Unit 70 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Bannock Elk Zone · 379 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 70 is in the Bannock 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 very long odds.
What hunting Unit 70 is like
Unit 70 is rolling to moderately steep country in the Caribou National Forest, running from about 4,400 feet up to 8,700 feet, with most of the ground gentle to moderate underfoot and only a small share truly steep. Cover shifts with elevation: sagebrush and grass dominate the lower slopes, sagebrush and grass and meadow hold through the mid elevations, and the higher country adds timber and aspen into the mix along with sagebrush. It is largely foot-and-glass country rather than technical terrain, with enough open ground to spot elk at a distance and enough sagebrush and timber pockets to hold them tight when pressured.
About 38 percent of the unit, roughly 145 square miles, is National Forest, BLM or Idaho state endowment land that a hunter can generally count on for access, though endowment parcels can be posted closed or leased and should be checked before hunting. The remaining 62 percent is private and requires written permission. That split means a hunter's plan for Unit 70 has to account for a real mix of open ground and land that simply is not available without asking first.
Elk here are covered by both general and controlled tags. Unit 70 falls in the Bannock Elk Zone alongside Units 71, 72, 73, 73A and 74, and the zone's A tag carries an archery season, an any-weapon season, and a muzzleloader season, each with its own dates and legal animal. On top of that, Controlled hunt 70-1 offers additional any-weapon and muzzleloader opportunities with limited tags awarded by random draw, some for antlered elk only and others for either sex.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 70 is in the Bannock Elk Zone (Units 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A and 74); 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 70. 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 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A and 74 | August 30 – September 30 | Any elk | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| A tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A and 74 | October 25 – November 15 | Antlerless only | Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| A tag · Muzzleloader Valid area: Units 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A and 74 | December 1 – December 31 | Antlerless only | Winter Range |
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
This is the rut window for Unit 70's archery hunters, spanning the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, and Primary Rut phases as August turns to September. Early on, bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to summer range, which makes glassing open sagebrush and grass benches or sitting water sources a sound way to locate and close on them. The A tag archery season runs any elk, so either a bull or a cow is fair game, and the mix of open lower-elevation cover with timbered high country gives room for both spot-and-stalk and closer still-hunting as the rut builds through September.
A tag · Any weapon · October 25 – November 15
This late-season A tag window falls in the Post-Rut Recovery and Migration Transition phases and is antlerless only, so the focus is entirely on locating cows or calves rather than bulls. November brings modest snowfall and lows near 24°F, which can start pushing elk out of the highest timber and aspen pockets toward lower sagebrush and grass and meadow ground as animals shift with the season. Covering the accessible National Forest and BLM ground methodically, and watching lower-elevation cover where elk migrate to, is the practical approach with an antlerless tag in hand.
A tag · Muzzleloader · December 1 – December 31
Hunting the December A tag muzzleloader season means working the Winter Range phase, when elk have settled into their winter pattern rather than following summer or rut routines. With antlerless-only legal animals, the job is finding cows and calves, and December's snowfall of roughly 10.6 inches and lows near 17°F tend to concentrate elk on lower-elevation sagebrush and grass ground where forage is easier to reach. Checking the open National Forest, BLM and state endowment tracts at these lower elevations, and being ready to move in cold, snow-affected conditions, is the core of this hunt.
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 70 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 70-1 · Any weapon | October 1 – October 14 | Antlered only | Very long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Controlled hunt 70-1 · Any weapon | October 15 – October 24 | Antlered only | Long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| Controlled hunt 70-1 · Muzzleloader | November 16 – November 30 | Antlered or antlerless | Good odds | Migration Transition |
| Controlled hunt 70-1 · Muzzleloader | December 1 – December 31 | Antlered or antlerless | Good 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 70-1 · Any weapon · October 1 – October 14
Controlled hunt 70-1's early any-weapon season sits in the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, targeting antlered bulls only, and it draws at very long odds for residents on the first choice. Bulls are coming off the primary rut and may still be catchable near the sagebrush, grass, and timber transition zones where they staged for the rut, making the mixed elevation cover in Unit 70 worth covering with optics before committing to a stalk. Because tags are limited and hard to draw, a hunter who lands one has essentially the run of the unit for two weeks under any-weapon rules.
