Unit 10A Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Dworshak Elk Zone · 1,556 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 10A is in the Dworshak Elk Zone, whose A and B tags carry different seasons. 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 very long odds. The zone's A tag and B tag are capped: a limited number, sold first-come, first-served.
What hunting Unit 10A is like
Unit 10A sits in rolling to moderately steep country, spread across the Clearwater National Forest and St. Joe National Forest, with elevations ranging from valley bottoms near 900 feet up to ridgelines around 6,300 feet, though most of the hunting happens around 3,300 feet. The mix of terrain — a bit over a quarter gentle ground, roughly half moderate slopes, and the rest steep — means a hunter can find a range of hunting styles here, from ridge-walking to glassing open pockets. Cover across the unit leans heavily to timber, with conifer making up the bulk of the landscape and smaller shares of sagebrush and grass and meadow openings breaking it up; those openings are worth finding for glassing or ambush setups.
About 48 percent of the unit, roughly 750 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, state endowment land, BLM, and Wildlife Management Area ground — the only acreage a hunter can really count on, since individual parcels of state land can be posted closed and access is never guaranteed just because it shows green on a map. The remaining 52 percent is private and requires written permission. That public-private split, and the fact that Unit 10A borders large national forest blocks, shapes where a hunter can realistically go without landowner contact.
General elk tags in Unit 10A are sold through the Dworshak Elk Zone, with an A tag and a B tag on different seasons and weapons; residents buy either over the counter, while nonresidents apply for one specific tag — A or B — in a random draw, choosing at the time of application, not after. Both general tags are capped, sold first-come, first-served until gone. Alongside the general seasons, two controlled hunts offer antlerless-only opportunity, drawn by pure random chance with no points involved anywhere in Idaho's elk system.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 10A is in the Dworshak Elk Zone; 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 10A. 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: Unit 10A | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered only | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Unit 10A; Brow-tined bulls only | October 10 – November 3 | Brow-tined bull only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| A tag · Muzzleloader Valid area: Unit 10A | December 2 – December 14 | Antlered only | Winter Range |
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Archery season opens right as bulls are shedding velvet and still hanging close to their summer haunts, making the early going a good window for spot-and-stalk work or sitting water sources in the timber. As the season rolls through Rut Onset and into the Primary Rut, bulls become more vocal and mobile, and the mix of conifer cover with pockets of sagebrush and grass and meadow openings in Unit 10A gives archers places to glass before closing the distance. This is an A tag hunt, archery only, and only antlered bulls are legal. Public ground inside the Clearwater and St. Joe National Forests offers the most reliable place to spend these weeks.
B tag · Any weapon · October 10 – November 3
By the time the B tag any-weapon season opens, the rut has passed its peak and elk are moving into Late Rut and Early Post-Rut behavior before sliding into Post-Rut Recovery and then the Migration Transition as November wears on. Only brow-tined bulls are legal during this season, so hunters need to identify antler configuration before pulling the trigger. Snowfall picks up toward the end of the season, averaging around 3.8 inches in November with lows near 28°F, which can start nudging elk toward lower or more sheltered ground and make late-season movement worth watching. Timber cover dominates the unit, so still-hunting or working edges near openings can pay off as animals shift with the changing conditions.
A tag · Muzzleloader · December 2 – December 14
The December muzzleloader season falls entirely within the Winter Range phase, when elk have settled into their late-season patterns after migrating down from higher country. Snowfall averages around 12.7 inches for the month with lows near 22°F, conditions that push elk toward lower elevations and concentrate them in accessible pockets of cover. This A tag hunt is muzzleloader only and antlered bulls are legal, and hunters willing to work the timber at lower elevations during tougher weather can find bulls that have settled into winter range. Public national forest ground remains the dependable option for hunters without private access.
Controlled elk 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 10A is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 10A-1 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit; Very limited access, most elk are on private property | August 1 – December 31 | Antlerless only | Very long odds | Late Summer / Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition, Winter Range |
| Controlled hunt 10A · Muzzleloader | December 2 – December 5 | Antlerless only | Good odds | Winter Range |
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 10A-1 · Any weapon · August 1 – December 31
Controlled hunt 10A-1 runs the entire calendar from Late Summer through Winter Range, covering every phase the unit's elk go through in a season, but it applies to only part of Unit 10A and access is very limited since most of the elk in that area sit on private property. This is an antlerless-only hunt, so success depends on locating cow and calf groups on whatever public or accessible ground exists within the hunt's boundary. Late-season hunters should expect snowfall building toward November and December, with November averaging about 3.8 inches of snow and lows near 28°F, and December averaging about 12.7 inches with lows near 22°F, both of which can push animals toward lower ground. Given the private-land concentration of elk here, this hunt carries very long odds in the resident draw and demands persistence and scouting for whatever pockets of public or permitted ground remain open.
Controlled hunt 10A · Muzzleloader · December 2 – December 5
Controlled hunt 10A falls entirely in the Winter Range phase, a short four-day muzzleloader window in early December when elk have moved down to lower-elevation ground for the winter. Snowfall during this stretch averages around 12.7 inches with lows near 22°F, and that weather tends to concentrate antlerless elk in accessible timber and openings. This is an antlerless-only tag, so hunters should focus on locating cow and calf groups rather than bulls, working the timbered lower elevations where wintering elk are more likely to hold. This hunt draws at good odds for residents, making it one of the more attainable controlled tags in Unit 10A.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 900–6,300 ft, typically around 3,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 27% gentle · 52% moderate · 21% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~750 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.
Across the unit
- Conifer70%
- Sagebrush18%
- Grass and meadow7%
- Other cover5%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 48% of Unit 10A is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, Idaho state endowment land, BLM and State Wildlife Management Area.
- National Forest24%
- Idaho state endowment land23%
- BLM1%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Private52%
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 42°F
- October — highs around 55°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.2 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 41°F, lows around 28°F, about 3.8 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 34°F, lows around 22°F, about 12.7 in of snowfall
Unit 10A elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 10A over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy a general elk tag for the Dworshak Elk Zone, which covers Unit 10A, over the counter without applying or waiting on a draw. They still need to choose between the A tag and B tag, since each carries different seasons and weapons, and both are capped and sold until they run out.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 10A?
Nonresidents go through a random draw for a general tag, but they must apply for a specific tag — either the Dworshak Elk Zone A tag or B tag — at the time they submit their application. The tag is chosen when applying, not after the draw, and both tags are capped in number.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 10A to draw?
Controlled hunt 10A-1, an any-weapon antlerless hunt covering only part of the unit, carries very long odds for resident first-choice applicants, largely because most of the elk there sit on private property. Controlled hunt 10A, a December muzzleloader antlerless hunt, carries good odds for residents by comparison. Both are pure random draws with no points involved.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 10A?
Unit 10A falls within the Dworshak Elk Zone, which sells a general A tag and a general B tag with different seasons and weapons. The A tag covers an archery season and a separate muzzleloader season, while the B tag covers an any-weapon season restricted to brow-tined bulls. A hunter chooses one tag rather than holding both.
How much of Unit 10A is public land a hunter can count on?
About 48 percent of the unit, roughly 750 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, state endowment land, BLM, and Wildlife Management Area ground. That is the only acreage a hunter can reliably plan around, since state endowment parcels can be posted closed and the remaining 52 percent is private land requiring written permission.
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.