Unit 36A Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Pioneer Elk Zone · 772 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 36A is in the Pioneer Elk Zone, whose A and B tags carry different seasons. Nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw. It also has 5 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds from good odds to long odds. The zone's B tag is capped: a limited number, sold first-come, first-served.
What hunting Unit 36A is like
Unit 36A is mixed country, with substantial steep ground, ranging from around 5,000 feet up to nearly 11,800 feet, and most of it hunts on foot. Lower elevations run heavy to sagebrush with a little conifer and grass, mid elevations mix sagebrush and timber, and the higher country shifts to conifer with sagebrush and grass and meadow openings mixed through it. With mean slope over 20 degrees and roughly a third of the unit steep or rugged by area, this is a unit that rewards physical conditioning and good route planning, and glassing from vantage points pays off given the open sagebrush at lower and mid elevations.
About 97 percent of Unit 36A, close to 750 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across Salmon-Challis National Forest, Sawtooth National Forest, BLM, and Idaho state endowment ground, though endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and should be checked before hunting. Private land makes up under 3 percent of the unit and requires written permission. Designated wilderness within the unit is closed to motorized travel, which keeps some of the roughest ground foot- or stock-only.
Unit 36A falls in the Pioneer Elk Zone along with Units 49 and 50, and general tags here are zone tags: an A tag and a B tag with different seasons, weapons, and legal animals, and a hunter picks one. Residents buy either over the counter, while nonresidents apply for a specific zone tag, A or B, through a random draw at the time of application. Beyond the general seasons, several controlled hunts add further antlered and antlerless opportunity within parts of the unit, each awarded by a separate random draw with a limited number of tags.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 36A is in the Pioneer Elk Zone (Units 36A, 49 and 50); 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 36A. Residents buy the tag over the counter; nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| A tag · Any weapon Valid area: Private irrigated land in Unit 36A | August 1 – October 31 | Antlerless only | Late Summer / Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| A tag · Archery Valid area: Units 36A, 49 and 50 | August 30 – September 30 | Any elk | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| A tag · Muzzleloader Valid area: Units 36A, 49 and 50 | November 1 – November 9 | Antlerless only | Migration Transition |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 36A, 49 and 50 | November 10 – November 30 | Antlerless only | Migration Transition |
A tag · Any weapon · August 1 – October 31
This long A tag any-weapon season is antlerless-only and is valid only on private irrigated land in Unit 36A, so success depends on locked-down access to that specific ground rather than on public acreage. It spans the entire run from Late Summer and Velvet through Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut, Late Rut and Early Post-Rut, and Post-Rut Recovery, meaning elk using those irrigated parcels can shift with each phase over the three months. A hunter should scout which private tracts hold elk and secure written permission well ahead of time, since the open public land elsewhere in the unit does not count for this tag. Cover on the irrigated bottoms tends to be limited, so patience and good glassing of feeding areas is the practical approach.
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Archery season opens during the Pre-Rut Transition and runs through Rut Onset and into the Primary Rut, making it the best-timed general season for calling and rutting activity. Any elk is legal, and the season is valid across Units 36A, 49, and 50, giving archers room to work the sagebrush-to-timber gradient from low to high elevation. In the first week or two, bulls are shedding velvet and still holding close to summer range, so sitting water sources or glassing open sagebrush and grass pockets for a spot-and-stalk works well before the rut fully develops. As the season moves into the Primary Rut, hunters can shift tactics toward the timbered mid and higher elevations where bulls concentrate as breeding activity increases.
A tag · Muzzleloader · November 1 – November 9
The muzzleloader season falls entirely in the Migration Transition phase, when elk are beginning to move off summer range as November sets in. Snowfall averages around 6 inches for the month with lows near 17°F, cold enough that elk movement toward lower ground can pick up during the season. This tag is antlerless-only, so a hunter should focus on sagebrush and grass benches at lower and mid elevations where cows and calves are likely to be filtering through on their way toward winter range. Watching travel routes between higher timber and lower sagebrush flats is the most direct approach as animals respond to the transition.
B tag · Any weapon · November 10 – November 30
The B tag any-weapon season runs the back half of November, still within the Migration Transition phase, with snowfall near 6 inches and lows around 17°F pushing elk further along their seasonal movement. This is another antlerless-only opportunity valid across Units 36A, 49, and 50, and it rewards watching the lower sagebrush-dominated elevations where cows and calves tend to funnel as they leave higher timbered ground. Because this tag is capped and sold only until it runs out, hunters planning around this season should not assume it will remain available indefinitely. Persistence glassing open country at dawn and dusk, when animals are moving between cover and feed, is the practical strategy.
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 36A is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 36A-1X · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit; Extra antlerless tag; Portion of Unit only | January 1 – January 31 | Antlerless only | Long odds | — |
| Controlled hunt 36A-1 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit | October 1 – October 31 | Antlered only | — | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| Controlled hunt 36A-2 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit | October 1 – October 31 | Antlered only | Long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| Controlled hunt 36A-3 · Muzzleloader | November 1 – November 30 | Antlered or antlerless | Good odds | Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 36AX · Any weapon Extra antlerless tag | December 1 – December 31 | 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 36A-1X · Any weapon · January 1 – January 31
This is an extra antlerless controlled hunt held in the dead of winter, covering only part of Unit 36A rather than the whole unit. No named phases fall within January in this unit's phenology, so the hunt is better approached through knowledge of where elk are wintering than through rut-driven behavior. Residents face long odds in the draw for this tag. A hunter drawn for it should focus on lower-elevation sagebrush and grass ground within the specific hunt area, since deep-winter elk concentrate on the most accessible feed at the lowest elevations.
