Unit 46 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · South Hills Elk Zone · 2,863 sq mi
Controlled hunts only
Unit 46 has no general elk season for adults in the current data; elk hunting here is by controlled hunt. It also has 5 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds from fair odds to very long odds. The zone's B tag is capped: a limited number, sold first-come, first-served.
What hunting Unit 46 is like
Unit 46 is gentle and rolling country, open enough that glassing plays a bigger role than climbing. Elevations run from about 2,500 feet up to 6,200 feet, but the terrain stays easy underfoot nearly everywhere, and cover across all elevation bands is dominated by grass and meadow with a growing share of sagebrush higher up. The Bruneau-Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness covers a small sliver of the unit and is closed to motorized travel, but most of the ground here is walkable, open country rather than technical wilderness hunting. Because there's so little timber or steep relief to hide in, elk sighted at distance can often be patterned and approached with a plan rather than brute effort.
About three-quarters of the unit is generally open to public hunting, a mix of BLM, Idaho state endowment land, and a State Wildlife Management Area, which gives a hunter real ground to work with even though individual endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and shouldn't be assumed open. The remaining private land requires permission before hunting it. Four wildfires have burned pieces of the unit in recent years: the Blue Ridge and Sailor Cap fires both burned within the last year on the unit's north and northwest sides, the Coonskin fire burned the east side two to four years back, and the East Fork fire burned the southwest side five to eight years ago — each reshaping how elk use those pockets of ground, and hunters should check for current fire closures before heading out.
General elk hunting is not available in Unit 46; elk here are taken only through controlled hunts. Residents apply for these hunts the same as nonresidents, since Idaho elk tags of this kind carry no points of any kind — every year's draw starts fresh. The unit sits within the South Hills Elk Zone for administrative purposes, but the zone's over-the-counter and capped general tags don't apply here; all opportunity runs through the controlled-hunt draws described below.
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 46 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 46-1 · Archery | August 30 – September 30 | Antlered only | Long odds | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Controlled hunt 46-1 · Muzzleloader | October 1 – October 14 | Antlered only | Long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Controlled hunt 46-1 · Any weapon | October 15 – November 30 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 46 · Any weapon | November 15 – December 31 | Antlerless only | Fair odds | Migration Transition, Winter Range |
| Controlled hunt 46 · Any weapon | December 1 – December 31 | Antlered only | Very 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 46-1 · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This archery hunt opens as bulls are finishing the Pre-Rut Transition and pushing into Rut Onset and Primary Rut, prime time for vocal, active animals. Early on, bulls are still stripping velvet and holding close to their summer haunts, so sitting water sources or glassing the open grass and sagebrush flats for a spot-and-stalk works well in country this open. The tag is antlered-only, and residents drawing it should expect long odds given how few tags exist. With little timber to break sightlines, a bull spotted from a distance can often be closed on across the gentle slopes without much technical difficulty.
Controlled hunt 46-1 · Muzzleloader · October 1 – October 14
By the time this muzzleloader hunt runs, the rut has passed its peak and animals are settling into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, typically quieter and more scattered than the archery season. The open, rolling terrain still favors glassing over still-hunting, since there is little cover to still-hunt through. This is another antlered-only draw with long odds for residents, so a hunter who draws it should be ready to cover ground and search rather than rely on calling activity from an already-cooling rut.
Controlled hunt 46-1 · Any weapon · October 15 – November 30
Spanning six weeks from Late Rut / Early Post-Rut through Post-Rut Recovery and into the Migration Transition, this any-weapon hunt covers a lot of behavioral ground, animals early on may still be recovering from the rut, while later entries can catch elk starting to shift range ahead of winter. November brings light snowfall and lows near freezing, which can help push movement and make tracking easier across the open grass and sagebrush country. The tag is antlered-only, and it carries very long odds in the resident draw, reflecting how few tags are issued for this long a season. Hunters should lean on glassing the gentle, open terrain and be ready to adjust as elk begin drifting with the onset of migration weather.
