Unit 68 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Big Desert Elk Zone · 1,818 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 68 is in the Big Desert 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 from good odds to very long odds. The zone's B tag is capped: a limited number, sold first-come, first-served.
What hunting Unit 68 is like
Unit 68 is gentle and rolling country, almost entirely low-slope ground with none of it classed as rugged or steep. Elevation runs from about 4,200 feet up to 7,600 feet, and the cover across the unit is dominated by sagebrush and grass and meadow, with timber in the mix at higher bands. There's no wilderness designation here and no named landmarks to navigate by, which means most hunting comes down to reading open sage-grass flats and working the edges where cover thickens. It's foot country in the sense that the low relief makes for easy walking, but the openness also means elk can see and smell a hunter from a long way off.
Just over half the unit, about 57 percent, is generally open to public hunting across BLM, Idaho state endowment land and a State Wildlife Management Area — the only ground a hunter can really count on, and even endowment parcels can be posted closed or under lease. A slice of roughly 6.8 percent falls under National Park Service management, where hunting is only allowed in certain designated areas and never assumed open. Private land covers about 30 percent of the unit and requires written permission, and another 6.4 percent is unclassified ownership, neither public nor private by default. The Split Top fire burned about 5,500 acres on the unit's west side in 2025, and this fall that ground sits in its first year of recovery — hunters working that side of the unit should check for current fire closures before heading out.
Elk in Unit 68 are covered under the Big Desert Elk Zone, which also includes Units 52A, 53 and 68A. Residents buy general A or B tags over the counter with no draw required, while nonresidents go through a random draw in which they apply for a specific zone tag — A or B — chosen at the time of application, not afterward. The B tag is capped, sold first-come, first-served until it's gone. Beyond the general seasons, two controlled hunts add options: one for antlered elk with very long resident odds, and one for antlerless elk with good resident odds.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 68 is in the Big Desert Elk Zone (Units 52A, 53, 68 and 68A); 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 68. 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: Unit 68 | August 1 – August 30 | Any elk | Late Summer / Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition |
| A tag · Archery Valid area: Units 52A and 68 | August 30 – September 30 | Any elk | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 52A and 68 | November 1 – December 31 | Antlerless only | Migration Transition, Winter Range |
A tag · Archery · August 1 – August 30
Early in the archery season bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to the same ground they used all summer, which in Unit 68 means the sage and grass flats and whatever timber pockets exist at the higher elevations. This is the stretch to sit water sources or glass open country for a spot-and-stalk approach, since the gentle terrain gives good visibility for picking apart a bull before closing the distance. Any elk is legal under the A tag archery season, and the ground stays firm and easy to cover on foot through this window. Hunters working the unit's west side should be aware they're moving through the Split Top burn from 2025, now in its first year of recovery, where green-up can already be pulling elk back in to feed among the standing burned timber.
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This season opens still in the tail end of velvet-stripping behavior before sliding into the rut proper, so early on the same tactics apply — sit water or glass the open flats for a stalk while bulls hold near summer ground. As the days move on, the country shifts into the rut and elk activity picks up across the sage and grass; the any-elk legal status under this A tag holds for the whole stretch, and the tag is valid in both Unit 68 and Unit 52A. The low, rolling terrain rewards hunters willing to cover ground and glass long distances rather than relying on tight cover to close in. Anyone hunting the unit's west side should keep in mind the Split Top fire footprint, still in its first year, where elk may be moving through burned ground between patches of unburned timber.
B tag · Any weapon · November 1 – December 31
By November the rut is well behind and elk are shifting into migration and then settling onto winter range, a period better suited to still-hunting open sage and grass flats than to calling or rutting tactics. This B tag season is antlerless only, so the focus is on locating cow-calf groups working the lower-elevation flats as they move toward winter ground. Snow starts light in November and builds through December, and by the tail end of the season lows are cold enough that elk concentrate on ground with reliable feed, making the gentle terrain easier to glass but colder to sit still in. The tag is valid across both Unit 68 and Unit 52A, giving some room to follow elk movement between the two.
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 68 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 52A-1 · Any weapon | October 1 – November 30 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 68 · Any weapon | October 15 – October 31 | Antlerless only | Good 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 52A-1 · Any weapon · October 1 – November 30
Controlled hunt 52A-1 opens as the rut is winding down and runs through post-rut recovery and into the migration period, so bulls are past their most vocal and vulnerable stage and settling into more subdued late-fall patterns. This is an antlered-only hunt, and with very long resident odds in the draw, it's a hunt to apply for opportunistically rather than count on. Hunting stretches into November when snowfall picks up and lows drop toward the mid-20s, which can help push elk down onto more open, huntable ground as the season progresses. The gentle, low-slope terrain across the unit makes it feasible to cover a lot of country on foot even as conditions turn colder.
Controlled hunt 68 · Any weapon · October 15 – October 31
Controlled hunt 68 falls in the back half of October, covering the tail of the rut and into post-rut recovery, and it's an antlerless-only opportunity with good resident odds in the draw. Cow and calf groups can be found working the open sage and grass country that dominates the unit, and the flat, gentle terrain makes for straightforward glassing and stalking without technical ground to contend with. The short window means covering the more open flats efficiently pays off, since there isn't a long season to wait out weather or elk movement. No bull tactics apply here — the entire hunt is built around locating and closing on antlerless animals in the open terrain that defines Unit 68.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–7,600 ft, typically around 4,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 99% gentle · 1% moderate · 0% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1,031 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.
Across the unit
- Sagebrush50%
- Grass and meadow27%
- Other cover24%
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 68. 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.
- Split Top fire, 2025 — about 5,500 acres in the unit, mostly on its west side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 57% of Unit 68 is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, Idaho state endowment land and State Wildlife Management Area.
- BLM55%
- Idaho state endowment land2%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- National Park Service7%
- Unclassified ownership6%
- Private30%
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 86°F, lows around 51°F
- September — highs around 75°F, lows around 43°F
- October — highs around 60°F, lows around 32°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 44°F, lows around 23°F, about 2.7 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 32°F, lows around 15°F, about 8.2 in of snowfall
Unit 68 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 68 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy a general A tag or B tag for the Big Desert Elk Zone over the counter with no draw or application required. The B tag is capped and sold first-come, first-served until the limited supply runs out, so buying early matters more than for the uncapped A tag.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 68?
Nonresidents enter a random draw for the Big Desert Elk Zone, and when applying they choose a specific tag — either the A tag or the B tag — as part of the application. The tag choice is locked in at the time of applying, not selected afterward once drawn.
How hard are the controlled hunts in Unit 68 to draw?
Controlled hunt 52A-1, an antlered-only any-weapon hunt, carries very long resident draw odds. Controlled hunt 68, an antlerless-only any-weapon hunt, carries good resident draw odds. Both are pure random draws with a limited number of tags and no points system involved.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 68?
Unit 68 lies in the Big Desert Elk Zone alongside Units 52A, 53 and 68A. General tags are sold by zone rather than by unit, with an A tag and a B tag each carrying different seasons and weapons, and a hunter picks one or the other.
How much of Unit 68 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 57 percent of the unit, roughly 1,031 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across BLM, Idaho state endowment land and a State Wildlife Management Area. That figure is the only ground a hunter can reliably count on, since endowment parcels can still be posted closed or under lease, and access is never guaranteed even on land classed as 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.