Unit 45 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Smoky - Bennett Elk Zone · 1,275 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 45 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 2 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds long odds. The zone's B tag is capped: a limited number, sold first-come, first-served.
What hunting Unit 45 is like
Unit 45 is gentle and rolling country, with mean slope of only about 6.5 degrees and most of the ground classed as gentle terrain. Lower elevations run to grass, meadow and sagebrush, mid elevations are dominated by sagebrush with grass and meadow filling in the rest, and higher elevations stay mostly sagebrush with small pockets of riparian growth and conifer timber. The lack of steep or rugged ground means a hunter can cover country on foot without technical terrain slowing progress, though the open, rolling nature of the unit also means elk can be seen and glassed from a distance in the sagebrush and grass benches.
About 64 percent of Unit 45 is generally open to public hunting through a mix of BLM, Idaho state endowment land, a State Wildlife Management Area and National Forest, and that is the ground a hunter can count on, understanding that endowment parcels can occasionally be posted closed or leased. The remaining 36 percent is private and requires written permission. Four fires have burned into the unit in recent years: the Bray fire of 2022 on the southeast side, the Berry fire of 2024 on the south side, another 2024 fire on the west side, and a 2026 fire on the northwest side, and hunters should check for current fire closures before heading out.
General elk hunting in the Smoky - Bennett Elk Zone works two ways in Unit 45. Residents buy a general tag over the counter with no draw required, while nonresidents apply for a specific tag — either the zone's A tag or its capped B tag — through a random draw, choosing which one to apply for at the time of application rather than after draw results are known. Beyond the general season, two controlled hunts offer additional opportunity through a pure random draw with a limited number of tags issued for each.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 45 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 45. 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 the time this antlerless season opens, elk in Unit 45 are well into the Migration Transition phase, shifting off summer range and moving through the unit's rolling grass, meadow and sagebrush country. A hunter filling this tag does best working the open lower and mid-elevation benches where grass and sagebrush dominate, using the gentle terrain to glass long distances and pattern movement corridors rather than relying on cover to close distance. November brings modest snowfall of around 1.9 inches and lows near 27°F, enough to push animals to keep moving and to make fresh tracks in snow useful for locating groups. This tag is antlerless only, valid across Units 44, 45 and 52, and any weapon may be used.
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 45 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 45-1 · Archery Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered only | Long odds | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Controlled hunt 45 · Any weapon Very limited access; Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | October 1 – October 31 | Antlered only | Long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
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 45-1 · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This archery season opens right at the tail end of summer and runs through the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases, covering the most active stretch of the fall for bulls. Early on, bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to the areas where they spent summer, and sitting water sources or glassing the unit's open sagebrush and grass slopes for a spot-and-stalk approach can pay off before the rut fully kicks in. As the season progresses into rut onset and the primary rut, the same gentle, rolling terrain that makes glassing easy also means elk have room to move, so covering ground between water and feed is worthwhile. Only antlered bulls are legal, the Motorized Hunting Rule applies, and hunt 45-1 draws at long odds for residents.
Controlled hunt 45 · Any weapon · October 1 – October 31
October hunting under this any-weapon tag falls across the Late Rut and Post-Rut Recovery phases, after the peak breeding activity has wound down and bulls have started to settle into more recovered, less vocal patterns. Access is limited for this hunt, and the Motorized Hunting Rule applies, so finding bulls that have drifted into quieter post-rut routines takes covering ground on foot through the unit's sagebrush and grass country. Only antlered bulls are legal, and hunt 45 also draws at long odds for residents, so a tag here is not something to count on in any given year.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 2,500–7,400 ft, typically around 4,200 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 77% gentle · 19% moderate · 4% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~819 sq mi
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 meadow55%
- Other cover23%
- Sagebrush21%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush63%
- Grass and meadow36%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush71%
- Other cover14%
- Grass and meadow7%
- Riparian4%
- Conifer4%
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 45. 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.
- Bray fire, 2022 — about 20,000 acres in the unit (3%), mostly on its southeast side.
- Berry fire, 2024 — about 14,000 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its south side.
- Unnamed fire, 2024 — about 6,300 acres in the unit, mostly on its west side.
- Unnamed fire, 2026 — about 5,100 acres in the unit, mostly on its northwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 64% of Unit 45 is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, Idaho state endowment land, State Wildlife Management Area and National Forest.
- BLM57%
- Idaho state endowment land6%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- National Forest<1%
- Private36%
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 87°F, lows around 55°F
- September — highs around 76°F, lows around 46°F
- October — highs around 61°F, lows around 36°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 46°F, lows around 27°F, about 1.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 36°F, lows around 20°F, about 7.1 in of snowfall
Unit 45 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 45 over the counter?
Yes. Unit 45 falls in the Smoky - Bennett Elk Zone, and residents can buy a general elk tag over the counter with no draw or application required. Nonresidents do not have this option and must go through a random draw instead.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 45?
Nonresidents apply for a general elk tag through a random draw, and when applying they must choose a specific tag — either the Smoky - Bennett Elk Zone's A tag or its B tag. The choice is made at the time of application, not after draw results are released, and the B tag is capped with a limited number sold first-come, first-served once drawn.
How hard are the controlled hunts to draw in Unit 45?
Both controlled hunts offered in Unit 45, hunt 45-1 in archery season and hunt 45 in any-weapon season, draw at long odds for residents. Idaho's elk draws are pure random draws with no points system, so past applications do not improve future odds.
Which elk zone covers Unit 45 and what tags does it use?
Unit 45 is part of the Smoky - Bennett Elk Zone, along with Units 43, 44, 48 and 52. General elk tags in this zone come as an A tag or a B tag, each with its own season and weapon rules, and a hunter picks one.
How much of Unit 45 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 64 percent of Unit 45, roughly 819 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across BLM, Idaho state endowment land, a State Wildlife Management Area and National Forest. The remaining 36 percent is private land that 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.