Unit 33 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Sawtooth Elk Zone · 670 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 33 is in the Sawtooth 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. The zone's A tag and B tag are capped: a limited number, sold first-come, first-served.
What hunting Unit 33 is like
Unit 33 is steep and broken country across the Boise National Forest, running from valley bottoms near 2,800 feet up to ridgelines above 8,700 feet, with most of the ground falling into moderate to steep slope classes. Timber dominates the mid elevations, giving way to more sagebrush and grass and meadow openings higher up, and riparian strips show up at the lower elevations. It is largely foot-and-glass country, with wilderness closed to motorized travel, so getting into the steeper pockets away from roads takes real effort and rewards hunters willing to work for it.
Four fires burned within the unit in 2024: the Nellie fire toward the middle of the unit at about 8% of its area, the Goat fire on the north side at about 7%, the Bulldog fire toward the middle at about 3%, and the Snag fire on the north side at about 1%. This fall those burns sit two to four years out, a window when the open ground left by the fire makes glassing easier and the new grass and brush growing back can put elk on good feed near the burn edges. About 92% of the unit is generally open to public hunting through National Forest, state endowment, and BLM ground, while roughly 7.6% is private land requiring written permission; hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
Tags here run through the Sawtooth Elk Zone, shared with Units 34, 35 and 36, plus three unit-specific controlled hunts. Residents buy general A and B tags over the counter while nonresidents apply for one of those specific tags in a random draw, and the zone's tags are capped and sold only until they run out. The controlled hunts add narrower windows and draw at different odds, giving hunters a mix of over-the-counter and drawn options to fit a season here.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 33 is in the Sawtooth Elk Zone (Units 33, 34, 35 and 36); 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 33. 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 33, 34, 35 and 36 | August 30 – September 30 | Any elk | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 33, 34, 35 and 36 | October 15 – November 8 | Antlered only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Archery season opens right as bulls are finishing up in velvet and pushing into the rut, spanning the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, and Primary Rut phases. Early on, bulls tend to stay close to where they summered, so sitting water sources or glassing the timbered mid elevations and sagebrush edges for a spot-and-stalk setup can pay off. The A tag is valid for any elk and covers Units 33, 34, 35 and 36, and archers willing to work the steep, broken ground away from roads have the best shot at undisturbed bulls.
B tag · Any weapon · October 15 – November 8
By the time the B tag opens, the rut is winding down and elk move through the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, and Migration Transition phases. Snowfall picks up through the season, from a dusting in October to a real accumulation by November, which starts pushing elk out of the high country and toward lower timber and grass and meadow pockets. The tag is antlered only and good for Units 33, 34, 35 and 36, and hunters who track that downward movement into cover near the fire-scarred ground can find elk still working the burn edges for feed.
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 33 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 39-2 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit | October 5 – October 31 | Antlerless only | Fair odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| Controlled hunt 33-1 · Muzzleloader | November 10 – November 30 | Antlerless only | Long odds | Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 33-2 · Muzzleloader | November 10 – November 30 | Antlered only | Good odds | Migration Transition |
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 39-2 · Any weapon · October 5 – October 31
This antlerless hunt runs through the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut and Post-Rut Recovery phases, with only light October snowfall to contend with. It covers only part of Unit 33, so scouting the exact boundary of the hunt area matters as much as scouting the elk. Cow and calf hunters should focus on accessible timber and grass and meadow ground within that boundary, using the more open sightlines near the burned areas to locate groups before closing the distance. The hunt draws at fair odds for residents.
Controlled hunt 33-1 · Muzzleloader · November 10 – November 30
Running into the heart of the Migration Transition phase, this muzzleloader hunt coincides with heavier November snowfall that pushes elk out of the high country and toward lower ground. Antlerless hunters should concentrate on lower-elevation timber, sagebrush, and grass and meadow areas where migrating animals tend to funnel as snow builds. It's a long-odds draw for residents, so anyone who draws it should be ready to cover ground and adjust to elk on the move rather than elk holding a summer pattern. Legal weapon is muzzleloader only, and the tag is antlerless.
Controlled hunt 33-2 · Muzzleloader · November 10 – November 30
This antlered muzzleloader hunt falls in the same Migration Transition window, with elk shifting off the high country as November snow accumulates. Bulls on the move are more likely to be caught crossing lower timber and sagebrush benches than holding in the same spots they used earlier in fall, so still-hunting travel routes below the steeper, snow-covered ridges is the better approach. The hunt draws at good odds for residents, making it one of the more attainable controlled tags in the unit. Weapon is restricted to muzzleloader and only antlered elk are legal.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 2,800–8,700 ft, typically around 5,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 9% gentle · 43% moderate · 47% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~619 sq mi
- National forests
- Boise 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
- Conifer58%
- Sagebrush24%
- Grass and meadow12%
- Other cover4%
- Riparian1%
Mid elevations
- Conifer66%
- Sagebrush27%
- Grass and meadow6%
- Aspen1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer50%
- Sagebrush36%
- 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 33. 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.
- Nellie fire, 2024 — about 34,000 acres in the unit (8%), toward the middle of the unit.
- Goat fire, 2024 — about 30,000 acres in the unit (7%), mostly on its north side.
- Bulldog fire, 2024 — about 11,000 acres in the unit (3%), toward the middle of the unit.
- Snag fire, 2024 — about 5,600 acres in the unit (1%), mostly on its north side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 92% of Unit 33 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, Idaho state endowment land and BLM.
- National Forest84%
- Idaho state endowment land6%
- BLM2%
- Private8%
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 79°F, lows around 45°F
- September — highs around 70°F, lows around 38°F
- October — highs around 55°F, lows around 30°F, about 0.6 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 40°F, lows around 22°F, about 11.3 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 31°F, lows around 15°F, about 26.6 in of snowfall
Unit 33 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 33 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy a general A tag or B tag for the Sawtooth Elk Zone over the counter without applying, as long as tags remain available since both are capped and sold first-come, first-served. No draw or points are needed for residents.
How do nonresidents get a general tag for Unit 33?
Nonresidents cannot walk in and buy one; they apply for a specific tag, either the zone's A tag or its B tag, in a random draw, choosing which one to apply for at the time of application. The tag is never chosen after the draw. These general tags are also capped in number.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 33 to draw?
Odds vary by hunt: Controlled hunt 39-2 draws at fair odds for residents, Controlled hunt 33-1 draws at long odds, and Controlled hunt 33-2 draws at good odds. All three are pure random draws with no points system involved.
Which elk zone covers Unit 33?
Unit 33 falls in the Sawtooth Elk Zone, which also covers Units 34, 35 and 36. General A and B tags purchased or drawn for this zone are valid across all four of those units.
How much of Unit 33 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 92% of the unit, roughly 619 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through National Forest, Idaho state endowment land, and BLM ground. The remaining private land, about 7.6% of the unit, requires written permission to 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.