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 87°F, lows around 55°F
- September — highs around 77°F, lows around 47°F
- October — highs around 63°F, lows around 37°F
- November — highs around 48°F, lows around 27°F, about 1.3 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 38°F, lows around 21°F, about 4.8 in of snowfall
Unit 46 deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy a deer tag for Unit 46 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can purchase either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag over the counter without applying for a draw. Both tags are available for the general archery and any-weapon seasons listed for the unit.
How do nonresidents get a general deer tag for Unit 46?
Nonresidents enter a random draw for the general season, and when applying they select the specific tag they want, either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag. The tag itself is what gets drawn, so there is no way to draw a general slot and decide on the tag afterward.
How hard is it to draw the controlled hunt in Unit 46?
Controlled hunt 47-1, a November any-weapon hunt during the rut, carries very long odds for resident first-choice applicants in the random draw. It has a limited number of tags and no point system factors into the odds since Idaho does not use points for deer.
Which deer tags can be used in Unit 46?
The regular deer tag is valid for mule deer or white-tailed deer unless a specific season restricts it further, while the white-tailed deer tag only covers white-tailed deer. Both tags have their own distinct archery and any-weapon seasons in the unit.
How much of Unit 46 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 76 percent of the unit, roughly 2,185 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across BLM, Idaho state endowment land, and a State Wildlife Management Area. The remaining ground is private and requires written permission to access.
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.