Unit 24 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · McCall Elk Zone · 878 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 24 is in the McCall 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 24 is like
Unit 24 sits across the Boise National Forest and the Payette National Forest, country that runs from lower benches up to high timbered ridgelines, on the whole rolling to moderately steep with pockets of steeper ground. Most of it is foot-and-glass hunting rather than technical mountaineering: gentle and moderate slopes make up the large majority of the unit, timber dominates the mid and upper elevations, and lower elevations mix conifer with sagebrush, riparian strips and grassy meadows that open up the glassing. Three fires have burned into the unit in recent seasons — the Snag fire and Lava fire of 2024, and the Four Corners fire of 2022 — all now two to four years out, the stage at which a burn tends to open sightlines and grow the feed that draws elk in to browse mornings and evenings along the edge of standing timber. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
About 54 percent of the unit is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, state endowment land, BLM and a State Wildlife Management Area — the acreage a hunter can actually plan around, though endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and are never a sure thing. Private land accounts for roughly 43 percent of the unit and requires written permission, with a small unclassified remainder that is neither public nor private.
General elk tags here are sold through the McCall Elk Zone, shared with Units 19A, 23 and 25, and come as an A tag or a B tag with different seasons and weapons — a hunter picks one. Residents buy either over the counter with no application; nonresidents go through a random draw in which the specific A or B tag is chosen at the time of applying, not afterward. Three controlled hunts add further antlerless-only opportunity on top of the general framework, each a pure random draw with a limited number of tags.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 24 is in the McCall Elk Zone (Units 19A, 23, 24 and 25); 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 24. Residents buy the tag over the counter; nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| A tag · Short-range weapons Valid area: Units 23 and 24 outside NF boundary | August 15 – September 30 | Antlerless only | Late Summer / Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| A tag · Archery Valid area: Units 19A, 23, 24 and 25 | August 30 – September 30 | Any elk | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| A tag · Any weapon Valid area: Portion of McCall Zone; Spike bulls only | October 5 – October 14 | Spike bull only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Portion of McCall Zone | October 15 – November 3 | Antlered only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| A tag · Short-range weapons Valid area: Units 23 and 24 | November 10 – November 30 | Antlerless only | Migration Transition |
A tag · Short-range weapons · August 15 – September 30
This early season is built for the antlerless hunter working the ground in Units 23 and 24 outside the National Forest boundary, spanning everything from the last days of velvet through the peak of the rut, though none of that rut activity matters for this tag. The lower-elevation mix of conifer, sagebrush, riparian draws and grassy meadows gives a place to glass for cows and calves moving between feed and cover, and the gentler slopes common at these elevations make for reasonable stalking and packing. Only antlerless elk are legal, so the focus stays on locating groups of cows rather than working bulls.
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Archery season opens as bulls are finishing the Pre-Rut Transition and moving into the Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases, and the tag is valid across Units 19A, 23, 24 and 25 with any elk legal. Early on, bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to their summer haunts, which makes sitting a water source or glassing likely benches and clearings for a spot-and-stalk a sound plan. As the season pushes into the peak of the rut the same open lower-elevation cover and timbered mid-elevations that hold summer bulls continue to hold rutting activity, rewarding hunters who can cover ground on foot through the unit's rolling to moderately steep terrain.
A tag · Any weapon · October 5 – October 14
This short any-weapon window falls in the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase and is restricted to spike bulls only, valid in a portion of the McCall Zone. Snow is light in early October and overnight lows near freezing, so elk are not yet pushed hard by weather, but activity is winding down from the rut and bulls can be scattered through timber. Success leans on covering the unit's mixed conifer and sagebrush country methodically, watching burn edges from the Snag, Lava and Four Corners fires where regrowth still draws animals out to feed, and being selective enough to identify a spike before shooting.
B tag · Any weapon · October 15 – November 3
The B tag any-weapon season is the longest of the general windows, running from the tail end of the rut through Post-Rut Recovery and into the Migration Transition phase, with only antlered bulls legal. Early on, bulls are still settling out of rut behavior, but as November's snowfall builds and lows drop toward the low 20s, elk begin shifting toward winter range, and hunters can use that movement to intercept animals along traditional travel routes between higher timber and lower benches. The burns from the Snag, Lava and Four Corners fires remain worth checking, since regrowth there keeps pulling elk out to feed near dawn and dusk even as the broader herd starts to migrate. This is foot-and-glass country for most of it, with the unit's largely gentle-to-moderate slopes making it possible to cover several drainages in a day.
