Unit 20A Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Middle Fork Elk Zone · 755 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 20A is in the Middle Fork 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 20A is like
Unit 20A sits almost entirely inside the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness, roughly 90 percent of the unit, split between the Payette and Salmon-Challis National Forests. Elevation runs from 2,200 feet up to 9,300 feet, and the terrain in between is steep and broken, with slopes averaging nearly 24 degrees and only about 15 percent of the ground classed as gentle. Because it's wilderness, there are no motorized vehicles allowed, which means this is foot and stock-hunting country through and through, with long approaches to reach elk. Cover shifts some with elevation, but sagebrush holds around half the ground at every band, conifer timber makes up the rest of the balance at lower elevations and gives way slightly to more grass and meadow higher up.
Almost all of the unit, about 754 of its 755 square miles, is national forest or wildlife management area generally open to public hunting, but that openness doesn't mean easy access — wilderness travel here is slow and demanding regardless of ownership. Four fires have reshaped parts of the landscape in recent years: the Patrol Point fire (2022) burned about 17,000 acres on the northeast side, the Elkhorn fire (2023) burned about 14,000 acres on the north side, the Dismal fire (2022) burned about 9,500 acres on the east side, and the Big Bear fire (2025) burned about 15,000 acres on the north side. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
General elk hunting here runs through the Middle Fork Elk Zone, shared with Units 26 and 27, and tags come as an A tag or a B tag, each with its own season and window in Unit 20A. Residents buy either over the counter, no draw required, while nonresidents apply for a specific zone tag — A or B — through a random draw, choosing which one when they apply rather than after. Both the A and B tags are capped, sold first-come, first-served until they're gone, so timing matters for anyone counting on one.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 20A is in the Middle Fork Elk Zone (Units 20A, 26 and 27); 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 20A. 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 20A, 26 | September 15 – September 30 | Antlered only | Primary Rut |
| A tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 20A, 26 | October 1 – October 31 | Antlered only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 20A, 26 | November 1 – November 18 | Antlered only | Migration Transition |
B tag · Any weapon · September 15 – September 30
The September B tag falls square in the Primary Rut phase, so bulls are at their most vocal and most predictable of the year, working the timber edges and sagebrush benches at elevation. Hunting this window means grinding into wilderness country on foot, using the steep, broken terrain and mix of sagebrush and conifer to locate and close on bugling bulls. Only antlered elk are legal, and with no motorized access anywhere in the unit, covering ground and getting into position both take real effort. It's a short season, sixteen days, so being ready to move on sign or sound is worth more here than almost anywhere else in the calendar.
A tag · Any weapon · October 1 – October 31
October's A tag opens right as bulls slide out of the rut and into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase before settling into Post-Rut Recovery by the back half of the month, meaning calling gets less reliable and elk become more scattered and recovery-focused. Snow starts to matter here, with roughly 3.5 inches falling over the month and lows dropping to around 26°F, enough to push elk to start shifting and to make wilderness travel firmer but colder. The Patrol Point, Elkhorn, and Dismal burns are all two to four years old this fall, which puts them in their prime window — the open ground left by these fires makes for good glassing, and elk work the new grass and brush at the burn edges morning and evening while bedding in the adjacent unburned timber. Only antlered elk are legal, and hunters who anchor near these burn edges rather than deep timber alone stand to see more elk with less effort.
B tag · Any weapon · November 1 – November 18
By November the elk have moved into the Migration Transition phase, shifting off summer range toward lower ground as winter closes in, and the hunt turns into more of a tracking and interception game than a calling one. Snowfall picks up sharply this month, averaging near 15.9 inches with lows around 17°F, which pushes elk to move and can make the wilderness terrain here considerably harder and slower to travel. The Big Bear fire, only one year old this fall, is still in its early recovery stage — elk displaced by it are likely settled onto ground with better water and feed rather than working the burn itself, so it's better treated as a bare, unstable area than a feeding draw. This B tag season only allows antlered elk, and the combination of steep ground, deep snow potential, and elk on the move calls for hunters who can adapt to where the animals have gone rather than where they were in early fall.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 2,200–9,300 ft, typically around 6,100 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 15% gentle · 39% moderate · 39% steep · 7% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~754 sq mi
- National forests
- Payette National Forest and Salmon-Challis National Forest
- Designated wilderness
- Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness (90%) — 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
- Sagebrush48%
- Conifer44%
- Grass and meadow7%
- Other cover1%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush48%
- Conifer36%
- Grass and meadow16%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush49%
- Conifer36%
- Grass and meadow14%
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 20A. 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.
- Patrol Point fire, 2022 — about 17,000 acres in the unit (3%), mostly on its northeast side.
- Big Bear fire, 2025 — about 15,000 acres in the unit (3%), mostly on its north side.
- Elkhorn fire, 2023 — about 14,000 acres in the unit (3%), mostly on its north side.
- Dismal fire, 2022 — about 9,500 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its east side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 100% of Unit 20A is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area.
- National Forest100%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Private<1%
Fall weather
- August — highs around 75°F, lows around 39°F
- September — highs around 65°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.2 in of snowfall
- October — highs around 51°F, lows around 26°F, about 3.5 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 38°F, lows around 17°F, about 15.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 30°F, lows around 10°F, about 29.1 in of snowfall
Unit 20A elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 20A over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy either the Middle Fork Elk Zone's A tag or B tag over the counter with no draw or application needed, as long as tags remain available. Both tags are capped and sold first-come, first-served, so they can sell out.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 20A?
Nonresidents go through a random draw rather than buying over the counter. When applying, they choose a specific tag — either the Middle Fork Elk Zone's A tag or its B tag — and that choice is locked in at application, not selected afterward.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 20A?
Unit 20A falls in the Middle Fork Elk Zone along with Units 26 and 27. The zone offers an A tag and a B tag, each with its own season, and only the portions of those seasons listed for Unit 20A are valid here.
Which Unit 20A elk season falls during the rut?
The September B tag, running September 15 through September 30, falls entirely within the Primary Rut phase. Both the October A tag and the November B tag come after the rut has ended.
How much of Unit 20A is public land a hunter can count on?
About 100 percent of the unit, roughly 754 of its 755 square miles, is national forest or wildlife management area generally open to public hunting. That said, most of it lies within designated wilderness, so being open doesn't mean access is quick or easy.
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.