Unit 44 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Smoky - Bennett Elk Zone · 553 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 44 is in the Smoky - Bennett 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 very long odds. The zone's B tag is capped: a limited number, sold first-come, first-served.
What hunting Unit 44 is like
Unit 44 covers rolling to moderately steep country across the Boise National Forest and Sawtooth National Forest, with elevations running from valley bottoms up to just over 10,000 feet. Most of the ground is walkable on foot, with only a fifth of the unit falling into steep terrain, and sagebrush dominates the lower and mid elevations while conifer timber and grass meadows take over higher up. That mix rewards hunters willing to glass open sage flats and grass pockets and then work into timber pockets, rather than relying on a single tactic across the whole unit.
Roughly half the unit, about 284 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM and state endowment ground, though individual state parcels can be closed or leased and should not be assumed open. The rest is private land requiring written permission. Three fires have burned through Unit 44 in recent years: the Wildhorse fire (2022) on the southwest side, the Chimney fire (2024) on the northwest side, and the older Stewart Creek fire (2018), also northwest. The two more recent burns are now in the two-to-four-year window where open ground and fresh feed can make for some of the better glassing and hunting in the unit, while the Stewart Creek burn has grown thick with brush and deadfall that favors elk wanting cover. Hunters should check for current fire closures before heading in.
Tags here run through the Smoky - Bennett Elk Zone for general season, shared with Units 43, 45, 48 and 52, alongside a set of controlled hunts specific to Unit 44 and its sub-areas. Residents buy general tags over the counter; nonresidents apply for a specific zone tag through a random draw. The zone's B tag and the unit's several controlled hunts split up the fall by weapon, legal animal, and odds, giving hunters more than one way into this country depending on what they draw or buy.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 44 is in the Smoky - Bennett Elk Zone (Units 43, 44, 45, 48 and 52); 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 44. 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 44, 45 and 52 | November 10 – November 24 | Antlerless only | Migration Transition |
B tag · Any weapon · November 10 – November 24
By mid-November elk in Unit 44 are well into the Migration Transition phase, shifting off summer range toward winter ground, which makes travel routes between elevations worth watching for a cow or calf tag. This B tag season runs November 10 through November 24 and covers Units 44, 45 and 52, so scouting movement corridors across that broader area can pay off. Snow is falling by this point, averaging around 6.6 inches for the month with lows near 23°F, which pushes animals to lower ground and can make sign easier to cut in fresh snow. The tag is antlerless only, so the focus stays on locating groups of cows and calves working the sagebrush and grass lower down as they move.
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 44 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 48-3 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit | August 1 – August 29 | Antlerless only | Good odds | Late Summer / Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition |
| Controlled hunt 44 · Archery | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Controlled hunt 44 · Any weapon | October 1 – October 14 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Controlled hunt 44 · Any weapon | October 15 – November 10 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 44 · Any weapon Youth only | October 15 – October 31 | Antlerless only | Youth only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| Controlled hunt 43-1 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit | October 15 – November 10 | Antlerless only | 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 48-3 · Any weapon · August 1 – August 29
This early-season antlerless hunt falls across the Late Summer / Velvet phase and the Pre-Rut Transition phase, when elk are still on late-summer patterns before any rut activity begins. Hunt 48-3 covers only part of Unit 44, so a hunter needs to know the specific boundary of that hunt area rather than assuming the whole unit is open. It runs August 1 through August 29 for an antlerless-only tag, with resident draw odds rated good, and the approach is straightforward glassing and stalking of cow-calf groups using sagebrush flats and grass meadows at lower and mid elevations before heavier hunting pressure arrives. Working the fringes of timber near open feeding ground gives the best look at groups without pushing them into cover.
Controlled hunt 44 · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Archery season opens August 30 and runs through September 30, spanning the tail of the Pre-Rut Transition phase into Rut Onset and the heart of the Primary Rut, making it the one season here that lines up with the September rut. Early on, bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to where they summered, so sitting water sources or glassing open sage and grass ground for a spot-and-stalk works well. As the rut builds through September, bulls become more active and vocal, and hunters can use that activity combined with the unit's mix of open cover and timber to close distance. This is an antlered-only archery tag with very long resident draw odds for hunt 44, so it rewards patience in scouting terrain rather than expecting quick opportunity.
