Unit 68 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 1,818 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 good odds to long odds.
What hunting Unit 68 is like
Unit 68 is gentle, rolling country from about 4,200 to 7,600 feet, with almost none of it classed as steep or rugged ground. Across the unit sagebrush covers half the land and grass and meadow makes up roughly another quarter, giving deer open, relatively easy walking terrain rather than a wilderness hunt. That gentleness makes it a good unit for covering ground on foot, glassing long open slopes, and closing distance without technical terrain getting in the way, though the same open character means deer can be visible — and can see a hunter coming — from a long way off.
Roughly 57 percent of the unit is generally open to public hunting through a mix of BLM, state endowment land, and a State Wildlife Management Area, which is the ground a hunter can count on, understanding that some endowment parcels may be posted closed or leased. A smaller share falls under National Park Service management, where hunting is only allowed in certain designated areas, and hunters need to confirm where that applies before planning around it. Private land makes up about 30 percent of the unit and requires written permission, and a further share is ownership that doesn't fall cleanly into public or private categories. The Split Top fire burned roughly 5,500 acres on the unit's west side and is in its first year after burning, so hunters working that ground should expect changed cover and check for any current fire closures before heading out.
Tag structure here mixes an easy path and harder ones. Residents buy a general deer tag over the counter for the archery and any-weapon seasons, no application needed. Nonresidents go through a random draw for a general tag, applying for either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag as a specific choice at the time of application. Beyond the general seasons, two controlled hunts add options — an antlerless-only extra tag and a late muzzleloader hunt — each drawn separately with its own 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 | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Regular deer tag · Any weapon | October 10 – October 24 | Antlered | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
Regular deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Late summer into September finds bucks still in velvet and often loosely bachelored up, feeding heavily on forbs and browse before shedding out. In this gentle, open country, glassing does the work archery hunters need: pick a vantage at first light, watch where a buck feeds and beds, then move in during the middle of the day while he's down, or mark him in the evening and come back for him at first light. Water can be scarce enough here that even a small seep or a rainstorm holds a buck, so it's worth checking any moisture source near known bedding cover. Once velvet sheds late in the month, bucks tend to bed earlier and stay down longer, so a buck that seems to vanish is usually just tucked into a nearby crevice or draw. The regular deer tag covers this season, legal only for antlered deer.
Regular deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 24
By the second full week of October bucks are sliding into their nocturnal phase, moving mostly at night and holding close to the same ground they used all summer. That makes early and late light the productive windows, and because the terrain here is gentle and open, covering country to relearn where bucks are bedding pays off more than waiting on a single spot. The regular deer tag applies, antlered deer only, and success leans on finding deer before full daylight rather than jumping them out of cover midday.
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 68 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal deer | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 66A-1X · Any weapon Extra antlerless tag; White-tailed deer only, Very limited access; 77 and 78 | October 1 – November 30 | Antlerless only | Good odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging, Primary Rut, Late Rut / Winter Consolidation |
| Controlled hunt 68 · Muzzleloader | November 16 – November 30 | Antlered only | 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 66A-1X · Any weapon · October 1 – November 30
This long controlled hunt runs from early October through the end of November and is built for filling an antlerless white-tailed deer tag under very limited access. Access into the hunt's boundaries is the deciding factor for whether a hunter gets a shot at all, more than any feature of the open, rolling terrain itself. By November, snow becomes part of the picture, with modest monthly totals and lows dropping into the twenties, which can push animals toward lower, more open ground where they're easier to spot. Hunters carrying this tag should focus on locating groups of white-tailed deer on accessible ground within the hunt area rather than covering the whole unit, since the tag and its access limits apply only within those specific boundaries.
Controlled hunt 68 · Muzzleloader · November 16 – November 30
Running from mid to late November, this muzzleloader hunt falls square in the primary rut and into the start of winter consolidation, when bucks are focused on does rather than caution. Incoming weather and the month's snowfall can push deer out of higher ground and down onto more open, glassable terrain, and a fresh snowfall is a good time to cut buck tracks. The smart approach is to find groups of does first, since bucks are likely to be nearby or moving through to check them, then glass early and late as animals move across the unit's open, rolling ground. The tag is antlered-only, and draw odds for this hunt run long, so it's a bonus opportunity more than a sure thing.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–7,600 ft, typically around 4,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 99% gentle · 1% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1,031 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.
Across the unit
- Sagebrush50%
- Grass and meadow27%
- Other cover24%
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 68. 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.
- Split Top fire, 2025 — about 5,500 acres in the unit, mostly on its west side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 57% of Unit 68 is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, Idaho state endowment land and State Wildlife Management Area.
- BLM55%
- Idaho state endowment land2%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- National Park Service7%
- Unclassified ownership6%
- Private30%
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 86°F, lows around 51°F
- September — highs around 75°F, lows around 43°F
- October — highs around 60°F, lows around 32°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 44°F, lows around 23°F, about 2.7 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 32°F, lows around 15°F, about 8.2 in of snowfall
Unit 68 deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy a deer tag for Unit 68 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can purchase a general deer tag over the counter for the archery and any-weapon seasons without applying or entering a draw. No points or preference system exists for Idaho deer tags.
How do nonresidents get a general deer tag for Unit 68?
Nonresidents enter a random draw and apply for a specific tag at the time of application, choosing either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag. The tag and season are locked in when applying, not selected afterward.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 68 to draw?
Controlled hunt 66A-1X, an antlerless white-tailed deer tag with very limited access, carries good odds for resident first-choice applicants. Controlled hunt 68, a November muzzleloader hunt for antlered deer, runs long odds by comparison. Both are pure random draws with a limited number of tags and no points involved.
Which deer tags are valid in Unit 68?
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. Season-specific legal animal restrictions, such as antlered-only or antlerless-only, apply on top of whichever tag is held.
Which Unit 68 seasons fall during the rut?
Controlled hunt 66A-1X and controlled hunt 68 both run into the primary rut and late rut period in November. The general archery and any-weapon seasons close before the rut begins, spanning summer bachelor patterns through the early fall migration phase instead.
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.