Unit 67 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Palisades Elk Zone · 412 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 67 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 3 controlled hunts, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds from good odds to fair odds.
What hunting Unit 67 is like
Unit 67 is mixed country with substantial steep ground, ranging from around 5,000 feet up to 10,000 feet, and a mean slope over 20 degrees means little of it is flat walking. Lower elevations mix sagebrush and conifer with some aspen and riparian pockets, mid elevations turn mostly to conifer with sagebrush understory, and higher elevations stay heavy in timber with sagebrush and grass openings. Much of the unit falls within Targhee National Forest, and where wilderness is designated, motorized access is closed, so this is foot-and-glass country for anyone willing to work the slopes.
About 84 percent of the unit, roughly 346 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land, though endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and should never be assumed open without checking. Private land accounts for about 13 percent and requires written permission, while a small unclassified share rounds out the rest. That's a strong public land base, but the steep, timbered terrain still makes for demanding access rather than easy walking.
Tags here run through the Palisades Elk Zone, which also covers Units 64 and 65. Residents buy general A or B tags over the counter, while nonresidents enter a random draw in which they apply for a specific zone tag, either A or B, chosen at the time of application rather than after the draw. Beyond the general season, controlled hunts 64-1 and 67-1 offer additional weapon and season options within Unit 67, drawn separately with their own resident odds bands.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 67 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 67. 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 the Pre-Rut Transition and carries hunters through Rut Onset and into the heart of the Primary Rut by month's end. In the early going bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to summer range, so sitting water sources or glassing open sagebrush and grass pockets for a spot-and-stalk works well before the rut fully kicks in. As September progresses, the timbered mid and higher elevations become more relevant as bulls respond to the rut. This is an any-elk tag under the A license, valid across Units 64, 65 and 67, open to any legal weapon under archery-only rules.
B tag · Any weapon · October 15 – October 21
By the time the B tag opens, the rut has passed its peak and elk are settling into the Late Rut and Post-Rut Recovery phases, so calling and rutting activity are largely behind. Cooling temperatures and modest October snowfall can start nudging elk out of the highest timber, making the conifer-heavy mid elevations worth still-hunting or glassing. This is a short one-week season for antlered elk only, any weapon, valid across Units 64, 65 and 67, so covering ground efficiently in the mixed steep terrain matters more than waiting for rut behavior.
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 67 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 64-1 · Any weapon | October 15 – November 14 | Antlerless only | Fair odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 67-1 · Any weapon Covers only part of this unit; Portion of Unit only, Very limited access | October 22 – December 14 | Antlerless only | Fair odds | Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition, 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 64-1 · Muzzleloader · October 1 – October 9
Muzzleloader hunters drawn for 64-1 work the same Late Rut / Early Post-Rut window as the general B season, meaning bulls are past peak rutting activity but not yet deep into recovery. Modest snowfall and cooling lows can start to move elk out of the thickest timber toward mid-elevation conifer and sagebrush edges, so working those transition zones on foot pays off. The tag is antlered-only and drawn with good resident odds, giving muzzleloader hunters a solid early-October window before the any-weapon controlled season opens.
Controlled hunt 64-1 · Any weapon · October 15 – November 14
This antlerless hunt spans Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery and into the Migration Transition, a stretch when elk are shifting off summer range as October gives way to heavier November snow. Hunters filling a cow or calf tag should focus on the mid and lower elevation conifer and sagebrush country where elk tend to funnel as snow accumulates, since higher timber becomes less hospitable through this period. Steep, mixed terrain means covering the right elevation band on foot matters more than distance covered, and colder, snowier November days can concentrate animals in more accessible pockets. The tag is antlerless only, any weapon, drawn with fair resident odds.
Controlled hunt 67-1 · Any weapon · October 22 – December 14
Covering only part of Unit 67 with very limited access, this long antlerless season runs from Post-Rut Recovery through the Migration Transition and into the Winter Range phase, tracking elk as they move toward lower ground through the fall and into deep winter. Hunters with a cow or calf tag should expect increasingly heavy snowfall by November and December, which pushes elk down out of the higher conifer bands toward lower-elevation sagebrush and conifer mixes. Because this hunt covers only its specific portion of the unit and access is very limited, scouting the boundaries and reachable ground ahead of time matters as much as the animals' seasonal movement. The tag is antlerless only, any weapon, drawn with fair resident odds.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,000–10,000 ft, typically around 6,700 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 23% gentle · 33% moderate · 41% steep · 3% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~346 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
- Sagebrush33%
- Other cover31%
- Conifer27%
- Aspen5%
- Riparian4%
- Grass and meadow1%
Mid elevations
- Conifer66%
- Sagebrush24%
- Aspen8%
- Grass and meadow2%
Higher elevations
- Conifer57%
- Sagebrush33%
- Grass and meadow8%
- Aspen3%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 84% of Unit 67 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land.
- National Forest81%
- BLM3%
- Idaho state endowment land<1%
- Unclassified ownership3%
- Private13%
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 78°F, lows around 47°F
- September — highs around 68°F, lows around 40°F
- October — highs around 53°F, lows around 30°F, about 1.6 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 39°F, lows around 20°F, about 10.4 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 29°F, lows around 13°F, about 22.2 in of snowfall
Unit 67 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 67 over the counter?
Yes, residents can buy a general elk tag over the counter for either the A or B season in the Palisades Elk Zone, which covers Unit 67 along with Units 64 and 65. No application or draw is required for residents choosing a general tag.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 67?
Nonresidents enter a random draw for general elk tags, and when applying they must choose a specific tag, either the zone's A tag or its B tag. The tag is selected at the time of application, not after the draw results are known.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 67 to draw?
Controlled hunt 64-1 muzzleloader carries good resident draw odds, while both the 64-1 any-weapon antlerless hunt and the 67-1 any-weapon antlerless hunt carry fair resident draw odds. All three are pure random draws with a limited number of tags and no points involved.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 67?
Unit 67 falls within the Palisades Elk Zone, shared with Units 64 and 65. General tags in this zone come as an A tag, archery only, or a B tag, any weapon, each with its own season and legal animal rules.
How much of Unit 67 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 84 percent of the unit, roughly 346 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land. That endowment land can still be posted closed or leased on individual parcels, so it should be treated as generally open rather than guaranteed.
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.