Controlled hunt 44 · Any weapon · October 1 – October 14
This short any-weapon window runs October 1 through October 14, landing in the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase as breeding activity winds down. Bulls may still be responsive to calling or working residual rut behavior early in the period before settling into more subdued post-rut patterns. Hunters can use the unit's timber pockets at mid and higher elevations for cover while glassing sagebrush and grass openings where elk feed. The tag is antlered only, and resident draw odds for hunt 44 are rated very long, so this is a hunt to draw into rather than count on.
Controlled hunt 44 · Any weapon · October 15 – November 10
Running October 15 through November 10, this any-weapon hunt covers the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase into Post-Rut Recovery and on into the Migration Transition phase, meaning behavior shifts noticeably over its span from lingering rut activity to elk settling into recovery and eventually moving toward winter range. Snow becomes a factor by November, averaging about 6.6 inches with lows near 23°F, pushing bulls toward lower sagebrush and grass ground and making travel routes worth watching late in the season. The Chimney fire (2024) and Wildhorse fire (2022) burns, both still in their two-to-four-year window, can offer good glassing and feeding activity in early morning and evening light. This is an antlered-only tag for hunt 44 with very long resident draw odds, so success depends heavily on covering the right ground as conditions change through the period.
Controlled hunt 43-1 · Any weapon · October 15 – November 10
This antlerless hunt in area 43-1 runs October 15 through November 10, the same stretch covering Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, and Migration Transition, so cow and calf groups shift from late-season activity toward movement toward winter ground as the weeks pass. The hunt covers only part of Unit 44, so a hunter needs to confirm the specific boundary rather than treating the whole unit as open. November snow, averaging near 6.6 inches with lows around 23°F, tends to push groups lower and can make locating them along migration routes more productive later in the period. Resident draw odds for hunt 43-1 are rated long, better than the unit's any-weapon hunts, making this a realistic option for a hunter wanting an antlerless tag in this stretch of fall.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–10,100 ft, typically around 6,000 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 34% gentle · 47% moderate · 20% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~284 sq mi
- National forests
- Boise 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
- Sagebrush43%
- Other cover35%
- Grass and meadow13%
- Riparian6%
- Conifer4%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush68%
- Grass and meadow21%
- Conifer9%
- Riparian1%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush49%
- Conifer31%
- Grass and meadow20%
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 44. 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.
- Wildhorse fire, 2022 — about 8,400 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its southwest side.
- Chimney fire, 2024 — about 6,500 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its northwest side.
- Stewart Creek fire, 2018 — about 5,800 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its northwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 51% of Unit 44 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land.
- National Forest37%
- BLM9%
- Idaho state endowment land5%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private48%
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 81°F, lows around 50°F
- September — highs around 71°F, lows around 42°F
- October — highs around 57°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.3 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 42°F, lows around 23°F, about 6.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 33°F, lows around 16°F, about 19.6 in of snowfall
Unit 44 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 44 over the counter?
Yes. Residents buy a general elk tag over the counter without applying or drawing, choosing the Smoky - Bennett Elk Zone tag that covers Unit 44. Nonresidents cannot buy over the counter and must go through a random draw for a specific zone tag instead.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag valid in Unit 44?
Nonresidents apply through a random draw for the Smoky - Bennett Elk Zone's A tag or B tag, choosing which specific tag to apply for at the time of application. The tag is not selected after the draw; it is chosen when applying, and drawing does not guarantee success since tags are limited.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 44 to draw?
Odds vary a lot by hunt. Hunt 48-3's antlerless season carries good resident draw odds, hunt 43-1's antlerless season is rated long odds, and all three of the any-weapon and archery hunts numbered 44 are rated very long odds for residents. None of these are guaranteed, since all controlled hunts are decided by pure random draw with a limited number of tags.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 44?
Unit 44 falls in the Smoky - Bennett Elk Zone, shared with Units 43, 45, 48 and 52. General tags in this zone come as an A tag or a B tag with different seasons and weapons, and the zone's B tag valid in Unit 44 is capped, sold first-come, first-served until the limited supply runs out.
Which Unit 44 elk seasons fall during the September rut?
Only the archery season, running August 30 through September 30, overlaps the rut, since it spans the Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases. The general B tag season and all of the any-weapon controlled hunts fall outside the rut window.
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.