Controlled hunt 46 · Any weapon · November 15 – December 31
This antlerless hunt runs through the Migration Transition and into the Winter Range phase, when elk are shifting toward their wintering ground as snow builds. November and December bring modest but steady snowfall and increasingly cold lows, conditions that tend to concentrate animals as they settle onto winter range. A hunter filling a cow or calf tag should focus effort on the open grass and sagebrush terrain at lower elevations where wintering elk are more likely to gather. This hunt draws at fair odds for residents, among the better chances on the unit, and the antlerless-only tag makes it a solid option for someone focused on filling the freezer rather than chasing horn.
Controlled hunt 46 · Any weapon · December 1 – December 31
Closing out the year, this antlered-only hunt falls entirely within the Winter Range phase, when elk have settled into their wintering pattern under December's colder, snowier conditions. The open, gentle country makes it possible to glass long distances for concentrations of elk holding on lower ground, though deeper cold and snow can make for a tougher physical hunt than earlier seasons. Draw odds for residents are very long, reflecting the small number of tags issued for this late window. A hunter who draws it should be prepared to move and glass methodically across open terrain rather than expect elk to be scattered widely.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 2,500–6,200 ft, typically around 4,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 94% gentle · 4% moderate · 1% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~2,185 sq mi
- Designated wilderness
- Bruneau-Jarbridge Rivers 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.
Lower elevations
- Grass and meadow69%
- Other cover21%
- Sagebrush10%
Mid elevations
- Grass and meadow67%
- Sagebrush20%
- Other cover13%
Higher elevations
- Grass and meadow67%
- Sagebrush32%
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 46. 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.
- Blue Ridge fire, 2026 — about 14,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its north side.
- Coonskin fire, 2024 — about 13,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its east side.
- East Fork fire, 2018 — about 8,600 acres in the unit, mostly on its southwest side.
- Sailor Cap fire, 2026 — about 8,300 acres in the unit, mostly on its northwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 76% of Unit 46 is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, Idaho state endowment land and State Wildlife Management Area.
- BLM72%
- Idaho state endowment land4%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- National Park Service<1%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private23%
Idaho state endowment land is generally open to hunting unless posted closed or leased — check the parcel before planning around it.
Hunting is allowed on some National Park Service land (a national preserve, for example) but not in national monuments or historical parks — check where it is allowed.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 87°F, lows around 55°F
- September — highs around 77°F, lows around 47°F
- October — highs around 63°F, lows around 37°F
- November — highs around 48°F, lows around 27°F, about 1.3 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 38°F, lows around 21°F, about 4.8 in of snowfall
Unit 46 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 46 over the counter?
No. Unit 46 has no general elk season, so there is no over-the-counter tag available here for residents or nonresidents. All elk hunting in this unit runs through controlled hunts, which are awarded by random draw regardless of residency.
How do nonresidents get a tag to hunt elk in Unit 46?
Nonresidents apply for the same controlled hunts as residents, since Unit 46 has no general season tag to draw or buy. There are no points involved; every controlled hunt here is a pure random draw each year, and a nonresident applies directly for the specific hunt they want.
How hard is it to draw a controlled hunt in Unit 46?
It depends on the hunt. The November antlerless any-weapon hunt draws at fair odds for residents, the archery and muzzleloader hunts run long odds, and the two any-weapon hunts covering October through November and all of December carry very long odds. None of these are guaranteed, and Idaho's elk draws carry no points to improve future chances.
Which elk zone covers Unit 46?
Unit 46 lies within the South Hills Elk Zone, which also includes Units 47, 54, 55, 56, and 57. That zone framework governs general elk tags elsewhere in the zone, but Unit 46 itself only offers elk hunting through its controlled hunts.
How much of Unit 46 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 76 percent of the unit, roughly 2,185 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through a mix of BLM, Idaho state endowment land, and a State Wildlife Management Area. Endowment parcels can occasionally be posted closed or leased, so a hunter should treat that share as generally, not universally, 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.