Unit 73A Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Bannock Elk Zone · 566 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 73A 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 73A is like
Unit 73A is rolling country, with some steeper breaks, running from around 4,400 feet up to 8,700 feet, though most of the ground a hunter will actually walk sits closer to the 5,500-foot mark. At lower elevations sagebrush and grass and meadow dominate the cover, giving way at mid elevations to more sagebrush with a bit of conifer mixed in, and at the higher elevations conifer timber and sagebrush share the ridges along with a little aspen and grass. None of the unit is mapped as rugged and only a small share is steep, so this is mostly foot-friendly ground for a hunter willing to cover distance, with the steeper breaks offering the best chance to get out of sight of other hunters.
Only about 28 percent of Unit 73A, a little under 159 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through a mix of BLM, Idaho state endowment land and National Forest. State endowment parcels are open unless posted closed or under lease, so that share can shift underfoot. The remaining roughly 72 percent is private, and a hunter needs written permission before setting foot on it, which makes legal access, not terrain, the real limiting factor here.
Elk tags for Unit 73A run through the Bannock Elk Zone, which also covers Units 70, 71, 72, 73 and 74. Residents buy zone tags over the counter, choosing an A tag or B tag season without any draw; nonresidents apply for a general tag through a random draw in which they select a specific zone tag, A or B, at the time they apply rather than after results are posted. Beyond the general zone seasons, Unit 73A also falls under Controlled hunt 70-1, a separate limited-tag hunt awarded by pure random draw with no points involved anywhere in the system.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 73A 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 73A. 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 archery opener, running through the tail end of the Pre-Rut Transition phase and into Rut Onset and Primary Rut, which means bulls are shedding velvet early on and moving into rutting behavior as the weeks pass. In the first week or two, bulls are still close to where they summered, so sitting water sources or glassing open sagebrush and grass benches for a spot-and-stalk works well before things heat up. The A tag archery season is the one general-season window that falls inside the rut, and it allows any elk. With most of the accessible public ground being gentle to moderate in slope, hunters can cover country on foot, but success still depends on finding open BLM, state endowment or National Forest ground rather than private land.
A tag · Any weapon · October 25 – November 15
By the time this any-weapon season opens, elk have moved past the rut and into Post-Rut Recovery before sliding into the Migration Transition phase, and this tag is antlerless only. Hunters filling a cow or calf tag should focus on the open public ground scattered through the unit's gentle rolling terrain and sagebrush and grass cover, since private land still locks up most of the acreage. November brings modest snowfall and lows near freezing, which can start nudging animals toward lower ground and make glassing sagebrush flats and meadow edges worthwhile as the month progresses.
A tag · Muzzleloader · December 1 – December 31
December's muzzleloader season sits entirely in the Winter Range phase, and like the late fall season it is antlerless only. Snowfall picks up to a real monthly accumulation with lows dropping into the high teens, conditions that tend to push elk down toward lower-elevation sagebrush and grass cover where forage is easier to reach. Hunters chasing a cow or calf tag should concentrate effort on the accessible public tracts at lower elevations, since deep cold and snow this time of year tend to concentrate animals rather than scatter them across the unit.
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 73A 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
This early-October controlled hunt opens right at the tail of the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, giving hunters a narrow antlered-only window while bulls are still settling out of rutting activity. Tags for Controlled hunt 70-1 in this timeframe are scarce, with resident draw odds running very long, so this is a hunt to plan around rather than count on drawing. Hunters who do draw can work the unit's rolling terrain and mix of sagebrush, grass and timber at higher elevations, though the same private-land limitations apply as elsewhere in the unit.
Controlled hunt 70-1 · Any weapon · October 15 – October 24
Running from mid to late October, this second any-weapon controlled hunt spans the last of the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase into Post-Rut Recovery, still restricted to antlered elk only. Resident draw odds here are long, better than the early-October hunt but still far from a sure thing. Hunters who draw this tag should look to the higher-elevation timber and sagebrush mix as bulls settle into post-rut patterns, working the unit's public ground where slopes are gentle enough to cover on foot.
Controlled hunt 70-1 · Muzzleloader · November 16 – November 30
This muzzleloader controlled hunt falls in the Migration Transition phase, in mid to late November, and it allows either an antlered or antlerless animal. Resident draw odds are good, making this one of the more attainable tags in the unit's controlled hunt lineup. With snowfall increasing and lows near the mid-20s, elk are shifting off summer range, so hunters should expect movement toward lower-elevation sagebrush and grass cover as the month progresses, and should concentrate on the accessible public parcels within the unit's gentler terrain.
Controlled hunt 70-1 · Muzzleloader · December 1 – December 31
Closing out the year, this December muzzleloader controlled hunt sits in the Winter Range phase and, like the November hunt, allows either an antlered or antlerless elk. Resident draw odds are good here as well. Heavier monthly snowfall and lows in the high teens tend to push elk down into lower-elevation sagebrush and grass habitat, so hunters should focus on those lower bands of open public ground rather than higher timbered country, which will see less elk activity as winter sets in.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,400–8,700 ft, typically around 5,500 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 58% gentle · 27% moderate · 15% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~159 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.
Lower elevations
- Other cover38%
- Sagebrush38%
- Grass and meadow24%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush56%
- Other cover30%
- Grass and meadow12%
- Conifer2%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush57%
- Conifer34%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Aspen3%
- 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 28% of Unit 73A is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, Idaho state endowment land and National Forest.
- BLM21%
- Idaho state endowment land4%
- National Forest3%
- Private72%
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 85°F, lows around 52°F
- September — highs around 75°F, lows around 44°F
- October — highs around 59°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 44°F, lows around 25°F, about 3 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 34°F, lows around 18°F, about 9.5 in of snowfall
Unit 73A elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 73A over the counter?
Yes. Residents purchase a Bannock Elk Zone general elk tag over the counter with no draw or application required. They choose between the zone's A tag or B tag season, and the A tag windows valid in Unit 73A include archery, any weapon and muzzleloader options.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag for Unit 73A?
Nonresidents cannot simply buy a general tag over the counter; they must apply through a random draw. When applying, they select a specific tag, either the Bannock Elk Zone's A tag or B tag, at the time of application rather than after the draw results are known.
How hard is it to draw Controlled hunt 70-1 in Unit 73A?
It depends on which season within Controlled hunt 70-1 a hunter applies for. The early and mid-October any-weapon seasons carry very long and long resident draw odds respectively, while the November and December muzzleloader seasons carry good resident draw odds.
Which elk zone covers Unit 73A?
Unit 73A lies within the Bannock Elk Zone, which also covers Units 70, 71, 72, 73 and 74. General elk tags are sold by zone rather than by individual unit, and the zone's A and B tags carry different seasons and weapons.
How much of Unit 73A is public land a hunter can count on?
About 28 percent of the unit, roughly 159 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through BLM, Idaho state endowment land and National Forest. The remaining majority of the unit is private land requiring written permission, so legal access rather than terrain is the main constraint.
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.