Controlled hunt 70-1 · Any weapon · October 15 – October 24
This second controlled any-weapon season for Unit 70-1 covers the tail of the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase into the Post-Rut Recovery phase, still restricted to antlered bulls, and residents face long odds in the first-choice draw. As bulls settle into post-rut patterns, working the timber and aspen at higher elevations alongside the open sagebrush flats below gives options depending on where bulls have pulled back to after the rut. The any-weapon rules and limited tag numbers make this a season where a hunter can hunt the whole unit's terrain without competing against a crowd of other tag holders.
Controlled hunt 70-1 · Muzzleloader · November 16 – November 30
Running through the Migration Transition phase, this muzzleloader controlled hunt for 70-1 allows either antlered or antlerless elk, giving more flexibility than the early rifle seasons. November's snowfall near 3.8 inches and lows around 24°F can start nudging elk toward lower ground, so watching travel routes between higher timber and lower sagebrush and grass cover pays off. Residents draw this hunt at good odds, making it one of the more attainable controlled options in Unit 70.
Controlled hunt 70-1 · Muzzleloader · December 1 – December 31
This late controlled muzzleloader season for 70-1 falls in the Winter Range phase, when elk have shifted onto their wintering ground, and it permits either antlered or antlerless animals. December's heavier snowfall, around 10.6 inches, with lows near 17°F, tends to push elk down onto the lower sagebrush and grass and meadow cover where feed is more accessible, so concentrating effort at lower elevations makes sense. Like the November muzzleloader hunt, this one draws at good odds for residents, offering a realistic shot at a limited-entry tag.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,400–8,700 ft, typically around 5,500 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 49% gentle · 38% moderate · 13% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~145 sq mi
- National forests
- Caribou 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 cover42%
- Sagebrush37%
- Grass and meadow19%
- Riparian1%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush56%
- Grass and meadow27%
- Other cover15%
- Conifer2%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush55%
- Conifer25%
- Grass and meadow8%
- Aspen7%
- Other cover4%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 38% of Unit 70 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land.
- National Forest25%
- BLM11%
- Idaho state endowment land2%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private62%
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 84°F, lows around 51°F
- September — highs around 73°F, lows around 43°F
- October — highs around 58°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.2 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 43°F, lows around 24°F, about 3.8 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 33°F, lows around 17°F, about 10.6 in of snowfall
Unit 70 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 70 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy a general A tag for the Bannock Elk Zone, which covers Unit 70, directly over the counter without applying or drawing. No points or application process are involved for residents.
How do nonresidents get a general tag for Unit 70?
Nonresidents obtain a general elk tag for Unit 70 through a random draw rather than an over-the-counter purchase. When applying, the nonresident must choose a specific tag, either the Bannock Elk Zone's A tag or its B tag, since the tag choice is made at the time of application and not after the draw.
How hard is it to draw Controlled hunt 70-1 in Unit 70?
It depends on which season within the hunt. The early October any-weapon season draws at very long odds for residents on the first choice, the later October any-weapon season draws at long odds, and both muzzleloader seasons in November and December draw at good odds.
Which elk zone covers Unit 70 and what tags are valid there?
Unit 70 is part of the Bannock Elk Zone, which also includes Units 71, 72, 73, 73A and 74. The zone's general A tag offers an archery season, an any-weapon season, and a muzzleloader season, each valid across all of those units including Unit 70.
How much of Unit 70 is public land a hunter can count on?
About 38 percent of the unit, roughly 145 square miles, is National Forest, BLM or Idaho state endowment land that is generally open to hunting. The remaining 62 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.