Controlled hunt 36A-1 · Any weapon · October 1 – October 31
Controlled hunt 36A-1 runs through October, spanning the Late Rut and Early Post-Rut phase into Post-Rut Recovery, and is antlered-only within its specific portion of the unit. October brings light snowfall near 1.4 inches with lows around 27°F. As breeding activity winds down, bulls that were tied to cows during the rut begin to disperse and can be harder to pattern, so covering ground and glassing the mix of sagebrush, timber, and grass at mid to higher elevations is a sound approach. This hunt covers only part of Unit 36A, so knowing the exact boundary of the hunt area before scouting matters.
Controlled hunt 36A-2 · Any weapon · October 1 – October 31
Like its counterpart, Controlled hunt 36A-2 falls in October during the Late Rut and Early Post-Rut phase and Post-Rut Recovery, with the same light snowfall near 1.4 inches and lows near 27°F, and is antlered-only within its own part of the unit. Bulls are coming off peak breeding activity and beginning to settle into more solitary post-rut patterns, so persistence glassing timber edges and sagebrush benches where they might still be recovering from the rut is worthwhile. Residents face long odds in this draw, so a hunter who draws it should treat the tag as a rare chance to hunt this specific portion of Unit 36A. Covering the accessible public ground within the hunt boundary on foot is the main way to find bulls.
Controlled hunt 36A-3 · Muzzleloader · November 1 – November 30
Controlled hunt 36A-3 is a muzzleloader season spanning all of November, sitting in the Migration Transition phase with snowfall around 6 inches and lows near 17°F pushing elk toward lower ground. Either antlered or antlerless elk are legal, which gives a drawn hunter flexibility to take the first legal animal encountered while watching migration routes between higher timber and lower sagebrush. Residents draw this hunt at good odds compared to the unit's other controlled tags, making it one of the more attainable controlled opportunities here. Focusing effort on transition corridors and lower-elevation feed as the month gets colder is the most practical plan.
Controlled hunt 36AX · Any weapon · December 1 – December 31
Controlled hunt 36AX is an extra antlerless tag held in December, squarely in the Winter Range phase, with monthly snowfall around 15 inches and lows near 9°F. By this point elk have settled onto the lowest, most accessible winter ground, so a hunter with this tag should concentrate on sagebrush-dominated lower elevations where animals are conserving energy in the cold. Residents face long odds in the draw for this hunt, so it should be treated as a bonus opportunity rather than a given. Because deep winter conditions concentrate elk into a narrower band of terrain, careful scouting of accessible low-elevation ground before the season helps make the most of the short window.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,000–11,800 ft, typically around 7,700 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 18% gentle · 46% moderate · 34% steep · 3% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~750 sq mi
- National forests
- Salmon-Challis National Forest and Sawtooth 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
- Sagebrush86%
- Conifer9%
- Other cover4%
- Grass and meadow2%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush69%
- Conifer28%
- Grass and meadow3%
Higher elevations
- Conifer43%
- Sagebrush31%
- Grass and meadow23%
- Other cover3%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 97% of Unit 36A is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land.
- National Forest51%
- BLM42%
- Idaho state endowment land3%
- Private3%
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 76°F, lows around 44°F
- September — highs around 67°F, lows around 37°F
- October — highs around 52°F, lows around 27°F, about 1.4 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 38°F, lows around 17°F, about 6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 29°F, lows around 9°F, about 15 in of snowfall
Unit 36A elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 36A over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy a general elk tag for the Pioneer Elk Zone, which covers Unit 36A along with Units 49 and 50, directly over the counter without applying or waiting on a draw. They choose between the zone's A tag and B tag, which carry different seasons and legal animals.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 36A?
Nonresidents cannot simply buy a general tag over the counter; they enter a random draw for the Pioneer Elk Zone. When applying, they must choose a specific tag, either the zone's A tag or its B tag, since the tag is selected at the time of application rather than after the draw.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 36A to draw?
It varies by hunt. Controlled hunt 36A-3, a November muzzleloader hunt for antlered or antlerless elk, carries good odds for residents in the first-choice draw, while 36A-1X, 36A-2, and 36AX are all long odds for residents. All of these are pure random draws with a limited number of tags, and none involve points of any kind.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 36A?
Unit 36A is part of the Pioneer Elk Zone, shared with Units 49 and 50. General hunters choose between the zone's A tag, which includes an antlerless-only any-weapon season on private irrigated land and an archery season for any elk, or the zone's B tag, a capped antlerless-only any-weapon season in November.
How much of Unit 36A is public land a hunter can count on?
About 97 percent of the unit, roughly 750 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across Salmon-Challis National Forest, Sawtooth National Forest, BLM, and Idaho state endowment land. Private land makes up under 3 percent of the unit 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.