Unit 74 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 611 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 74 is like
Unit 74 is rolling country, with some steeper breaks, running from around 4,500 feet up to over 9,000 feet. Most of the ground is gentle to moderate, which keeps it approachable on foot, though the steeper breaks add real work in spots. Mid elevations run heavy to sagebrush with only scattered conifer and aspen, while higher elevations mix conifer and sagebrush in closer to even shares with some aspen mixed in — cover that rewards a hunter who's willing to glass and walk into the open slopes rather than hunt from a truck.
Only about 26 percent of the unit, roughly 157 square miles of state endowment and BLM ground, is generally open to public hunting, and even that requires checking for posted closures or leases since individual parcels can be pulled from public access. The other 74 percent is private and needs written permission before it can be hunted. That access split is the real limiting factor here — the terrain itself is not what keeps hunters out of most of Unit 74.
Residents can 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, and they apply for either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag specifically when they submit their application, not after they draw. Beyond the general seasons, Unit 74 also offers controlled hunts by pure random draw — an antlerless-only hunt for extra opportunity and a late muzzleloader hunt for bucks during the rut — each 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 | 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 early fall in Unit 74 finds bucks still in velvet and loosely bachelored up, a pattern that holds through the Summer Range phase and into the Velvet Shed transition. Scouting is the whole game: glass at first light to locate a buck, mark where he beds for the day, and consider closing the distance at midday while he's bedded in shade or on a north-facing slope. Deer lean on forbs and browse and don't need much water to get by, so don't expect them to be tied to it. Evening glassing often just re-locates a buck to hunt the following morning, and a buck that seems to vanish is usually still nearby in a small crevice or draw. This is a regular deer tag season, so mule deer or white-tailed bucks are both legal, and only antlered deer may be taken.
Regular deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 24
By the second full week of October, bucks in Unit 74 are sliding into the Early Fall Migration phase and getting noticeably more nocturnal, which makes daylight encounters harder to come by than they were in archery season. Most bucks haven't moved far and are still holding in the same general country they used through summer, so hunters who scouted the sagebrush and timber edges earlier in the fall have a head start. Covering ground early and late, and still-hunting or glassing the fringes where deer might slip out to feed, beats waiting on open flats for daylight movement. This any-weapon season under the regular deer tag is limited to antlered deer, with mule deer or white-tailed bucks both legal.
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 74 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 74 · 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 is an antlerless-only opportunity for white-tailed deer, running long through the fall from the Early Fall Migration phase all the way through the Primary Rut and into Late Rut / Winter Consolidation, with access described as very limited. By November, snowfall picks up to around 3.6 inches for the month with lows near 24°F, conditions that tend to push deer out of higher ground and onto lower, more open terrain where they're easier to spot and approach. Given the limited access tied to this hunt, success depends heavily on lining up a way onto the right ground rather than on covering large amounts of country. Only antlerless white-tailed deer may be taken on this tag, and Unit 74 residents drawing this hunt as their first choice have historically faced good odds, similar to draw odds in hunts 77 and 78.
Controlled hunt 74 · Muzzleloader · November 16 – November 30
By mid-to-late November when this muzzleloader hunt opens, Unit 74 bucks are deep into the Primary Rut and sliding toward Late Rut / Winter Consolidation, meaning bucks are far more likely to be found near does than off on their own. Snowfall averaging around 3.6 inches for the month and lows near 24°F often push deer out of the high country onto lower, more glassable ground, and fresh snow is worth watching for fresh tracks. Glassing early and late in the day, then working toward concentrations of does, is the most direct way to find a rutting buck here. This controlled hunt is limited to antlered deer only, and it's a long-odds draw for residents applying as their first choice.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,500–9,200 ft, typically around 5,700 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 56% gentle · 36% moderate · 8% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~157 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
- Other cover65%
- Sagebrush31%
- Grass and meadow3%
- Riparian1%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush54%
- Other cover41%
- Conifer3%
- Aspen1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer47%
- Sagebrush42%
- Aspen8%
- Other cover3%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 26% of Unit 74 is public land a hunter can generally count on — Idaho state endowment land and BLM.
- Idaho state endowment land13%
- BLM13%
- Private74%
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 84°F, lows around 52°F
- September — highs around 73°F, lows around 44°F
- October — highs around 59°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.3 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 44°F, lows around 24°F, about 3.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 33°F, lows around 17°F, about 10.6 in of snowfall
Unit 74 deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy a deer tag for Unit 74 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can purchase a general regular deer tag over the counter for both the archery season and the any-weapon season in Unit 74 without applying or entering a draw. No points or applications are involved for residents on these general seasons.
How do nonresidents get a general deer tag for Unit 74?
Nonresidents enter a random draw and apply for a specific tag — either the regular deer tag or the white-tailed deer tag — as part of their application. The tag choice is made when applying, not after the draw results are known.
How hard is it to draw the controlled hunts in Unit 74?
The antlerless-only Controlled hunt 66A-1X carries good odds for residents applying as their first choice, similar to hunts 77 and 78. The muzzleloader Controlled hunt 74, which falls during the rut, carries long odds for residents applying as their first choice. Neither outcome is guaranteed, and Idaho's deer draws use no points of any kind.
Which deer tags are valid in Unit 74?
The regular deer tag covers either mule deer or white-tailed deer in the general archery and any-weapon seasons, both restricted to antlered deer. Controlled hunt 74 is also an antlered-only opportunity under a separate draw tag. Controlled hunt 66A-1X is an antlerless-only white-tailed deer tag with very limited access.
Which Unit 74 seasons fall during the November rut?
Controlled hunt 66A-1X and Controlled hunt 74 both run into the Primary Rut and Late Rut phases. The general archery and any-weapon seasons close before the rut begins and don't overlap with 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.