Unit 47 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 346 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 2 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds from long odds to very long odds.
What hunting Unit 47 is like
Unit 47 is gentle and rolling country, with mean slope under seven degrees and only a small sliver classified as steep ground. Sagebrush dominates every elevation band, from the low ground near 4,900 feet up through the mid elevations and into the higher country near 7,800 feet, with grass and meadow mixed in and small pockets of riparian growth at the bottom and timber and aspen appearing higher up. It is largely open, walkable terrain that rewards long-range glassing over hard climbing, though the lack of steep relief also means less cover to break up sightlines on deer.
About three-quarters of the unit, roughly 256 of its 346 square miles, is BLM or Idaho state endowment land generally open to public hunting. That is the only ground a hunter can count on, and even endowment parcels can be posted closed or under lease, so it pays to check status rather than assume access. The remaining quarter of the unit is private and requires permission before hunting it.
Tag options here follow Idaho's usual split between over-the-counter general access and drawn controlled hunts. Residents buy the general archery deer tag over the counter with no application, while nonresidents apply through a random draw for either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag, choosing which one they want at the time of application. Beyond the general archery season, two controlled hunts add later-season, any-weapon opportunity, each with a limited number of tags awarded by random 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 | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered or antlerless | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
Regular deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Archery season opens while bucks are still holding to summer patterns, bachelored up and mostly in velvet through the Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern phase before shedding into the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase later in September. Scouting matters most here — glass at first light to locate a buck, watch where he beds for the day, and use the gentle, open terrain to plan a midday stalk while he's down. Deer lean on forbs and browse and don't need much water in this country, so a seep or a passing rainstorm can be enough to hold a buck nearby; check shady pockets and north-facing slopes for bedded deer, and look into small crevices and draws if a buck seems to vanish. The regular deer tag is valid here for either antlered or antlerless deer, giving archery hunters flexibility on what they take.
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 47 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal deer | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 47 · Any weapon | October 5 – October 31 | Antlered only | Long odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
| 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 · Any weapon · October 5 – October 31
By the time this any-weapon hunt opens, bucks are sliding into the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, moving less in daylight and staying close to where they summered, before drifting into the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase as October winds down. Most of the action is early and late in the day; the open, gently sloped ground favors glassing the space between summer range and the country deer will use once the rut starts. This is a controlled hunt for antlered deer only, drawn by random lottery, and residents applying first choice face long odds of drawing hunt 47.
Controlled hunt 47-1 · Any weapon · November 15 – November 30
This late hunt runs through the Primary Rut and into the Late Rut / Winter Consolidation phase, when bucks are focused on does and easier to catch moving. Weather can help — November brings modest snowfall and cold lows, and any push of weather tends to shove deer out of higher ground onto more open, glassable terrain that suits this unit's rolling landscape. Fresh snow is worth watching for tracks, and the best strategy is finding does first since bucks will likely be nearby or trailing them. Hunt 47-1 is an any-weapon, antlered-only controlled hunt with a very long draw for residents applying first choice, reflecting how few tags are available.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,900–7,800 ft, typically around 5,900 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 80% gentle · 17% moderate · 3% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~256 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
- Sagebrush86%
- Other cover8%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Riparian2%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush78%
- Grass and meadow18%
- Other cover3%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush88%
- Grass and meadow8%
- Conifer2%
- Aspen2%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 74% of Unit 47 is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM and Idaho state endowment land.
- BLM69%
- Idaho state endowment land5%
- Private26%
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 83°F, lows around 49°F
- September — highs around 73°F, lows around 42°F
- October — highs around 60°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.6 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 46°F, lows around 25°F, about 4.5 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 37°F, lows around 19°F, about 9.5 in of snowfall
Unit 47 deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy a deer tag for Unit 47 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can purchase the general regular deer tag for the archery season over the counter without applying through any draw. That tag covers either antlered or antlerless deer during the August 30 to September 30 season.
How do nonresidents get a general tag in Unit 47?
Nonresidents enter a random draw for the general season, and they must choose which specific tag they want — the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag — at the time they apply. The tag is not assigned after the draw; it is selected up front as part of the application.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 47 to draw?
Controlled hunt 47, an any-weapon October season, carries long odds for residents applying as a first choice. Controlled hunt 47-1, the November any-weapon season, carries very long odds for residents applying first choice, reflecting its limited number of tags.
Which deer tags work in Unit 47?
The regular deer tag is valid for either mule deer or white-tailed deer unless a specific season restricts it, while the white-tailed deer tag is valid only for white-tailed deer. Both the general archery season and the two controlled hunts use antlered-only or antlered-or-antlerless rules as specified for each season.
Which Unit 47 season falls during the rut?
Controlled hunt 47-1, running November 15 to November 30, spans the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Winter Consolidation phases. The general archery season and Controlled hunt 47 both fall outside the rut, during earlier phenology phases.
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.