Unit 10 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Lolo Elk Zone · 1,186 sq mi
General season — resident tags over the counter
Residents buy general elk tags over the counter — no draw, no points. General elk is sold by zone: Unit 10 is in the Lolo Elk Zone, whose A and B tags carry different seasons. Nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw. The zone's A tag and B tag are capped: a limited number, sold first-come, first-served.
What hunting Unit 10 is like
Unit 10 is steep and broken country spanning elevations from around 1,600 feet up to nearly 7,900 feet, with most of the ground falling into moderate to steep slope classes and a mean slope of 24 degrees. Conifer timber dominates the landscape at every elevation band, running from 86% at the lower elevations up through 88% at mid elevations and 83% up high, with sagebrush mixed in throughout and a small share of grass and meadow appearing only at the higher elevations. This is foot-hunting country for the most part, with the Clearwater National Forest and the St. Joe National Forest making up the backbone of the unit and any designated wilderness inside them closed to motorized travel, meaning access on foot or by stock.
Roughly 99% of Unit 10 is generally open to public hunting, made up of National Forest and Idaho state endowment land. That is the figure a hunter can count on, though state endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased even when generally open, and public land here does not mean easy or guaranteed entry given the terrain. The Moose Mountain fire burned about 5,800 acres on the unit's north side and is within its first year after the fire, meaning cover and elk distribution there have likely shifted from where they were in summer; hunters working that ground should check for current fire closures before heading in.
Elk tags here are sold through the Lolo Elk Zone, which also covers Unit 12, and the zone offers an A tag and a B tag with different seasons and weapons, each capped in number and sold first-come, first-served. Residents buy either over the counter with no draw or application, while nonresidents enter a random draw in which they apply for the specific A or B tag they want up front, choosing it at the time of application rather than after the draw.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 10 is in the Lolo Elk Zone (Units 10 and 12); a hunter chooses its A tag or its B tag, and each carries its own seasons. The windows below are the ones valid in Unit 10. Residents buy the tag over the counter; nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| A tag · Archery Valid area: Units 10 and 12 | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered only | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 10 and 12 | October 10 – November 3 | Antlered only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Archery season opens right as bulls are shedding velvet and settling into the tail end of summer patterns, still holding close to the ground they used earlier in the season before the Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases pull them into breeding activity. In Unit 10's steep, timber-heavy country, sitting water sources or glassing open pockets for a spot-and-stalk approach can pay off, especially where sagebrush breaks up the conifer at lower and mid elevations. The A tag covers archery only, from August 30 through September 30, valid in Units 10 and 12, and only antlered elk are legal. This window falls squarely inside the September rut, so calling and rut-related tactics have the most going for them here.
B tag · Any weapon · October 10 – November 3
By the time the B tag opens, the rut has passed its peak and elk are moving into the Late Rut and Early Post-Rut phase before settling into Post-Rut Recovery and eventually the early stages of the Migration Transition phase as the season closes out in early November. Hunters can expect elk to be less vocal and more scattered than during the archery season, working through the same steep, timber-dominated terrain but potentially shifting toward lower ground as conditions change. November brings around 8.5 inches of snowfall and lows near 25°F, which can push elk to start moving and make travel in the unit's steep terrain more demanding. The B tag runs October 10 through November 3, any weapon, valid in Units 10 and 12, with antlered elk the only legal animal.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 1,600–7,900 ft, typically around 4,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 7% gentle · 46% moderate · 44% steep · 3% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1,177 sq mi
- National forests
- Clearwater National Forest and St. Joe 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
- Conifer86%
- Sagebrush12%
- Other cover2%
Mid elevations
- Conifer88%
- Sagebrush11%
Higher elevations
- Conifer83%
- Sagebrush16%
- Grass and meadow1%
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 10. 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.
- Moose Mountain fire, 2026 — about 5,800 acres in the unit, mostly on its north side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 99% of Unit 10 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest and Idaho state endowment land.
- National Forest98%
- Idaho state endowment land1%
- Private<1%
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 66°F, lows around 41°F
- October — highs around 51°F, lows around 32°F, about 0.8 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 37°F, lows around 25°F, about 8.5 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 30°F, lows around 19°F, about 22.3 in of snowfall
Unit 10 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 10 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy either the A tag or the B tag for the Lolo Elk Zone over the counter with no draw or application required, as long as tags remain available since both are capped and sold first-come, first-served.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 10?
Nonresidents go through a random draw, and when applying they must choose the specific tag they want, either the A tag or the B tag for the Lolo Elk Zone. The tag choice happens at the time of application, not after the draw results are known.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 10?
Unit 10 falls under the Lolo Elk Zone, which also includes Unit 12. The zone offers an A tag for archery and a B tag for any weapon, each with its own season and both capped in number.
Which Unit 10 elk season falls during the rut?
The A tag archery season, running August 30 through September 30, spans the Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases and is the season that falls within the September rut. The B tag season in October and November comes after the rut has passed its peak.
How much of Unit 10 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 99% of the unit, roughly 1,177 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through National Forest and Idaho state endowment land. Individual state endowment parcels can still be posted closed or leased, so that openness is not absolute everywhere.
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.