A tag · Short-range weapons · November 10 – November 30
This late short-range-weapon season is antlerless only and falls entirely within the Migration Transition phase, when elk are shifting toward winter range under building snow — November averages around 9.8 inches with lows near 22°F. That movement can concentrate cows and calves along travel corridors between the timbered mid-elevations and lower benches, and hunters willing to still-hunt or post those routes in the cold can find groups on the move. The rolling to moderately steep terrain makes for manageable access even as snow starts to pile up, valid across Units 23 and 24.
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 24 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 24-1 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit | October 15 – November 8 | Antlerless only | Good odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 24-2 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit | October 15 – November 8 | Antlerless only | Fair odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 24X · Short-range weapons Extra antlerless tag; Short range weapons only; Very limited access, most elk are on private property | December 1 – December 20 | Antlerless only | Long 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 24-1 · Any weapon · October 15 – November 8
Controlled hunt 24-1 covers only part of the unit and offers an antlerless-only opportunity spanning the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery and Migration Transition phases, with resident draw odds rated as good. As the season progresses from mid-October into early November, cooling temperatures and increasing snowfall push elk toward migration routes, and hunters can work the timbered mid-elevations and lower benches where cows and calves travel between feed and cover. The unit's moderate slopes keep the hunt approachable on foot even as November snow builds.
Controlled hunt 24-2 · Any weapon · October 15 – November 8
Controlled hunt 24-2 shares its dates, area limits and antlerless-only structure with 24-1, spanning the same Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery and Migration Transition phases, but draws at fair odds rather than good. The same seasonal pattern applies — elk drifting toward winter range as October gives way to November's heavier snow — so hunters focus on likely travel corridors and feeding edges near timber, including burned ground from the Snag, Lava and Four Corners fires where regrowth still holds some animals. Terrain across most of the unit stays gentle to moderate, which helps when covering ground to find where cows are moving.
Controlled hunt 24X · Short-range weapons · December 1 – December 20
Controlled hunt 24X is a late, short-range-weapons-only antlerless tag that runs through the Winter Range phase in December, when snowfall averages around 24 inches and lows sit near 14°F. Access is very limited during this window, and most elk are sitting on private property, so a hunter's plan has to center on securing permission or on the scarce public ground that still holds wintering animals. Resident draw odds are rated as long, and the deep snow by this point makes travel and glassing considerably harder than in the fall seasons.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,500–9,000 ft, typically around 5,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 43% gentle · 43% moderate · 13% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~473 sq mi
- National forests
- Boise National Forest and Payette 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.
Lower elevations
- Conifer31%
- Other cover24%
- Sagebrush19%
- Riparian16%
- Grass and meadow10%
Mid elevations
- Conifer86%
- Sagebrush11%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer60%
- Sagebrush33%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Other cover1%
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 24. 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.
- Snag fire, 2024 — about 13,000 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its southeast side.
- Lava fire, 2024 — about 9,600 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its southwest side.
- Four Corners fire, 2022 — about 6,300 acres in the unit (1%), mostly on its southwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 54% of Unit 24 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, Idaho state endowment land, BLM and State Wildlife Management Area.
- National Forest43%
- Idaho state endowment land10%
- BLM<1%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Unclassified ownership3%
- Private43%
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 78°F, lows around 45°F
- September — highs around 69°F, lows around 38°F
- October — highs around 54°F, lows around 30°F, about 0.8 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 39°F, lows around 22°F, about 9.8 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 31°F, lows around 14°F, about 24 in of snowfall
Unit 24 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 24 over the counter?
Yes. Residents buy a general McCall Elk Zone A or B tag over the counter with no application or drawing involved. The choice between the A tag and B tag depends on which season and weapon type the hunter wants, since each has different dates and legal animals in Unit 24.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for this unit?
Nonresidents enter a random draw for the McCall Elk Zone, and they must choose a specific A tag or B tag at the time they apply. The tag is never chosen after the draw result comes back, so the decision about season and weapon has to be made up front.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 24 to draw?
Draw difficulty varies by hunt: Controlled hunt 24-1 carries good resident draw odds, Controlled hunt 24-2 carries fair odds, and Controlled hunt 24X carries long odds. All three are antlerless-only and are decided by a pure random draw with a limited number of tags, since Idaho has no points system for elk.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 24?
Unit 24 falls in the McCall Elk Zone along with Units 19A, 23 and 25. General hunters choose between the zone's A tag and B tag, each with its own season, weapon restriction and legal-animal rule as it applies within Unit 24.
How much of Unit 24 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 54 percent of the unit is generally open to public hunting, made up of National Forest, state endowment land, BLM ground and a State Wildlife Management Area. Roughly 43 percent is private land requiring written permission, and a small remainder is unclassified ownership that is neither clearly public nor private.
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.