Unit 39 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Boise River Elk Zone · 2,428 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 39 is in the Boise River Elk Zone, whose A and B tags carry different seasons. Nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw. It also has 6 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds from good odds to very long odds.
What hunting Unit 39 is like
Unit 39 covers a broad sweep of the Boise National Forest and the Sawtooth National Forest, with the Sawtooth Wilderness closing about 5.7% of the unit to motorized travel. Elevation runs from 2,600 feet up to 10,600 feet, and the terrain in between is mixed, with substantial steep ground — moderate slopes dominate but steep and rugged ground together make up close to two-fifths of the unit by area, so this is largely foot-and-legs country once a hunter leaves the roads. Lower elevations open into grass, meadow and sagebrush with scattered conifer, while mid and higher elevations shift toward sagebrush and timber, giving elk plenty of cover to disappear into and hunters plenty of ground to cover glassing for them.
About 77% of the unit, roughly 1,880 square miles, sits on National Forest, BLM, Idaho state endowment land or a State Wildlife Management Area and is generally open to public hunting, though state endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and access is never a given even on public ground. The remaining 22% is private and requires written permission. Several fires have reshaped patches of habitat: the Crooked fire and another fire, both from 2026, burned ground on the unit's northeast and west sides respectively and are within their first year after burning this fall, while the Valley fire (2024) on the west side and the Syrup fire (2024) on the south side are now two to four years out and starting to offer some of the better glassing and feed in the unit. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
General elk tags in Unit 39 are sold through the Boise River Elk Zone, shared with Unit 38, with an A tag and a B tag carrying different seasons and weapons; residents buy either over the counter while nonresidents apply for one specific tag choice in a random draw. Beyond those, six controlled hunts split the fall calendar and the unit's ground between archery, muzzleloader and any-weapon opportunities, each drawn at its own odds with no points of any kind involved.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 39 is in the Boise River Elk Zone (Units 38 and 39); 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 39. 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: Portion of Unit 39 | October 27 – November 9 | Antlered only | Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| A tag · Archery Valid area: Portion of Unit 39 | November 10 – November 30 | Any elk | Migration Transition |
B tag · Any weapon · October 27 – November 9
By late October the rut has wound down and elk are shifting into the migration transition, working through the Post-Rut Recovery and Migration Transition phases as the B tag season runs. Bulls carrying antlers are the only legal take on this any-weapon tag, valid on a portion of Unit 39, and hunters do well covering ground between the sagebrush and grass benches at lower elevation and the timbered mid-elevation country where elk pull back to. Snowfall picks up in November, averaging near 3.9 inches with lows around 26°F, which can push animals and make higher, steeper ground harder to reach. Working the edges between open feed and conifer cover gives the best chance of connecting.
A tag · Archery · November 10 – November 30
Running through the back half of the migration transition, this archery-only stretch on the A tag comes after the rut has fully broken down and elk are drifting toward more settled fall patterns. It's an any-elk tag valid on a portion of Unit 39, which opens the door to a broader set of opportunities than the antlered-only B tag. November brings real snow, roughly 3.9 inches on average with lows near 26°F, and that weather is often what gets elk moving, so hunters who track where snow is pushing animals out of the high sagebrush and conifer benches can put themselves in front of moving elk. Steep ground still dominates much of the unit, so covering enough country to find where elk have shifted takes effort.
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 39 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 39 · Archery | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered only | Long odds | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Controlled hunt 39 · Muzzleloader | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Controlled hunt 39 · Muzzleloader | September 8 – September 30 | Antlerless only | Good odds | Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Controlled hunt 39-1 · 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 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 39-3 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit; Very limited access | October 27 – November 9 | Antlered or antlerless | Long odds | Post-Rut Recovery, 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 · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This archery hunt opens right at the pre-rut transition and runs through rut onset into the primary rut, covering the meat of the September rut in Unit 39. Early on, bulls are just finishing stripping velvet and haven't moved far from summer range, so sitting water sources or glassing likely feeding and bedding cover and setting up a spot-and-stalk works well before things heat up further. It's an antlered-only tag drawn at long odds for residents, and the mix of moderate and steep terrain across the unit rewards hunters willing to still-hunt or glass from vantage points into the timber and sagebrush. As the season progresses into the primary rut, calling and covering ground near remaining water can pay off.
Controlled hunt 39 · Muzzleloader · August 30 – September 30
Overlapping the same calendar as the archery hunt, this muzzleloader season spans the pre-rut transition, rut onset and primary rut, giving hunters a shot at bulls while the September rut is fully underway. In the early going bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to summer range, so glassing open sagebrush and grass benches for a stalk, or sitting water in the timber, both produce. It's an antlered-only tag and one of the harder controlled hunts to draw, at very long odds for residents. The unit's steep, mixed terrain means covering elevation bands from mid to high country is often necessary to find bulls still on summer patterns.
