Unit 59 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 364 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 59 is like
Unit 59 is rolling country with some steeper breaks, running from around 5,100 feet up to 10,200 feet, with most of the hunting happening in the 6,800-foot middle ground. Sagebrush dominates at every elevation band, mixed with grass and meadow lower down and increasing conifer cover as the country climbs toward its higher ridges. Slopes are mostly gentle to moderate, so this is foot-huntable country for most of its area, with a smaller share of steeper breaks that reward hunters willing to climb into timbered pockets near the top of the unit. Targhee National Forest anchors much of the public ground, and any designated wilderness within the unit is closed to motorized travel, which keeps some of the higher country quieter.
About 69 percent of Unit 59, roughly 252 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM, and Idaho state endowment land. That is the only ground a hunter can plan around with confidence, and even endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased, so it pays to check status before committing to a spot. The remaining 31 percent is private and requires written permission to hunt, which matters most at the lower elevations where sagebrush flats and meadows tend to concentrate deer and land ownership.
Tag options here cover both species and several separate seasons rather than one long window. Residents buy regular deer or white-tailed deer tags over the counter with no draw required, while nonresidents apply for a specific tag — regular or white-tailed — through a random draw at the time of application, not after drawing. A single controlled hunt, 58-1, adds a long any-weapon season for hunters willing to enter a pure random draw with a limited number of tags.
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 opens while bucks are still finishing out their summer pattern, moving through the Summer Range/Bachelor Pattern phase into the Velvet Shed/Early Fall Transition phase by month's end. Early on, bucks are often grouped up in velvet and hold near whatever water is available — even a small seep can be enough to anchor a buck in this country. The most productive approach is glassing at first light to find a bedded buck, then closing the distance at midday while he holds tight in shade or on a north-facing slope; evening glassing often serves better to pattern a buck for a next-morning stalk than for an immediate try. Once velvet sheds, habits stay similar but bucks may bed earlier and later, so checking small crevices and draws near where a buck was last seen is worthwhile before giving up on him. This tag is valid for an antlered mule deer or white-tailed buck only.
White-tailed deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Running the same August 30 to September 30 window, this archery season covers the same Summer Range/Bachelor Pattern and Velvet Shed/Early Fall Transition phases, but the white-tailed deer tag allows taking an antlered or antlerless deer. Bucks in velvet are still bachelored and predictable, feeding on forbs and browse into the morning before bedding in shade for most of the day, which makes glassing shady pockets and north-facing slopes the core tactic. A buck patterned at first light can often be stalked at midday while bedded, and evening glassing is more often used to set up a return the following morning than for an immediate approach. After velvet sheds, the same routine holds, though bucks may bed earlier and stay down longer, so working the small draws and crevices near a buck's last known position pays off. Because antlerless deer are also legal here, this season gives more flexibility than the regular deer archery tag covering the same dates.
Regular deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 24
By the second week of October the season shifts into the Early Fall Migration/Nocturnal Buck Phase, and bucks under the regular deer tag grow increasingly nocturnal through the two-week run. Most deer are still holding near the same ground they used through summer, so still knowing those areas from earlier scouting pays off even as daylight movement drops off. Light October snowfall and lows near freezing don't transform the hunt but can nudge deer activity slightly. This tag is antlered only, valid for mule deer or white-tailed buck, through October 24.
White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 31
This white-tailed deer any-weapon season runs longer than its regular-tag counterpart, extending from October 10 through October 31 and spanning both the Early Fall Migration/Nocturnal Buck Phase and the start of the Early Pre-Rut/Migration Corridor Staging phase. Early in the season bucks are increasingly nocturnal and still holding near summer range, but by the last third of October some deer begin drifting toward rutting ground, so glassing the country between summer haunts and likely staging areas can pay off. Light snowfall and cooling temperatures through the month don't force major changes but can start pushing deer activity. Both antlered and antlerless white-tailed deer are legal, giving more chances than the antlered-only regular tag running the same early stretch.
White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon · November 10 – December 9
Spanning November 10 through December 9, this late white-tailed season covers the tail of the Early Pre-Rut/Migration Corridor Staging phase, the Primary Rut, and the start of Late Rut/Winter Consolidation — meaning it sits squarely in the rut. Early on, deer may still be migrating toward rutting ground, so glassing the corridors between summer range and rut range can turn up moving deer; once the rut is underway, finding does is the key, since bucks will be with them or nearby. Building snowfall through November and heavier totals in December can push deer down out of the high country onto ground that's easier to glass and reach, and fresh snow is worth checking for fresh buck tracks. Either an antlered or antlerless white-tailed deer is legal, making this the unit's best combination of rut timing and tag flexibility.
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 59 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 runs the longest window in the unit, October 10 through November 30, crossing the Early Fall Migration/Nocturnal Buck Phase, the Early Pre-Rut/Migration Corridor Staging phase, the Primary Rut, and into Late Rut/Winter Consolidation. Early in the season bucks are nocturnal and holding on summer range; by late October some begin shifting toward rutting ground, and by November the rut is in full swing, with bucks traveling with or searching for does. Snow accumulating through October and November can push deer down to lower, more accessible ground, and fresh tracks in new snow are worth following. Only an antlered deer may be taken, and residents drawing this hunt face very long odds in the first-choice draw given the limited number of tags available.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,100–10,200 ft, typically around 6,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 53% gentle · 34% moderate · 13% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~252 sq mi
- National forests
- 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
- Sagebrush71%
- Grass and meadow21%
- Other cover8%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush74%
- Conifer13%
- Grass and meadow9%
- Riparian2%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush63%
- Conifer29%
- Grass and meadow8%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 69% of Unit 59 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land.
- National Forest35%
- BLM33%
- Idaho state endowment land2%
- Private31%
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 76°F, lows around 48°F
- September — highs around 65°F, lows around 40°F
- October — highs around 50°F, lows around 30°F, about 1.2 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 36°F, lows around 19°F, about 6.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 27°F, lows around 12°F, about 11.6 in of snowfall
Unit 59 deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy a deer tag for Unit 59 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag over the counter with no application or draw required. Nonresidents, by contrast, must apply for one of those two tags through a random draw.
How do nonresidents get a general tag in Unit 59?
Nonresidents enter a random draw and must choose the specific tag they want — either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag — at the time they apply. The tag is picked when applying, not after the draw results are known.
How hard is it to draw the controlled hunt in Unit 59?
Controlled hunt 58-1 is filled through a pure random draw with a limited number of tags, and residents face very long odds in the first-choice draw. There are no points of any kind in Idaho's deer draw system, so odds don't improve by applying in past years.
Which deer tags are valid in Unit 59?
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 archery and any-weapon seasons with different dates and legal animals.
How much of Unit 59 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 69 percent of the unit, roughly 252 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM, and Idaho state endowment land. The remaining 31 percent is private and requires written permission before hunting it.
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.