Unit 59 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Beaverhead Elk Zone · 364 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 59 is in the Beaverhead Elk Zone, whose A and B tags carry different seasons. Nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw. It also has 3 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds from fair odds to very long odds.
What hunting Unit 59 is like
Unit 59 is rolling country, with some steeper breaks, ranging from around 5,100 feet up to 10,200 feet, with most of the hunting happening in the 6,800-foot middle ground. Sagebrush dominates the landscape at every elevation band, with grass and meadow mixed through the lower and mid elevations, and timber becoming more of a factor higher up. It is foot-and-glass country more than it is thick timber hunting, with enough open ground to glass but enough broken terrain and scattered conifer at the higher elevations to make elk work for cover. Part of the unit falls within the Targhee National Forest, and any designated wilderness within the unit is closed to motorized travel.
About 69 percent of the unit, roughly 252 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through a mix of National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land, though endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and should never be assumed open. The remaining 31 percent is private and requires written permission before stepping foot on it. Cover here reflects the long-standing mix of sagebrush, grass and timber described by elevation band rather than any recent disturbance.
Elk tags in Unit 59 run through the Beaverhead Elk Zone, shared with Units 30, 30A, 58 and 59A. Residents buy general zone tags over the counter with no draw required, while nonresidents apply for a specific tag — the zone's A tag or B tag — through a random draw, with the tag chosen at the time of application rather than afterward. On top of the general seasons, three controlled hunts add further opportunity and different weapons, legal animals and odds, letting a hunter weigh an over-the-counter archery or muzzleloader season against the long odds of a controlled rifle draw.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 59 is in the Beaverhead Elk Zone (Units 30, 30A, 58, 59 and 59A); 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 59. Residents buy the tag over the counter; nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| A tag · Any weapon Valid area: Portion of Units 58, 59 and 59A | August 1 – August 29 | Antlerless only | Late Summer / Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition |
| A tag · Archery Valid area: Units 30, 30A, 58, 59 and 59A | August 30 – September 30 | Any elk | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| A tag · Muzzleloader Valid area: Units 30, 30A, 58, 59 and 59A | October 15 – October 31 | Antlerless only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
A tag · Any weapon · August 1 – August 29
This early-season antlerless hunt opens while elk are still in the Late Summer / Velvet phase and sliding into the Pre-Rut Transition, so animals are holding to established late-summer patterns. A hunter filling this tag does well to work the sagebrush and grass flats at lower elevations where cows and calves concentrate, using the open, rolling ground to glass before closing the distance. It's antlerless-only, so the focus stays on identifying cows and calves rather than working any bull sign. Access through the generally open public ground gives room to cover this gentle-to-moderate terrain on foot.
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Archery season is the one stretch of the year that lines up with the rut, spanning the tail of the Pre-Rut Transition through Rut Onset and into the Primary Rut. Early on, bulls are shedding velvet and still hanging near where they summered, so sitting water sources or glassing the sagebrush and grass country for a spot-and-stalk works well before things heat up. As the season pushes into peak rut activity, hunters can expect more movement and vocalization to key on across the open, rolling terrain and timbered pockets at higher elevation. Any elk is legal, giving archers the widest choice of animal of any season in the unit.
A tag · Muzzleloader · October 15 – October 31
By mid-October the rut has wound down and elk are settling into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut and Post-Rut Recovery phases, with animals returning to more routine feeding patterns. This is an antlerless-only muzzleloader season, so the job is locating cows and calves rather than reading bull behavior, and the light snowfall and cooling lows typical of the month can push animals off the highest ground toward sagebrush and grass at lower and mid elevations. Working the open, rolling terrain with patience and good glass suits the antlerless approach here. The mix of public forest and rangeland gives room to work these lower bands on foot.
