Unit 64 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 358 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 3 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds fair odds.
What hunting Unit 64 is like
Unit 64 sits in gentle and rolling country, with elevations running from around 4,800 feet up to 9,000 feet but most of it sitting closer to the lower end. Slopes are mild across nearly all of the unit, which makes for easier walking than much of Idaho's deer country, though the higher country still climbs into conifer timber and can require real effort to reach. Cover shifts with elevation: mid-elevation ground carries a mix of sagebrush with pockets of conifer and aspen, while the higher country is dominated by timber with sagebrush openings mixed in. Some of the unit's higher ground includes wilderness closed to motorized travel, which keeps that country quieter but means foot access is the only way in.
Only about 30 percent of Unit 64, roughly 106 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through a mix of Targhee National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land, and even the state land can be posted closed or leased on a parcel-by-parcel basis. The remaining 70 percent is private and requires written permission to hunt. That split makes legal access, not terrain, the real limiting factor here — a hunter can't count on covering most of the unit just because the ground itself is easy walking.
Tags line up around two animals and two seasons of access. Residents buy the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag over the counter, while nonresidents apply for one specific tag in a random draw at the time they apply. On top of the general seasons, Unit 64 also carries a controlled antlerless-only white-tailed deer hunt split into three separate season windows, each drawn separately with fair odds for a resident's first choice.
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 Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Required | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| White-tailed deer tag · Archery Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Required | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered or antlerless | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Regular deer tag · Any weapon Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Required | October 10 – October 24 | Antlered | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Required | October 10 – October 31 | Antlered or antlerless | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
| White-tailed deer tag · Archery Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Required | November 1 – December 19 | Antlered or antlerless | Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging, Primary Rut, Late Rut / Winter Consolidation |
| Regular deer tag · Archery White-tailed deer only; Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Required | November 20 – December 19 | Antlered: white-tailed deer only; antlerless: white-tailed deer only | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Winter Consolidation |
Regular deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Early fall archery for the regular deer tag runs through the Summer Range and Bachelor Pattern phase into the Velvet Shed and Early Fall Transition phase, and bucks spend most of that stretch bedded through the day and feeding into the morning. Summer scouting and glassing matter more than anything else here — watch shady pockets and north-facing slopes in the mid-elevation sagebrush and timber edges to find a bedded buck, then either stalk him at midday or return for him at first light. Water is not a limiting factor for a mature buck in this unit, so glassing feeding and bedding areas pays off better than working seeps. Only antlered bucks are legal on this tag, and CWD testing is required.
White-tailed deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
The white-tailed deer archery season opens on the same late-summer calendar, spanning the Summer Range and Bachelor Pattern phase into the Velvet Shed and Early Fall Transition phase, with bucks bachelored up and holding tight patterns. Glassing at first light to locate a bedded buck, then closing the distance at midday while he holds tight, is the most consistent approach in this unit's mixed sagebrush and timber. Evenings are often better spent watching a buck into his bed for a next-morning stalk than forcing a shot in fading light. Either an antlered or antlerless white-tailed deer may be taken on this tag, and CWD testing is required.
Regular deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 24
By the time the any-weapon regular deer season opens in October, bucks are deep into the Early Fall Migration and Nocturnal Buck Phase and moving mostly after dark. Most bucks are still holding near their summer ground, so the smart play is working the same country identified during earlier scouting rather than searching new ground. Only antlered bucks are legal, and CWD testing is required.
White-tailed deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 31
The white-tailed deer any-weapon season spans the same nocturnal shift in the Early Fall Migration phase before easing into the Early Pre-Rut and Migration Corridor Staging phase toward its close in late October. Early in the season bucks are still tough to catch moving in daylight near their summer range, but by the back half deer may start drifting toward rutting ground, so glassing the country between summer range and likely rut destinations can pay off. Either an antlered or antlerless white-tailed deer may be taken, and CWD testing is required.
White-tailed deer tag · Archery · November 1 – December 19
This long white-tailed deer archery season opens in the Early Pre-Rut and Migration Corridor Staging phase and carries all the way through the Primary Rut into Late Rut and Winter Consolidation. As November wears on, bucks are actively rutting and incoming weather can push deer out of higher timber and down onto more open, glassable ground — fresh snow is especially good for cutting fresh buck tracks. Finding does is the key, since bucks will be with or near them through this stretch. Either an antlered or antlerless white-tailed deer may be taken, and snowfall picks up through November and December, so expect colder, snowier hunting as the season runs toward its December close.
