Unit 22 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Weiser River Elk Zone · 857 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 22 is in the Weiser River Elk Zone, whose A and B tags carry different seasons. Nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw. It also has 3 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds from good odds to long odds.
What hunting Unit 22 is like
Unit 22 covers 857 square miles of rolling to moderately steep country in west-central Idaho, spanning the Nezperce National Forest and the Payette National Forest, with a sliver of the Hells Canyon Wilderness (about 3.3% of the unit) closed to motorized travel. Elevation runs from 1,400 feet up to 8,700 feet, and cover shifts with it: lower slopes lean heavily to sagebrush and grass with only scattered conifer, mid elevations become a mix of timber, sagebrush and grass, and the higher country turns mostly to timber. Most of the ground is foot-and-glass hunting, with mean slopes under 17 degrees making for approachable but real climbing throughout.
Roughly 73% of the unit — about 629 square miles of National Forest, state endowment land, BLM and Wildlife Management Area ground — is generally open to public hunting, though state endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and should be checked before hunting. The remaining 27% is private and requires written permission. Two fires have reshaped part of the habitat: the Woodhead fire burned about 87,000 acres (roughly 16% of the unit) on the southwest side in 2020, and is now five to eight years out, meaning it has grown back thick with brush and standing deadfall that hides animals well. The Limepoint fire burned about 33,000 acres (about 6% of the unit) on the northwest side in 2024, and at two to four years out it is in its prime window, offering open glassing and good feed where elk work the edges of the burn against unburned timber. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
General elk tags for Unit 22 are sold through the Weiser River Elk Zone, shared with Units 32 and 32A, with an archery A tag and an any-weapon B tag running different seasons and legal animals. Residents buy either over the counter; nonresidents apply for one specific zone tag — A or B — in a random draw, choosing which tag they want at the time of application rather than after the draw. Beyond the general seasons, three controlled hunts in Unit 22 offer antlerless-only opportunity at varying draw odds, plus a December muzzleloader hunt into the winter range period.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 22 is in the Weiser River Elk Zone (Units 22, 32 and 32A); 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 22. 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 22, 32 and 32A | August 30 – September 30 | Any elk | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 22,32,32A | October 25 – November 3 | Antlered only | Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Archery season opens right as bulls finish shedding velvet and pushes on through the rut onset and into the heart of the primary rut by month's end. Early on, bulls are still hanging near their summer haunts, and sitting water sources or glassing open sage and grass benches for a spot-and-stalk works well before the timber closes in at mid and higher elevations. The A tag is valid for any elk and covers Units 22, 32 and 32A, so archers can follow elk movement across that broader area if Unit 22 gets quiet. Working the edges of the Limepoint burn on the northwest side can pay off, since two to four years after that fire the open ground makes for easier glassing and better feed than the surrounding timber.
B tag · Any weapon · October 25 – November 3
By late October and into early November the rut has wound down and elk are shifting into migration mode, easing out of high timber toward lower ground as the season's snow begins to accumulate. The B tag is any weapon but antlered-only, and covers the same three-unit area as the archery tag, so hunters can work funnels between the mid-elevation conifer-sagebrush mix and the more open lower bands where migrating bulls tend to filter through. With snowfall averaging around 3.9 inches for the month and lows near 26°F, glassing lower open slopes in early morning cold can be productive as bulls settle into new range.
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 22 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 22-1 · Any weapon | October 1 – October 24 | Antlerless only | Fair odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| Controlled hunt 22-1 · Any weapon Youth only | October 25 – November 10 | Antlerless only | Youth only | Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 22-1 · Any weapon | November 11 – November 30 | Antlerless only | Long odds | Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 22 · Muzzleloader | December 1 – December 31 | 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 22-1 · Any weapon · October 1 – October 24
This antlerless hunt runs through the tail end of the rut and into the post-rut recovery period, when animals settle out of the intensity of September into steadier patterns. Cow and calf tags call for working the timber-sage transition at mid elevations or dropping into the lower grass and sagebrush flats where antlerless elk group up on open ground. The Woodhead burn on the southwest side, now five to eight years post-fire, has grown thick with brush and deadfall and is tougher walking, so hunters chasing antlerless elk may find better sightlines and easier travel working the unburned ground and lower-elevation cover instead. Fair odds in the resident draw make this a realistic hunt to plan around for a freezer trip.
