Unit 16 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Elk City Elk Zone · 389 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 16 is in the Elk City Elk Zone, whose A and B tags carry different seasons. Nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw. It also has 1 controlled hunt, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds fair odds. The zone's A tag and B tag are capped: a limited number, sold first-come, first-served.
What hunting Unit 16 is like
Unit 16 sits across the Clearwater and Nezperce National Forests, with a sliver of the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness along its edge closed to motorized travel. The country runs from low river bottoms up to high timbered ridgelines, and the terrain by area is mixed, with substantial steep ground — moderate and steep slopes dominate, and a hunter should plan on foot travel and sustained climbing to get away from roads. Timber holds the bulk of the cover at every elevation band, thickest up high, with sagebrush and grass and meadow openings mixed in lower down where elk find early-season feed.
About 80 percent of the unit, roughly 310 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, state endowment, and BLM ground — the one figure a hunter can plan around, though individual state parcels can be posted closed or leased and should be checked before the hunt. The remaining fifth is private land requiring written permission. The Island Creek fire burned about 13,000 acres, roughly 5 percent of the unit, mostly on its east side in 2025, and this fall it is within its first year after the fire — country where elk are likely to have shifted off their summer haunts toward whatever ground still holds water and green feed, with grass and brush the first to come back. Hunters working that ground should check for current fire closures before heading in.
General elk tags here are sold by the Elk City Elk Zone, which also covers Units 14 and 15. Residents buy an A tag or B tag over the counter with no draw; nonresidents apply for one specific tag — the zone's A tag or B tag — through a random draw, choosing which one when they apply rather than after drawing. Both tags are capped, sold first-come, first-served until gone. Controlled hunt 16-1 is a separate, pure random draw for a limited number of antlerless tags, decided independent of any resident or nonresident general tag choice.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 16 is in the Elk City Elk Zone (Units 14, 15 and 16); 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 16. 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 15, 16 | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered only | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 14, 15 and 16 | October 10 – October 24 | Antlered only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| A tag · Muzzleloader Valid area: Units 14, 16 | November 21 – December 5 | Antlerless only | Migration Transition, Winter Range |
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Archery season opens while bulls are still working through the Pre-Rut Transition into Rut Onset and on into the Primary Rut by its final weeks, giving a hunter a shot at vocal, moving bulls late in the season. Early on, bulls are stripping velvet and holding close to where they spent the summer, so sitting water sources or glassing open pockets of sagebrush and grass at lower elevations for a spot-and-stalk can pay off before working higher into timber as the weeks pass. The steep, mixed terrain rewards a hunter willing to climb and cover ground quietly. Only antlered bulls are legal, and the tag is valid across Units 15 and 16.
B tag · Any weapon · October 10 – October 24
By the time the any-weapon season opens, elk have moved past the peak rut and into the Late Rut and Early Post-Rut phase, sliding toward Post-Rut Recovery as October closes out. Bulls are less vocal and less predictable than in September, so covering ground through timber and checking the edges where conifer gives way to sagebrush and grass can turn up animals settling into fall patterns. The mixed, steep country favors hunters who can still climb and glass methodically rather than rely on calling. Only antlered bulls are legal, and the tag is valid across Units 14, 15, and 16.
A tag · Muzzleloader · November 21 – December 5
This muzzleloader season falls during the Migration Transition and Winter Range phases, when elk are shifting off high ground toward lower wintering areas as snow accumulates — November brings modest snowfall with lows near 27°F, building to heavier snow and colder nights by December. For a hunter carrying an antlerless tag, that means working the lower-elevation conifer, sagebrush, and grass and meadow mix where animals concentrate as they come down, rather than pushing into the high country. Access gets harder as snow deepens through the period, and the tag is valid across Units 14 and 16 for antlerless elk only.
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 16 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 16-1 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit; Very limited access, most elk are on private property | December 10 – December 31 | Antlerless only | Fair 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 16-1 · Any weapon · December 10 – December 31
Controlled hunt 16-1 runs entirely within the Winter Range phase, when elk have settled onto lower ground for the season, and December snowfall of around 11.7 inches with lows near 21°F keeps them there. This hunt covers only part of the unit and access is very limited, with most elk on private property, so success depends heavily on securing permission or finding the small share of huntable ground nearby. The tag is antlerless only, and a hunter should expect deep snow and difficult footing wherever public access can be found.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 1,200–7,800 ft, typically around 3,700 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 14% gentle · 43% moderate · 41% steep · 3% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~310 sq mi
- National forests
- Clearwater National Forest and Nezperce National Forest
- Designated wilderness
- Selway Bitterroot Wilderness (5%) — closed to motorized vehicles
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
- Conifer48%
- Sagebrush26%
- Other cover14%
- Grass and meadow13%
Mid elevations
- Conifer75%
- Sagebrush23%
- Grass and meadow2%
Higher elevations
- Conifer82%
- Sagebrush16%
- Grass and meadow2%
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 16. 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.
- Island Creek fire, 2025 — about 13,000 acres in the unit (5%), mostly on its east side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 80% of Unit 16 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, Idaho state endowment land and BLM.
- National Forest78%
- Idaho state endowment land1%
- BLM<1%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private20%
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 83°F, lows around 47°F
- September — highs around 72°F, lows around 41°F
- October — highs around 57°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.3 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 42°F, lows around 27°F, about 3.4 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 35°F, lows around 21°F, about 11.7 in of snowfall
Unit 16 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 16 over the counter?
Yes. Residents purchase either the Elk City Elk Zone's A tag or B tag over the counter with no draw and no application. The zone covers Units 14, 15, and 16, and each tag has its own season and legal-animal rules that apply within Unit 16.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 16?
Nonresidents enter a random draw and must apply for one specific tag, either the Elk City Elk Zone's A tag or its B tag, choosing which one at the time of application rather than after the draw. Both tags are capped, so even a successful draw entry depends on tags still being available.
How hard is it to draw Controlled hunt 16-1?
Controlled hunt 16-1 is a pure random draw for a limited number of antlerless tags, with no points involved, and the resident first-choice odds fall in the fair range. That band describes resident first-choice applicants only and is never a guarantee.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 16?
Unit 16 falls within the Elk City Elk Zone, shared with Units 14 and 15. General tags are sold by zone rather than by unit, so a hunter chooses the zone's A tag or B tag rather than a Unit 16-specific tag.
How much of Unit 16 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 80 percent of the unit, roughly 310 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, state endowment, and BLM ground. The remaining fifth is private and requires written permission, and even the public share is not guaranteed access since some state parcels can be posted closed or leased.
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.