Regular deer tag · Archery · November 20 – December 19
This late regular deer tag archery season is restricted to white-tailed deer only, and it covers the same rut window as the white-tailed archery season, spanning the Primary Rut phase into Late Rut and Winter Consolidation. Rutting bucks are on the move and often found by finding the does first, and weather pushing deer down out of the high timber makes for better glassing opportunities on lower, more open ground. Both antlered and antlerless white-tailed deer are legal on this tag, and snow accumulates through November and December, adding a cold-weather element as the season closes out in December. CWD testing is required.
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 64 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal deer | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 60A-1X · Archery Extra antlerless tag; Archery only, White-tailed deer only; Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Required in Units 64 and 69 | August 30 – September 30 | Antlerless only | Fair odds | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Controlled hunt 60A-1X · Any weapon Extra antlerless tag; White-tailed deer only; Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Required in Units 64 and 69 | October 10 – October 31 | Antlerless only | Fair odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
| Controlled hunt 60A-1X · Archery Extra antlerless tag; Archery only, White-tailed deer only; Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Required in Units 64 and 69 | November 20 – December 19 | Antlerless only | Fair 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 60A-1X · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This early controlled antlerless hunt falls during the Summer Range and Bachelor Pattern phase moving into the Velvet Shed and Early Fall Transition phase, and it is archery-only for white-tailed deer with an antlerless-only tag. Deer are settled onto summer range through this stretch, so working the mid-elevation sagebrush and timber edges where deer hold this time of year is the most productive approach, glassing early and late to locate animals before closing the distance. Access is the main challenge, since only the roughly 30 percent of the unit that is national forest, BLM or state endowment ground can be hunted without landowner permission. This is an extra antlerless tag drawn separately from the general seasons, and it carries fair odds for a resident's first choice; CWD testing is required in Units 64 and 69.
Controlled hunt 60A-1X · Any weapon · October 10 – October 31
This any-weapon controlled antlerless hunt runs from the Early Fall Migration phase into the Early Pre-Rut and Migration Corridor Staging phase, giving an antlerless white-tailed deer hunter a longer window to work with. Deer activity shifts through this stretch as animals begin drifting toward rutting ground late in the season, so working known concentration areas and the travel country between summer range and rut destinations can help locate deer. Legal access remains the limiting factor in this unit, with most of the ground in private ownership requiring written permission. This tag carries fair odds for a resident's first choice in the draw, and CWD testing is required in Units 64 and 69.
Controlled hunt 60A-1X · Archery · November 20 – December 19
This late controlled antlerless hunt is archery-only and spans the Primary Rut phase into Late Rut and Winter Consolidation, the same weeks when incoming snow tends to push deer down out of higher timber onto more open, accessible ground. That shift can make antlerless white-tailed deer easier to locate and approach on the lower-elevation public ground within the unit's roughly 30 percent open share. Snowfall increases through November and December, so cold weather and accumulating snow are part of the hunt as the season runs to its close. This extra antlerless tag carries fair odds for a resident's first choice, and CWD testing is required in Units 64 and 69.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,800–9,000 ft, typically around 5,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 78% gentle · 18% moderate · 4% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~106 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
- Other cover95%
- Sagebrush5%
Mid elevations
- Other cover47%
- Sagebrush32%
- Conifer14%
- Aspen4%
- Grass and meadow3%
Higher elevations
- Conifer67%
- Sagebrush21%
- Aspen5%
- Other cover5%
- 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 30% of Unit 64 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, Idaho state endowment land and BLM.
- National Forest20%
- Idaho state endowment land9%
- BLM<1%
- Private70%
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 80°F, lows around 48°F
- September — highs around 70°F, lows around 40°F
- October — highs around 55°F, lows around 30°F, about 0.7 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 40°F, lows around 20°F, about 5.8 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 29°F, lows around 12°F, about 15.7 in of snowfall
Unit 64 deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy a deer tag for Unit 64 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag over the counter with no draw or application required. Nonresidents instead apply for one of those two tags in a random draw.
How do nonresidents get a general deer tag in Unit 64?
Nonresidents apply for a specific tag, either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag, as part of a random draw. The tag choice is made at the time of application, not after the draw, so a nonresident cannot draw a general tag and then pick which one to use.
How hard is it to draw the controlled antlerless hunt in Unit 64?
The controlled hunt 60A-1X, which offers an extra antlerless white-tailed deer tag across three separate season windows, carries fair odds for a resident's first choice. It is a pure random draw with a limited number of tags and no points involved.
Which deer tags can be used in Unit 64?
The regular deer tag is valid for mule deer or white-tailed deer except in the late November-December archery season, when it is restricted to white-tailed deer only. The white-tailed deer tag is valid for white-tailed deer only across all of its seasons.
How much of Unit 64 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 30 percent of the unit, roughly 106 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through national forest, BLM and state endowment land. The remaining 70 percent is private and requires written permission, so legal access rather than terrain is the main constraint.
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.