Unit 26 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Middle Fork Elk Zone · 596 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 26 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 26 is like
Unit 26 is big, remote country in central Idaho, with roughly 89% of it lying inside the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness. Elevations run from 3,400 feet up to 9,500 feet, and the terrain is steep and broken throughout, with a mean slope over 26 degrees. Cover shifts with elevation: sagebrush dominates the lower band at 60%, conifer takes over at mid elevation at 49%, and the higher country still carries 44% conifer along with more grass and meadow openings. Wilderness status means no motorized access, so this is foot and stock country, physically demanding, and unforgiving of a poor plan.
Almost all of Unit 26, about 99%, is National Forest or state endowment land managed by the Payette and Salmon-Challis National Forests, which gives a hunter a dependable amount of public ground to work with, though wilderness travel and steep terrain make that access anything but easy or guaranteed. Four wildfires have reshaped parts of the unit in recent years. The Logan fire (2024) burned about 16,000 acres on the northwest side and is now two to four years out, prime timing for glassing open ground and finding elk feeding on new growth near unburned timber. The Rush fire (2025) burned about 7,800 acres on the east side and is in its first year, so elk there may still be settling into new ground with good feed and water. The older Rush Creek fire (2021) and Porphyry fire (2020) are each five to eight years out and have grown thick with brush and deadfall. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
General elk hunting here runs through the Middle Fork Elk Zone, which also covers Units 20A and 27. Residents buy zone tags over the counter, while nonresidents apply for a specific A or B tag through a random draw, choosing which one when they apply. Both the A and B tags are capped, sold first-come, first-served until gone, and only the September and November B windows and the October A window listed apply to Unit 26.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 26 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 26. 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
This is the rut hunt, falling entirely within the Primary Rut phase, when bulls are most active and vocal. In the steep, broken terrain of Unit 26, working the edges between conifer and sagebrush at lower and mid elevations can put a hunter into rutting activity, though the wilderness setting means covering that ground on foot or with stock. The B tag here is antlered-only, so cows and calves are off limits even during peak rut behavior. Hunters working the Logan fire scar on the northwest side, now two to four years post-burn, may find good glassing and feeding bulls near the timber edge.
A tag · Any weapon · October 1 – October 31
By October the rut is winding down, spanning the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase and then the Post-Rut Recovery phase, so bulls are less vocal and more settled into recovery patterns after the breeding push. Snowfall picks up modestly this month, around 3.1 inches, with lows near 26°F, which can start pushing elk toward cover in the mid and higher conifer bands. The A tag is antlered-only and covers the full month, giving a long window to work the unit's steep slopes and timbered cover. The Rush fire on the east side, still in its first year, may show elk moving through in search of feed between patches of unburned timber, though animals there could be settling into new patterns after the burn.
B tag · Any weapon · November 1 – November 18
The final B tag season falls in the Migration Transition phase, when elk are shifting toward winter range as conditions push them out of higher country. November brings real snow, averaging about 16.2 inches with lows around 17°F, and that snow load is often what gets animals moving out of the high conifer and into lower, more open ground. This is still an antlered-only hunt, so success depends on finding bulls before they push out of the unit. The five-to-eight-year-old burns from the Rush Creek and Porphyry fires are thick with brush and deadfall by now, which can hide moving elk but also slow a hunter's own travel through those areas.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,400–9,500 ft, typically around 7,100 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 8% gentle · 31% moderate · 57% steep · 5% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~593 sq mi
- National forests
- Payette National Forest and Salmon-Challis National Forest
- Designated wilderness
- Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness (89%) — 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
- Sagebrush60%
- Conifer32%
- Grass and meadow8%
Mid elevations
- Conifer49%
- Sagebrush40%
- Grass and meadow11%
Higher elevations
- Conifer44%
- Sagebrush38%
- Grass and meadow17%
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 26. 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.
- Logan fire, 2024 — about 16,000 acres in the unit (4%), mostly on its northwest side.
- Rush fire, 2025 — about 7,800 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its east side.
- Rush Creek fire, 2021 — about 7,700 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its southeast side.
- Porphyry fire, 2020 — about 6,000 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its northwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 99% of Unit 26 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 73°F, lows around 40°F
- September — highs around 63°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.2 in of snowfall
- October — highs around 49°F, lows around 26°F, about 3.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 36°F, lows around 17°F, about 16.2 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 29°F, lows around 10°F, about 30.7 in of snowfall
Unit 26 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 26 over the counter?
Yes. Residents buy general elk tags for the Middle Fork Elk Zone, which covers Unit 26, over the counter with no draw or application required. They still choose between the zone's A tag and B tag, each with its own season.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 26?
Nonresidents go through a random draw, and when applying they must choose a specific tag, either the Middle Fork Elk Zone's A tag or its B tag, rather than picking one after the draw. Both tags are capped and sold first-come, first-served once the draw is complete, so tags can run out.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 26?
Unit 26 falls in the Middle Fork Elk Zone along with Units 20A and 27. The zone's A tag and B tag each carry different seasons and both are antlered-only in Unit 26.
Which Unit 26 elk season falls during the rut?
The September 15 to September 30 B tag season falls entirely within the Primary Rut phase. The October A tag season and the November B tag season both fall after the rut has wound down.
How much of Unit 26 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 99% of the unit, roughly 593 square miles, is National Forest or state endowment land generally open to hunting. That includes the Payette and Salmon-Challis National Forests, though most of the unit sits inside designated wilderness with no motorized access.
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.