Unit 19 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Selway Elk Zone · 258 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 19 is in the Selway 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 19 is like
Unit 19 is steep and broken country in the Nezperce National Forest, with the Gospel Hump Wilderness covering about 68% of the ground. Slopes average better than 25 degrees, and nearly all of the unit is foot country: no motorized travel is allowed inside the wilderness boundary, so getting to elk means walking or riding stock in. Cover shifts with elevation, from sagebrush and grass mixed with conifer down low to conifer-dominated timber through the middle elevations, opening back into a sagebrush-conifer mix up high. It is unforgiving ground that rewards physical conditioning and a willingness to get well away from any road.
Nearly all of Unit 19, about 98% of it, sits on National Forest land that is generally open to public hunting, with only a small private share requiring written permission to access. That does not mean entry is simple; the terrain itself, not land ownership, is what limits how much of the unit a hunter can realistically cover in a season. The Sheep Creek fire of 2021 burned about 8,200 acres on the unit's west side, and the Jumbo fire of the same year burned about 3,300 acres toward the middle of the unit; both are now five to eight years past the burn and have grown into thick brush and deadfall that can hide elk at close range. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
General elk tags here are sold through the Selway Elk Zone, which also covers Units 16A, 17 and 20. Residents buy an A tag or a B tag over the counter, while nonresidents apply for one of those same specific tags through a random draw, choosing A or B at the time of application rather than after the draw. Both tags are capped, sold first-come, first-served until they run out for residents, with a fixed number of tags available to nonresidents through the draw.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 19 is in the Selway Elk Zone (Units 16A, 17, 19 and 20); 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 19. Residents buy the tag over the counter; nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 16A, 17, 19 and 20 | September 15 – September 30 | Antlered only | Primary Rut |
| A tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 16A, 17, 19 and 20 | October 1 – October 31 | Antlered only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 16A, 17, 19 and 20 | November 1 – November 11 | Antlered only | Migration Transition |
B tag · Any weapon · September 15 – September 30
This is the rut hunt: the September B tag season falls entirely inside the Primary Rut phase, when bulls are most vocal and active in the days before and during the peak. In Unit 19's steep, broken terrain, that means covering ground carefully in timbered mid-elevations and along the edges of sagebrush openings where bulls are working. Only antlered elk are legal, and the tag is capped, so tags sell out before the season starts if demand is high. The wilderness closure to motorized travel means every mile into elk country is covered on foot or by stock.
A tag · Any weapon · October 1 – October 31
By October the rut is winding down, with the season spanning the tail end of the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase into Post-Rut Recovery, so bulls that were locked onto cows earlier are dispersing and settling into more solitary patterns. Hunters working the A tag season in Unit 19 do well to focus on conifer-heavy mid-elevation cover, where elk retreat as the rut activity fades, while watching for early snow that starts falling in modest amounts and pushes animals to lower ground. Lows drop into the mid-20s, and the roughly two inches of snowfall typical for the month can firm up tracking conditions without yet forcing a major migration. Only antlered elk are legal under this any-weapon tag.
B tag · Any weapon · November 1 – November 11
The November B tag season lines up with the Migration Transition phase, when elk are shifting off summer range and moving toward lower-elevation wintering areas. Heavier snowfall, averaging over 15 inches for the month with lows near 18°F, is a real factor here, pushing elk out of the high country and concentrating them along established travel routes at lower elevations. Hunters willing to work the sagebrush-conifer mix down low, where elk funnel as snow builds up above them, have the best chance of intercepting moving animals. Only antlered elk are legal, and the short, eleven-day window rewards those who can move quickly once conditions push elk downhill.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 1,900–8,900 ft, typically around 5,900 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 13% gentle · 34% moderate · 45% steep · 8% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~254 sq mi
- National forests
- Nezperce National Forest
- Designated wilderness
- Gospel Hump Wilderness (68%) — 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
- Sagebrush53%
- Conifer31%
- Grass and meadow15%
Mid elevations
- Conifer65%
- Sagebrush33%
- Grass and meadow1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer47%
- Sagebrush43%
- Grass and meadow9%
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 19. 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.
- Sheep Creek fire, 2021 — about 8,200 acres in the unit (5%), mostly on its west side.
- Jumbo fire, 2021 — about 3,300 acres in the unit (2%), toward the middle of the unit.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 98% of Unit 19 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest.
- National Forest98%
- Private2%
Fall weather
- August — highs around 74°F, lows around 39°F
- September — highs around 65°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- October — highs around 51°F, lows around 26°F, about 2.3 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 38°F, lows around 18°F, about 15.3 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 31°F, lows around 11°F, about 30.4 in of snowfall
Unit 19 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 19 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy either the Selway Elk Zone's A tag or B tag over the counter without applying for a draw. Both tags are capped and sold first-come, first-served, so they can sell out before the season opens.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 19?
Nonresidents enter a random draw and must choose a specific tag, either the Selway Elk Zone's A tag or B tag, at the time they apply. The tag is selected when applying, not after the draw results are known, and only a limited number of nonresident tags are available.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 19?
Unit 19 falls in the Selway Elk Zone, along with Units 16A, 17 and 20. The zone offers an A tag and a B tag with different season windows, and a hunter picks one or the other for the year.
Which Unit 19 elk season falls during the rut?
The September B tag season, running September 15 through September 30, falls entirely within the Primary Rut phase. The October A tag and the November B tag both fall outside the rut, spanning the late rut into post-rut recovery and the migration transition, respectively.
How much of Unit 19 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 98% of the unit is National Forest land generally open to public hunting, with only about 1.5% in private ownership requiring written permission. That said, the unit's steep, broken terrain and extensive wilderness closure to motorized travel mean access still takes real effort on foot or with stock.
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.