Unit 65 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Palisades Elk Zone · 223 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 65 is in the Palisades Elk Zone, whose A and B tags carry different seasons. Nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw. It also has 4 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds from good odds to fair odds.
What hunting Unit 65 is like
Unit 65 is gentle and rolling country, with the vast majority of the ground classed as gentle to moderate and only a small sliver of it steep. Elevations run from about 5,900 feet up to 8,900 feet, and the cover shifts with that climb: mid elevations carry a mix of sagebrush, conifer, aspen, grass and meadow, and riparian pockets, while the higher country turns mostly to conifer timber with sagebrush, aspen, and grass and meadow mixed in. Some of the higher ground falls inside the Targhee National Forest, and where wilderness is designated within it, motorized travel is off limits, so foot and horseback access still matter even though the slopes themselves are forgiving.
Only about 29 percent of Unit 65, roughly 64 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Management Area ground. The remaining 71 percent is private and requires written permission to hunt. That split makes legal access, not terrain, the real limiting factor here — a hunter can walk gentle ground all day but still needs to know exactly where the public boundary lines fall.
Elk tags in Unit 65 run through the Palisades Elk Zone, shared with Units 64 and 67. Residents buy the zone's A and B general tags over the counter, while nonresidents apply for one of those two specific tags through a random draw, choosing A or B at the time of application. Beyond the general season, four controlled hunts overlay parts of the unit with their own weapons, legal animals, and draw odds, giving hunters several distinct ways to pursue elk here depending on timing and tag type.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 65 is in the Palisades Elk Zone (Units 64, 65 and 67); 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 65. Residents buy the tag over the counter; nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| A tag · Archery Valid area: Units 64, 65, 67 | August 30 – September 30 | Any elk | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 64, 65, 67 | October 15 – October 21 | Antlered only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Archery season opens right at the tail end of summer and runs through the pre-rut transition, rut onset, and into the primary rut, covering the most vocal, active stretch of the fall. Early on, bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to their summer haunts, making sitting water sources or glassing open sagebrush and grass pockets for a spot-and-stalk a sound approach. As the season progresses into the primary rut, hunters can expect more movement and vocal activity across both the mid-elevation sagebrush-and-timber mix and the higher conifer country. The A tag is valid for any elk and covers Units 64, 65, and 67, so archery hunters have latitude in both target and location within that zone.
B tag · Any weapon · October 15 – October 21
By the time the B tag season opens in mid-October, the rut has passed its peak and elk are moving into the late rut and early post-rut lull followed by post-rut recovery. Cooler temperatures and light snowfall start to show up in October, which can push elk to begin shifting off the highest conifer benches toward more sheltered ground. This is a short, one-week any-weapon season restricted to antlered elk only, valid across Units 64, 65, and 67, so hunters need to be efficient and cover likely mid- to high-elevation timber and sagebrush edges quickly.
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 65 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 64-1 · Muzzleloader | October 1 – October 9 | Antlered only | Good odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Controlled hunt 62-1 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit | October 15 – November 14 | Antlerless only | Good odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 64-1 · Any weapon | October 15 – November 14 | Antlerless only | Fair odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 62-1 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit | November 1 – November 14 | Antlered or antlerless | — | 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 64-1 · Muzzleloader · October 1 – October 9
This muzzleloader hunt falls entirely within the late rut and early post-rut window, when bull activity is winding down from its peak but elk are still working through the aftermath of the rut. Hunters can work the transition zones between sagebrush and conifer at mid and higher elevations, where bulls tend to hole up after the rush of the primary rut. The tag is antlered only, and with good resident draw odds for hunt 64-1, it's a reasonable option for a hunter wanting a quieter, more deliberate weapon season without the crowds of the general hunt.
Controlled hunt 62-1 · Any weapon · October 15 – November 14
This antlerless hunt spans the late rut and post-rut recovery periods before sliding into the migration transition in November, meaning cow and calf groups are shifting from their late-summer and early-fall patterns toward more consolidated movement. Hunters should focus on the corridors and cover connecting the higher conifer benches to the lower sagebrush and grass meadows, since access is limited to the roughly 29 percent of the unit that is public, National Forest, BLM, or Wildlife Management Area ground. October brings light snowfall and cooling lows, and by November snowfall increases substantially, which can help push animals toward lower ground and improve visibility on open sagebrush flats. Hunt 62-1 covers only part of Unit 65, so hunters need to confirm they are within its boundary before setting up.
Controlled hunt 64-1 · Any weapon · October 15 – November 14
Running the same October-to-November window as its counterpart, this antlerless hunt in hunt area 64-1 also spans the late rut, post-rut recovery, and migration transition phases, tracking elk as they shift from rut-related patterns into more concentrated movement ahead of winter. Hunters should watch the transition zones between higher conifer timber and mid-elevation sagebrush and grass, particularly as November's heavier snowfall begins to press animals lower. With fair resident draw odds, this hunt sees more competition for tags than some of the unit's other controlled options, so hunters should be prepared to work the limited public ground carefully. Access remains the main constraint, with only a minority of the unit open without landowner permission.
Controlled hunt 62-1 · Any weapon · November 1 – November 14
This late-season hunt runs entirely within the migration transition phase, when elk are shifting off summer and fall ranges toward wherever they winter. Heavier November snowfall by this point can concentrate animals and move them toward lower sagebrush and grass meadows, making those transition areas worth watching. The tag allows either antlered or antlerless elk, giving hunters flexibility, but the hunt covers only part of Unit 65, so it pays to know the exact boundary of hunt area 62-1 before heading out.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,900–8,900 ft, typically around 6,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 74% gentle · 20% moderate · 6% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~64 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
- Other cover51%
- Riparian39%
- Sagebrush8%
- Grass and meadow2%
Mid elevations
- Other cover49%
- Sagebrush28%
- Conifer10%
- Aspen5%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Riparian3%
Higher elevations
- Conifer70%
- Sagebrush17%
- Aspen8%
- Grass and meadow4%
- Other cover1%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 29% of Unit 65 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Management Area.
- National Forest25%
- BLM4%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private71%
Fall weather
- August — highs around 80°F, lows around 46°F
- September — highs around 70°F, lows around 38°F
- October — highs around 55°F, lows around 29°F, about 1.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 39°F, lows around 19°F, about 9.7 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 29°F, lows around 11°F, about 18.2 in of snowfall
Unit 65 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 65 over the counter?
Yes. Residents buy the Palisades Elk Zone's A or B general tag over the counter with no draw or application required, and Unit 65 is covered by both of those tags.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 65?
Nonresidents enter a random draw for the Palisades Elk Zone's general tags, and they must choose either the A tag or the B tag at the time they apply. The specific tag is picked when applying, not after the draw is complete.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 65 to draw?
Draw difficulty varies by hunt: resident first-choice odds are Good for both hunt 64-1 Muzzleloader and hunt 62-1 Any weapon (October 15 to November 14), while hunt 64-1 Any weapon (October 15 to November 14) draws at Fair odds. All are pure random draws with a limited number of tags and no points involved.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 65?
Unit 65 falls in the Palisades Elk Zone along with Units 64 and 67. The zone's A tag is archery-only and any-elk, while its B tag is any-weapon and antlered-only, and hunters choose one or the other.
How much of Unit 65 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 29 percent of the unit, roughly 64 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Management Area ground. The remaining 71 percent is private and requires written permission before it can be hunted.
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.