Unit 25 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · McCall Elk Zone · 900 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 25 is in the McCall Elk Zone, whose A and B tags carry different seasons. Nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw.
What hunting Unit 25 is like
Unit 25 sits across the Boise, Payette, and Salmon-Challis National Forests, with a small slice of the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness in the southeast corner covering about 3.4% of the unit. The terrain is mixed, with substantial steep ground, running from 3,300 feet up to 9,300 feet and averaging a 22.1-degree slope. Sagebrush and timber dominate at every elevation band, with grass and meadow opening up more at the higher elevations — country that rewards hunters willing to glass long slopes and then put in the legwork to close the distance, since much of it is foot country away from any road.
Almost the entire unit, about 99%, is National Forest or Idaho state endowment land generally open to public hunting, though endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased so nothing should be assumed without checking. Two recent fires have reshaped parts of the cover: the Buck fire burned about 19,000 acres on the unit's east side in 2020, and the Snag fire burned about 15,000 acres on the southwest side in 2024. The Snag fire ground, now two to four years out, is opening up good glassing and feed, while the Buck fire ground, five to eight years out, has grown back thick with brush and downed timber. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
General elk tags here come through the McCall Elk Zone, shared with Units 19A, 23, and 24. Residents buy an A tag or B tag over the counter with no draw required, while nonresidents apply for a specific tag — either the zone's A tag or its B tag — through a random draw, choosing which one to apply for at the time of application rather than afterward. The A tag covers both an archery season and a later any-weapon season with different legal animals, while the B tag runs a separate any-weapon season into early November.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 25 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 25. 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 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 · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This is the rut hunt on the calendar, spanning the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, and Primary Rut phases as bulls finish shedding velvet and move into breeding activity. Early on, bulls are still tied to the areas where they summered, so sitting water sources or glassing open slopes for a spot-and-stalk works well in this mixed, steep terrain. The A tag archery season allows any elk, giving bowhunters the most flexibility of any season in the unit. Hunters can work the Snag fire ground, now productive and easy to glass, or push into thicker cover near the Buck fire scar where bulls may be holding tight.
A tag · Any weapon · October 5 – October 14
By the time this short any-weapon season opens, elk have slipped into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, with breeding winding down and animals settling into more predictable patterns. Only spike bulls are legal, so this is a season for hunters willing to pass mature bulls and focus specifically on young animals, working timbered draws and edges near open slopes where spikes are more likely to be traveling alone or in small groups. Snowfall is light in October, averaging under two inches, but overnight lows near 28°F can start pushing elk out of the highest country. The Snag fire area, still in its productive window, remains worth checking for elk feeding at the margins of the burn in early morning and evening.
B tag · Any weapon · October 15 – November 3
The B tag any-weapon season opens in the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase and runs through Post-Rut Recovery and into the Migration Transition phase, covering the stretch when elk shift from breeding behavior toward seasonal movement. Only antlered bulls are legal here, and as the season progresses toward November, hunters can expect elk to begin shifting off summer range as snow accumulates — November snowfall averages over 17 inches with lows near 19°F, conditions that can push animals toward lower elevations and concentrate them in accessible drainages. The steep, mixed terrain still demands real effort on foot, but colder weather and migration can work in a hunter's favor by moving elk into more predictable travel corridors. The Buck fire and Snag fire areas both remain in play, with the newer Snag burn continuing to offer better visibility and feed than the thicker, regrowing Buck fire ground.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,300–9,300 ft, typically around 6,700 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 16% gentle · 42% moderate · 39% steep · 3% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~895 sq mi
- National forests
- Boise National Forest, Payette National Forest and Salmon-Challis National Forest
- Designated wilderness
- Frank Church - River of No Return 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
- Sagebrush56%
- Conifer41%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Other cover1%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush54%
- Conifer40%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush52%
- Conifer35%
- Grass and meadow13%
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 25. 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.
- Buck fire, 2020 — about 19,000 acres in the unit (3%), mostly on its east side.
- Snag fire, 2024 — about 15,000 acres in the unit (3%), mostly on its southwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 99% of Unit 25 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest and Idaho state endowment land.
- National Forest99%
- Idaho state endowment land<1%
- Private<1%
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 75°F, lows around 42°F
- September — highs around 66°F, lows around 36°F
- October — highs around 51°F, lows around 28°F, about 1.6 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 37°F, lows around 19°F, about 17.3 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 30°F, lows around 12°F, about 37.1 in of snowfall
Unit 25 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 25 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy a general elk tag for the McCall Elk Zone, which covers Unit 25, over the counter with no draw or application required. They choose between the zone's A tag or B tag, each with its own season and legal animal restrictions.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 25?
Nonresidents go through a random draw rather than buying over the counter. When applying, they must choose a specific tag ahead of time — either the McCall Elk Zone's A tag or its B tag — since the tag is selected at the time of application, not afterward.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 25?
Unit 25 falls within the McCall Elk Zone, along with Units 19A, 23, and 24. The zone offers an A tag with an archery season and a limited any-weapon season, plus a B tag with its own any-weapon season, and a hunter picks one tag type for the fall.
Which Unit 25 elk season falls during the rut?
The A tag archery season, running August 30 through September 30, spans the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, and Primary Rut phases, putting it squarely in the rut. Both any-weapon seasons — the A tag's October 5-14 spike-only hunt and the B tag's October 15-November 3 hunt — fall after the Primary Rut phase has ended.
How much of Unit 25 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 99% of the unit, roughly 895 square miles, is National Forest or Idaho state endowment land generally open to public hunting. That said, individual state endowment parcels can be posted closed or under lease, so hunters shouldn't assume every acre is open without checking first.
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.