Controlled hunt 39 · Muzzleloader · September 8 – September 30
This muzzleloader season opens partway into rut onset and runs through the end of the primary rut, an antlerless-only hunt best approached by working the grass, meadow and sagebrush country at lower and mid elevations where cow and calf groups concentrate on available feed. Good draw odds for residents make this one of the more attainable controlled tags in Unit 39. Still, the unit's terrain is mixed with plenty of steep ground, so still-hunting timbered edges adjacent to open feed and glassing from a distance before closing the gap are the practical approach. No weather concerns factor into this stretch of September.
Controlled hunt 39-1 · Any weapon · October 5 – October 31
Covering the late rut and post-rut recovery phases, this any-weapon antlerless hunt in the 39-1 portion of the unit lines up with elk settling into fall patterns after the rut winds down. Cow and calf groups can be found working the grass and sagebrush at lower and mid elevations, with conifer cover nearby to fall back into. Fair odds for residents make this a reasonable draw, and hunters should plan on covering the specific hunt area rather than the whole unit, since this tag is valid only in its own boundary. No notable weather shifts factor into this window.
Controlled hunt 39-2 · Any weapon · October 5 – October 31
Running the same October dates and covering the same late rut and post-rut recovery phases as its sister hunt, this antlerless any-weapon season applies only within the 39-2 hunt area. Elk groups are past the rut and settling into more predictable feeding patterns across the sagebrush and grass at lower and mid elevations, backed by conifer cover at the fringes. The draw sits at fair odds for residents, and the terrain here is the same mixed, steep-in-places ground found across the rest of Unit 39, so glassing open ground before moving in is the practical method.
Controlled hunt 39-3 · Any weapon · October 27 – November 9
Spanning the post-rut recovery and migration transition phases, this hunt allows either antlered or antlerless elk but applies only within the 39-3 hunt area, which carries very limited access. Elk are shifting off summer and rut patterns and beginning to migrate as November weather sets in, with snowfall averaging about 3.9 inches and lows near 26°F pushing animals toward lower ground. Long odds for residents reflect both the limited tags and the access challenges specific to this hunt area, so scouting travel routes and understanding where the boundary lines fall matters more here than elsewhere in the unit. Snow can be the deciding factor in whether elk are found at all during this late window.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 2,600–10,600 ft, typically around 5,100 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 22% gentle · 39% moderate · 38% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1,880 sq mi
- National forests
- Boise National Forest and Sawtooth National Forest
- Designated wilderness
- Sawtooth Wilderness (6%) — 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
- Grass and meadow47%
- Sagebrush35%
- Conifer12%
- Other cover6%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush44%
- Conifer33%
- Grass and meadow22%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush54%
- Conifer29%
- Grass and meadow16%
- 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 39. 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.
- Crooked fire, 2026 — about 10,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its northeast side.
- Valley fire, 2024 — about 9,900 acres in the unit, mostly on its west side.
- Unnamed fire, 2026 — about 6,600 acres in the unit, mostly on its west side.
- Syrup fire, 2024 — about 5,100 acres in the unit, mostly on its south side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 77% of Unit 39 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM, Idaho state endowment land and State Wildlife Management Area.
- National Forest60%
- BLM9%
- Idaho state endowment land6%
- State Wildlife Management Area2%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private22%
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 82°F, lows around 53°F
- September — highs around 72°F, lows around 45°F
- October — highs around 58°F, lows around 35°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 43°F, lows around 26°F, about 3.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 34°F, lows around 19°F, about 11.5 in of snowfall
Unit 39 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 39 over the counter?
Yes. Residents buy a general elk tag over the counter for the Boise River Elk Zone, which covers Unit 39, without applying in any draw. They still choose between the zone's A tag and B tag, which carry different seasons and weapons.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 39?
Nonresidents are allocated general elk tags through a random draw rather than buying over the counter. When applying, a nonresident selects one specific tag choice, either the Boise River Elk Zone's A tag or its B tag, and that choice is fixed at the time of application, not after the draw.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 39 to draw?
Odds vary a lot by hunt. Controlled hunt 39 muzzleloader antlerless sits at good odds for residents, the 39-1 and 39-2 antlerless any-weapon hunts sit at fair odds, and the archery and 39-3 hunts sit at long odds, with the antlered muzzleloader hunt at very long odds. All are pure random draws with no points involved.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 39?
Unit 39 falls in the Boise River Elk Zone, shared with Unit 38. General tags there come as a B tag, any weapon from October 27 to November 9 for antlered elk only, and an A tag, archery from November 10 to November 30 for any elk, each valid only on a portion of Unit 39.
How much of Unit 39 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 77% of the unit, roughly 1,880 square miles, is National Forest, BLM, Idaho state endowment land or a State Wildlife Management Area generally open to public hunting. The remaining share is private and requires written permission, and even the state endowment parcels can occasionally be closed or leased despite being generally open.
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.