Unit 58 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 594 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 58 is like
Unit 58 spans a wide elevation range, from around 4,800 feet up to over 12,000 feet, and most of the ground is rolling, with some steeper breaks rather than sheer cliff country. Sagebrush dominates the lower and mid elevations almost completely, while the higher country mixes sagebrush with conifer and small pockets of grass and meadow. This is foot-and-glass country for the most part: open slopes reward hunters willing to sit behind good optics and cover ground on foot to close the distance once a buck is spotted.
Roughly 89 percent of the unit's 594 square miles is generally open to public hunting, spread across the Salmon-Challis National Forest, the Targhee National Forest, and other public ground, giving hunters a dependable base to work from, though public access does not mean easy access — steep breaks and long distances still make for demanding days. A small unclassified share and a limited private share round out the unit; that private ground requires written permission. Wilderness within the unit is closed to motorized travel, which keeps some of the higher country quieter and more foot-bound.
The regular deer tag and the white-tailed deer tag run on separate calendars here, with archery opening both at the end of August, rifle seasons following in October, and a late white-tailed deer season stretching into December that catches the rut. A single controlled hunt, 58-1, offers an any-weapon opportunity that spans from early fall through the late rut, but it draws by pure random chance among a limited number of tags and carries very long odds for residents.
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 Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| White-tailed deer tag · Archery Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered or antlerless | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Regular deer tag · Any weapon Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | October 10 – October 24 | Antlered | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | October 10 – October 31 | Antlered or antlerless | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
| White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | November 10 – December 9 | Antlered or antlerless | Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging, Primary Rut, Late Rut / Winter Consolidation |
Regular deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This archery season falls across the Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern phase and into the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase, when bucks are still bachelored up and holding close to summer range. The best approach is to glass first light to locate a buck, mark where he beds for the day, then work in close during the midday hours while he's bedded, or watch him again in the evening to plan a morning return. Deer lean on forbs and browse and don't need much water, so a seep or a recent rain shower can be enough to hold a buck in an area. As velvet sheds late in the season bucks tend to bed earlier and stay put later, so a buck that seems to vanish is worth checking in nearby draws and crevices. Only antlered regular-tag bucks are legal, and the motorized hunting rule applies throughout.
White-tailed deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Running the same August 30 through September 30 window, this white-tailed deer archery season covers the same Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern and Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phases, with bucks still bachelored and patternable near summer range. Glassing at first light to find a bedded buck, then closing the distance at midday or returning the next morning after an evening sighting, is the core tactic here as well. Deer are drawn to whatever water is available but can get by on very little, feeding heavily on forbs and browse through the sagebrush-dominated lower and mid elevations. Once velvet sheds, bucks tend to bed earlier and hold tight later into the day, so checking nearby crevices and draws pays off when a buck seems to disappear. This tag is broader than the regular archery tag, allowing either an antlered or antlerless white-tailed deer.
Regular deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 24
By the second week of October, this any-weapon season falls squarely in the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, when bucks grow increasingly nocturnal but are still generally found near their summer haunts. Hunting pressure and the shift toward nighttime movement make midday glassing less productive than it was in archery season, so still-hunting or working the edges of known summer range early and late in the day makes sense. Light October snowfall and cooling lows can start nudging deer, but nothing dramatic yet. Only antlered deer are legal on the regular tag, and the motorized hunting rule remains in effect.
White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 31
Opening alongside the regular tag but running a week longer, this white-tailed deer any-weapon season covers the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase and carries into the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase. Early on, bucks are still nocturnal and holding near summer range, so hunting the fringes at dawn and dusk is the better bet. As the season closes out in late October, deer may begin drifting toward rutting ground, so glassing the country between summer range and likely rut areas can pay off. Either an antlered or antlerless white-tailed deer is legal, giving more flexibility than the regular tag. Light snowfall and cooling temperatures through October don't change tactics much but signal the shift ahead.
White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon · November 10 – December 9
This late white-tailed deer season opens in the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase and runs through the Primary Rut and into the Late Rut / Winter Consolidation phase, making it the best-timed general season for catching rutting activity. Early on, glassing the corridors between summer range and rutting ground can intercept migrating deer, and once the rut kicks in during November, finding does is the key to finding bucks nearby. Weather moving through in November and December can push deer down out of the high country onto more open, glassable ground, and fresh snow is a good cue to look for fresh buck tracks. Glassing early and late in the day works best as daylight hours shrink and snowfall builds through December. Either an antlered or antlerless white-tailed deer may be taken.
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 58 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal deer | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 58-1 · Any weapon Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | October 10 – November 30 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging, 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 58-1 · Any weapon · October 10 – November 30
Controlled hunt 58-1 spans the longest stretch of the fall calendar, from the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase in October through the Early Pre-Rut, Primary Rut, and Late Rut / Winter Consolidation phases into late November. Early in the hunt, bucks are nocturnal and close to summer range, so dawn and dusk still-hunting or glassing the fringes makes sense; by late October, watching migration corridors between summer and rut range starts to pay off. Once the rut arrives in November, finding does becomes the surest way to find bucks, and weather pushing deer down out of the high country can put them on easier, more open ground — fresh snow is worth checking for fresh tracks. Only antlered bucks are legal, and this tag draws by pure random chance with very long odds for residents given the limited number of tags available.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,800–12,200 ft, typically around 7,100 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 53% gentle · 23% moderate · 22% steep · 2% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~531 sq mi
- National forests
- Salmon-Challis National Forest and Targhee 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
- Sagebrush98%
- Other cover2%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush93%
- Conifer5%
- Other cover2%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush61%
- Conifer36%
- Grass and meadow2%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 89% of Unit 58 is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest, Idaho state endowment land and State Wildlife Management Area.
- BLM47%
- National Forest41%
- Idaho state endowment land1%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Unclassified ownership8%
- Private3%
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 77°F, lows around 47°F
- September — highs around 67°F, lows around 39°F
- October — highs around 52°F, lows around 29°F, about 1.2 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 38°F, lows around 19°F, about 5.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 28°F, lows around 11°F, about 10 in of snowfall
Unit 58 deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy a deer tag for Unit 58 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can purchase either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag over the counter for Unit 58's general seasons, with no application or draw required. Controlled hunt 58-1 is different — it requires entering the random draw.
How do nonresidents get a general season tag in Unit 58?
Nonresidents enter a random draw for a general tag, and they choose the specific tag — either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag — at the time they apply, not after they draw. There is no point system involved; it's a straight random drawing each year.
How hard is it to draw Controlled hunt 58-1?
Controlled hunt 58-1 is a pure random draw with a limited number of tags, and the resident first-choice odds are rated as very long odds. It is not a guaranteed draw and should not be counted on for regular opportunity.
Which deer tags are valid in Unit 58?
The regular deer tag covers either mule deer or white-tailed deer unless a specific season restricts it further, while the white-tailed deer tag is valid for white-tailed deer only. Both tags have their own separate season structures and legal-animal rules within Unit 58.
How much of Unit 58 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 89 percent of the unit's 594 square miles, roughly 531 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across Bureau of Land Management, National Forest, Idaho state endowment, and Wildlife Management Area ground. That includes portions of the Salmon-Challis National Forest and Targhee National Forest, though public land access still involves steep terrain and real distances, not a guarantee of easy hunting.
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.