Unit 75 Deer Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · 379 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 good odds.
What hunting Unit 75 is like
Unit 75 is rolling country, with some steeper breaks, running from around 4,900 feet up to 9,700 feet, most of it in the gentle-to-moderate range that makes for reasonable foot travel. Lower elevations lean heavily to sagebrush with pockets of riparian growth, mid elevations are dominated by sagebrush with conifer and aspen mixed in, and the high country shifts to conifer and aspen with sagebrush breaks. Caribou National Forest anchors much of the higher ground, and its designated wilderness is closed to motorized travel, so the farther reaches of the unit reward hunters willing to work on foot.
About 43 percent of Unit 75, roughly 161 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM, state endowment land, and a State Wildlife Management Area — the only ground a hunter can plan on without arranging permission first. State endowment parcels are open unless posted closed or leased, so it pays to check status parcel by parcel. The remaining 57 percent is private, and written permission is required before setting foot on it; finding the huntable pockets within the public base and lining up access where private ground blocks the way takes real legwork, not a guarantee of open country.
Tag options here split cleanly: residents buy a general regular deer tag over the counter for either the archery or any-weapon season, no application needed. Nonresidents go through a random draw, and they apply for a specific tag — regular deer or white-tailed deer — as a choice at the time of application, not after the draw. Layered on top is a controlled antlerless hunt for white-tailed deer that runs deep into the fall and gives an extra opportunity beyond the general seasons.
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 |
| Regular deer tag · Any weapon Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | October 10 – October 24 | Antlered | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
Regular deer tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This archery season opens while bucks are still deep in their summer bachelor routine and running through velvet shed by its end in late September. Summer scouting pays off more than anything else — glassing shady pockets and north-facing slopes in Unit 75's sagebrush and timber mix to find a buck bedded for the day. The pattern is to glass at first light, mark where a buck beds, then close the distance at midday while he's down, or glass again in the evening to either set up a stalk or simply learn his pattern for a return the next morning. A buck that seems to vanish is usually still nearby, tucked into a small crevice or draw, and once velvet is shed bucks tend to bed earlier and stay put longer, so the same still-hunting and glassing approach carries through to the season's close. Only antlered deer are legal, and the Motorized Hunting Rule applies.
Regular deer tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 24
By the time this any-weapon season opens in mid-October, bucks are sliding into a more nocturnal pattern, moving mostly under low light and holding tight to cover during the day. Most deer haven't gone far from where they spent the summer, so the ground scouted earlier in the fall is still the right starting point — still, catching one moving in daylight takes patience and quiet still-hunting through the sagebrush and timber edges rather than covering a lot of country. Only antlered deer are legal here, and the Motorized Hunting Rule applies, which limits how much ground can be covered by vehicle in a unit that's already better worked on foot.
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 75 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; Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Units 66A, 73, 75, 76; 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 |
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 controlled hunt runs long, from early October through the end of November, covering the period when deer drift out of their fall pattern, stage through migration corridors, move through the peak of the rut, and finally settle into late-season winter groups. It's an antlerless-only white-tailed deer tag with very limited access, so success comes down to finding huntable ground within Unit 75's mix of public and private land and being ready for the Motorized Hunting Rule that applies here. November hunters should expect some snow accumulation and cold lows, which can push deer to lower, more sheltered ground and make travel through the unit's rolling terrain tougher going. Draw odds for this hunt run good for resident first-choice applicants, though a tag is never guaranteed, and this is an extra antlerless opportunity layered on top of the unit's general seasons.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,900–9,700 ft, typically around 6,400 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 53% gentle · 37% moderate · 10% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~161 sq mi
- National forests
- Caribou 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 cover46%
- Sagebrush37%
- Riparian12%
- Conifer1%
- Grass and meadow1%
- Aspen1%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush60%
- Conifer18%
- Aspen10%
- Other cover10%
- Riparian1%
- Grass and meadow1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer54%
- Aspen23%
- Sagebrush20%
- 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 43% of Unit 75 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM, Idaho state endowment land and State Wildlife Management Area.
- National Forest36%
- BLM4%
- Idaho state endowment land2%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Private57%
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 82°F, lows around 47°F
- September — highs around 71°F, lows around 39°F
- October — highs around 57°F, lows around 30°F, about 0.6 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 42°F, lows around 21°F, about 5 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 32°F, lows around 13°F, about 10.8 in of snowfall
Unit 75 deer hunting FAQ
Can a resident hunter buy a deer tag for Unit 75 without applying for anything?
Yes. Residents purchase the general regular deer tag over the counter for either the archery or any-weapon season, with no draw or application required.
How do nonresidents get a general deer tag in Unit 75?
Nonresident general deer tags are allocated through a random draw, and the applicant chooses a specific tag — regular deer or white-tailed deer — at the time of application, not afterward. There is no point system involved; it is a straightforward random draw each cycle.
How hard is it to draw the controlled antlerless hunt in Unit 75?
Controlled hunt 66A-1X, the extra antlerless white-tailed deer tag, carries good odds for resident first-choice applicants. A tag is never guaranteed, and the hunt has a limited number of tags available.
Which deer tags are valid in Unit 75?
The regular deer tag covers either mule deer or white-tailed deer during the general archery and any-weapon seasons, both restricted to antlered deer. A separate white-tailed deer tag applies to the antlerless-only controlled hunt, 66A-1X.
How much of Unit 75 can a hunter count on for public access?
About 43 percent of the unit, roughly 161 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM, state endowment land, and a State Wildlife Management Area. The other 57 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.