Unit 42 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Owyhee Elk Zone · 1,343 sq mi
Controlled hunts only
Unit 42 has no general elk season for adults in the current data; elk hunting here is by controlled hunt. It also has 4 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds from long odds to very long odds.
What hunting Unit 42 is like
Unit 42 is gentle and rolling country, dominated by wide sagebrush flats and low ridgelines rather than any kind of technical terrain. Mean slope across the unit runs a shallow 5.4 degrees, and the overwhelming majority of the ground rates gentle by area, so foot travel is rarely the limiting factor here — finding elk in the open sage, where cover thins out and concealment is limited, is the bigger challenge. The Owyhee River Wilderness covers roughly 30% of the unit and is closed to motorized travel, while the much smaller Pole Creek Wilderness adds another sliver of foot-only ground. Elevation stays modest throughout, from a low of 4,200 feet up to 6,800 feet at the high end, so the elevation gain a hunter faces is mild compared to the distances involved in covering open country.
About 96% of Unit 42, roughly 1,285 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across BLM and Idaho state endowment land, which is the figure a hunter can plan around, though state endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and should be checked before hunting. Only about 4.3% of the unit is private, and written permission is required there. The sagebrush-grass mix that defines the unit's cover — sagebrush at 88%, grass and meadow at 7%, and a small amount of conifer at 4% — has developed under long-standing conditions rather than any recent disturbance, so what a hunter walks into on opening day looks much like it has for a long while.
All elk hunting in Unit 42 is by controlled hunt; there is no general season here. Residents apply for these controlled hunts the same as anyone else, since there's no over-the-counter option in this unit, while nonresidents compete in the same random draw pool. Idaho elk hunting has no points system of any kind, so every controlled hunt draw here is a fresh, pure random draw each time a hunter applies.
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 42 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 40-1 · Any weapon Caution: An archery only hunt is open at the same time | September 15 – October 14 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Controlled hunt 40-1 · Archery | September 15 – October 14 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Controlled hunt 40-1 · Any weapon | October 15 – November 24 | Antlerless only | Long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 42 · Any weapon | October 15 – November 24 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, 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 40-1 · Any weapon · September 15 – October 14
This any-weapon hunt opens right in the Primary Rut phase and runs through the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, covering some of the most active weeks of the year for bulls. The gentle, open sagebrush terrain means a hunter can cover a lot of ground glassing for movement, but that same openness cuts both ways — elk can spot a hunter from a long way off, so using the low ridgelines and any pockets of timber or grass meadow for approach matters. The tag is antlered-only, and hunters should note an archery-only hunt runs concurrently in the same window, so it pays to know where that overlap creates extra pressure. Draw odds for this hunt run very long for residents, so it's not a season to count on drawing in any given year.
Controlled hunt 40-1 · Archery · September 15 – October 14
Archery hunters in this window get the same Primary Rut into Late Rut / Early Post-Rut timing, meaning bulls are still working through the most vocal and active part of the season before things taper off. Closing the distance in gentle, open sagebrush country is the central challenge here, since there's little steep or broken ground to break up sightlines, and hunters need to lean on grass meadows and the thin conifer patches for any kind of cover on the stalk. The tag allows antlered elk only. Like the concurrent rifle hunt, the resident draw odds are very long, so this is a season built more around persistence in applying than a sure thing.
Controlled hunt 40-1 · Any weapon · October 15 – November 24
This late-season hunt is for antlerless elk only, running from the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase through Post-Rut Recovery and into the Migration Transition phase as animals begin shifting toward winter range. Hunters filling a cow or calf tag should focus on the open sagebrush flats and grass meadows where elk continue to feed and move as the season progresses, using the unit's gentle terrain to cover ground and locate groups at a distance. By November, snowfall averages around 2.9 inches with lows near 25°F, conditions that can push elk to start relocating and make them easier to pattern in open country. Draw odds for this hunt run long for residents, better than the unit's other controlled hunts but still not something to plan a season entirely around.
Controlled hunt 42 · Any weapon · October 15 – November 24
Covering the same Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, and Migration Transition stretch as the antlerless hunt in Unit 40-1, this antlered-only hunt in Unit 42 finds bulls settling out of rut activity and beginning to drift toward winter range. The wide-open, gentle sagebrush country rewards long-range glassing over still-hunting, since cover is thin and elk have room to move undetected across the rolling ground. November weather brings snowfall averaging about 2.9 inches with lows around 25°F, which can help trigger movement toward lower ground and make elk more visible against the open terrain. Draw odds run very long for residents, so this is a hunt to apply for with patience rather than expectation.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–6,800 ft, typically around 5,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 85% gentle · 11% moderate · 3% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1,285 sq mi
- Designated wilderness
- Owyhee River Wilderness (30%) and Pole Creek Wilderness (2%) — 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.
Across the unit
- Sagebrush88%
- Grass and meadow7%
- Conifer4%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 96% of Unit 42 is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM and Idaho state endowment land.
- BLM92%
- Idaho state endowment land3%
- Private4%
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 88°F, lows around 51°F
- September — highs around 78°F, lows around 43°F
- October — highs around 63°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.3 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 48°F, lows around 25°F, about 2.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 38°F, lows around 18°F, about 6.1 in of snowfall
Unit 42 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 42 over the counter?
No. Unit 42 has no general elk season, so there is no over-the-counter tag available here for residents or anyone else. All elk hunting in this unit is through controlled hunts, which are awarded by random draw regardless of residency.
How do nonresidents get an elk tag for Unit 42?
Nonresidents apply for the same controlled hunts as residents, since Unit 42 has no general season tag to draw or buy. There is no separate zone A or B tag choice relevant here, as those general tags apply to units with a general season rather than to Unit 42's controlled-hunt-only structure.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 42 to draw?
Draw difficulty varies by hunt. Controlled hunt 40-1 Any weapon and Controlled hunt 40-1 Archery both run very long odds for residents, Controlled hunt 42 Any weapon also runs very long odds, and the antlerless-only Controlled hunt 40-1 Any weapon in the October-November window runs long odds, somewhat better than the others but still far from a sure thing.
Which elk zone covers Unit 42?
Unit 42 falls within the Owyhee Elk Zone, along with Units 40 and 41. However, since Unit 42 has no general elk season in the current data, the zone's general A and B tags are not relevant to hunting here; access is strictly through the controlled hunts listed for this unit.
Which Unit 42 seasons fall during the rut?
Controlled hunt 40-1 Any weapon and Controlled hunt 40-1 Archery, both running September 15 through October 14, fall within the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phases. Controlled hunt 42 Any weapon, running October 15 through November 24, falls outside the primary rut window, spanning Late Rut / Early Post-Rut through the Migration Transition phase instead.
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.