Controlled hunt 22-1 · Any weapon · November 11 – November 30
Running through the migration transition in mid and late November, this antlerless hunt catches elk on the move as they shift down out of higher timber ahead of building snow. Snowfall averaging near 3.9 inches and lows around 26°F push animals toward lower-elevation sagebrush and grass, so glassing those open lower bands and the edges of mid-elevation timber gives antlerless hunters a look at animals in transit. The long odds in the resident draw make this a hunt to draw into rather than count on, but the migration window can concentrate elk in predictable lower terrain. Access holds up reasonably well given how much of the unit sits on National Forest and other generally open ground.
Controlled hunt 22 · Muzzleloader · December 1 – December 31
December's muzzleloader hunt falls squarely in the winter range period, when elk have settled onto their lowest-elevation wintering ground for the season. With snowfall running heavy at roughly 16.4 inches for the month and lows near 20°F, antlerless elk concentrate on the sagebrush and grass-dominated lower elevations where feed and easier travel matter most in the cold. Hunters do well to focus on those lower bands rather than higher timber, since deep snow pushes animals down and keeps them there through the month. Good odds in the resident draw make this one of the more attainable controlled tags in Unit 22, though winter travel conditions should be planned for.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 1,400–8,700 ft, typically around 4,500 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 30% gentle · 46% moderate · 21% steep · 2% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~629 sq mi
- National forests
- Nezperce National Forest and Payette National Forest
- Designated wilderness
- Hells Canyon Wilderness (3%) — 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
- Sagebrush50%
- Grass and meadow30%
- Conifer12%
- Other cover8%
Mid elevations
- Conifer47%
- Sagebrush36%
- Grass and meadow16%
Higher elevations
- Conifer52%
- Grass and meadow27%
- Sagebrush21%
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 22. 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.
- Woodhead fire, 2020 — about 87,000 acres in the unit (16%), mostly on its southwest side.
- Limepoint fire, 2024 — about 33,000 acres in the unit (6%), mostly on its northwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 73% of Unit 22 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, Idaho state endowment land, BLM and State Wildlife Management Area.
- National Forest55%
- Idaho state endowment land10%
- BLM8%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Private27%
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 52°F
- September — highs around 73°F, lows around 45°F
- October — highs around 57°F, lows around 35°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 42°F, lows around 26°F, about 3.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 33°F, lows around 20°F, about 16.4 in of snowfall
Unit 22 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 22 over the counter?
Yes. Residents purchase a Weiser River Elk Zone general elk tag over the counter with no draw or application required. They choose either the A archery tag or the B any-weapon tag, each with its own season and legal animal in Unit 22.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 22?
Nonresidents enter a random draw and must apply for a specific tag — either the Weiser River Elk Zone A tag or the B tag — at the time they submit their application. The tag choice is made when applying, not after the draw results are known.
How hard are the controlled antlerless hunts in Unit 22 to draw?
Draw difficulty varies by hunt. Controlled hunt 22-1 running October 1 through October 24 carries Fair odds for residents, the November 11 through November 30 segment carries Long odds, and the December muzzleloader hunt (Controlled hunt 22) carries Good odds.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 22?
Unit 22 falls in the Weiser River Elk Zone along with Units 32 and 32A. General tags are sold by zone rather than by unit, with an A archery tag and a B any-weapon tag each carrying a distinct season.
How much of Unit 22 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 73%, or roughly 629 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, state endowment land, BLM and Wildlife Management Area ground. The remaining 27% is private and requires written permission to hunt.
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.