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 59 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 30-1 · Any weapon Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Units 58, 59 and 59A | October 1 – October 14 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Controlled hunt 58-1 · Any weapon Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | November 1 – November 30 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 59-1 · Any weapon Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | November 1 – November 30 | Antlerless only | Fair odds | 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 30-1 · Any weapon · October 1 – October 14
Controlled hunt 30-1 falls entirely in the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, when bulls are past peak breeding activity but still worth pursuing with any weapon on an antlered-only tag. Early-season snowfall and dropping lows can start nudging elk out of the highest timbered pockets toward the sagebrush and grass mid-elevations, and the Motorized Hunting Rule applying across Units 58, 59 and 59A shapes how far a hunter can push in by vehicle before it becomes foot work. Drawing this hunt as a resident carries very long odds, so it's a hunt to plan for rather than count on. The rolling, broken terrain rewards hunters willing to glass and still-hunt the timber edges.
Controlled hunt 58-1 · Any weapon · November 1 – November 30
Running the length of November, this controlled hunt falls in the Migration Transition phase, when elk are shifting off summer and fall range toward winter ground. Any weapon is legal for this antlered-only tag, and the meaningful November snowfall and colder lows help push bulls out of higher timber and into more accessible sagebrush and grass country. The Motorized Hunting Rule applies here as well, so travel planning matters as conditions firm up. Resident draw odds for hunt 58-1 run very long, making this a hunt worth applying for without expecting to pull it often.
Controlled hunt 59-1 · Any weapon · November 1 – November 30
This November controlled hunt also falls in the Migration Transition phase, when elk are on the move toward winter range, and it is an antlerless-only tag under the Motorized Hunting Rule. A hunter filling this tag benefits from watching the sagebrush and grass corridors at lower and mid elevations where migrating cows and calves tend to funnel as snow builds in the high country. The month's snowfall and cold lows are part of what gets animals moving, so patience and mobility on the rolling terrain pay off. Resident draw odds for hunt 59-1 sit at fair, making it the more attainable of the unit's controlled draws.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,100–10,200 ft, typically around 6,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 53% gentle · 34% moderate · 13% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~252 sq mi
- National forests
- Targhee 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
- Sagebrush71%
- Grass and meadow21%
- Other cover8%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush74%
- Conifer13%
- Grass and meadow9%
- Riparian2%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush63%
- Conifer29%
- Grass and meadow8%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 69% of Unit 59 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land.
- National Forest35%
- BLM33%
- Idaho state endowment land2%
- Private31%
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 76°F, lows around 48°F
- September — highs around 65°F, lows around 40°F
- October — highs around 50°F, lows around 30°F, about 1.2 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 36°F, lows around 19°F, about 6.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 27°F, lows around 12°F, about 11.6 in of snowfall
Unit 59 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 59 over the counter?
Yes, residents can buy a general Beaverhead Elk Zone tag over the counter without applying through any draw. The choice is between the zone's A tag season options valid in Unit 59, such as the any-weapon, archery or muzzleloader windows. No points or application are needed for this path.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 59?
Nonresidents apply for a general tag through a random draw, and they must choose the specific tag they want at the time they apply. For elk that means selecting the Beaverhead Elk Zone's A tag or B tag season up front, not after the draw results are known. There is no point system involved in this process.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 59 to draw?
All three controlled hunts tied to this unit are decided by a pure random draw with no points banked over time. Resident first-choice odds are very long for hunt 30-1 and hunt 58-1, while hunt 59-1, an antlerless-only November hunt, carries fair odds by comparison. None of these odds guarantee a tag in any given draw.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 59?
Unit 59 falls in the Beaverhead Elk Zone, which also covers Units 30, 30A, 58 and 59A. The zone offers an A tag and separate controlled hunts, each with its own season, weapon and legal-animal rules specific to the areas they cover within the zone.
Which Unit 59 elk seasons fall during the rut?
Only the A tag archery season, running from late August through the end of September, overlaps the rut, spanning the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases. The any-weapon, muzzleloader and controlled rifle seasons all fall outside the rut window, in the late rut, post-rut or migration phases 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.