Unit 78 Elk Hunting, Idaho
Idaho hunting unit · Bear River Elk Zone · 245 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 78 is in the Bear River Elk Zone, whose A and B tags carry different seasons. Nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw. It also has 1 controlled hunt, drawn by pure random draw with no points — resident odds long odds. The zone's B tag is capped: a limited number, sold first-come, first-served.
What hunting Unit 78 is like
Unit 78 sits in rolling to moderately steep country, running from around 5,900 feet up to 9,600 feet, with most of the ground falling into gentle or moderate slopes rather than anything truly rugged. At lower elevations the cover is mostly sagebrush with pockets of conifer, riparian growth, and aspen, transitioning at mid elevations to a mix dominated by conifer and sagebrush with a strong aspen component, and finishing at the higher country in conifer timber mixed with sagebrush, aspen, and small pockets of grass and meadow. Caribou National Forest anchors much of the public ground here, and hunting this unit generally means working on foot through a mix of open sage benches and timbered slopes rather than committing to true wilderness travel, though any designated wilderness within it is closed to motorized use.
About 72 percent of Unit 78, roughly 177 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through a combination of National Forest, BLM, and Idaho state endowment land, though the endowment parcels can be posted closed or under lease, so access there is never a given. The remaining 28 percent is private and requires written permission before it can be hunted. That public share is the number a hunter can actually plan around, and finding the right piece of it still takes legwork rather than assuming any given draw or ridge is open.
Elk tags here run through the Bear River Elk Zone, which Unit 78 shares with Units 75 and 77, and the zone's A and B tags carry different seasons and weapons rather than one blanket general season. Residents buy either general tag over the counter with no application, while nonresidents go through a random draw in which the specific A or B tag is chosen at the time of applying, not afterward. The B tag general season is capped at a limited number of tags sold first-come, first-served, and on top of the general options sits Controlled hunt 75-1, a separate any-weapon opportunity with its own limited tag pool and season.
General-season elk (2026)
General elk tags are sold by zone. Unit 78 is in the Bear River Elk Zone (Units 75, 77 and 78); 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 78. Residents buy the tag over the counter; nonresident general tags are allocated by random draw.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| B tag · Archery Valid area: Units 75, 77 and 78 | August 30 – September 14 | Antlerless or spike bull | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| A tag · Archery Valid area: Units 75, 77 and 78 | August 30 – September 30 | Any elk | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| B tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 75, 77 and 78 | October 15 – October 24 | Antlered only | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| A tag · Any weapon Valid area: Units 75, 77 and 78 | October 25 – November 15 | Antlerless only | Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| A tag · Muzzleloader Valid area: Units 75, 77 and 78 | December 1 – December 31 | Antlerless only | Winter Range |
B tag · Archery · August 30 – September 14
This early archery window opens right as bulls are finishing up shedding their velvet, still holding close to the ground where they spent the summer months. That makes the sage benches at lower elevation and the conifer-and-sagebrush mix at mid elevation worth glassing, with spot-and-stalk approaches or sitting water sources both viable tactics while the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, and Primary Rut phases play out. The B tag here is restricted to antlerless elk or a spike bull, so anyone carrying it needs to be selective about what walks out in front of them even during the peak of the rut activity.
A tag · Archery · August 30 – September 30
Running the full month from late August into the end of September, this A tag archery season covers the same velvet-shedding start described for the early season and carries all the way through the Primary Rut phase, giving a longer window to work the sage-to-timber transition zones where bulls hold early before rut activity intensifies. Glassing open sagebrush at lower elevations or sitting water can pay off in the opening days, while still-hunting through the conifer and aspen mix at mid elevation makes sense as the rut builds. Any elk is legal on this tag, which gives archery hunters the most flexibility of any season in the unit.
B tag · Any weapon · October 15 – October 24
By mid-October the rut is winding down into the Late Rut and Post-Rut Recovery phases, and hunting shifts from calling and rut tactics toward covering ground and finding bulls settling back into more predictable patterns. Cooling temperatures and light snowfall in the 1.8-inch range can start pushing elk out of the highest conifer pockets toward mid-elevation timber and aspen. This B tag any-weapon season is restricted to antlered bulls only, so hunters should be prepared to judge antlers quickly in the timber where visibility is limited.
A tag · Any weapon · October 25 – November 15
This late-season A tag is antlerless only, so the focus is entirely on cow and calf elk moving through the Post-Rut Recovery and into the Migration Transition phase as late October gives way to November. Snowfall builds from around 1.8 inches in October to roughly 14.2 inches by November with lows dropping into the 20s, conditions that tend to push elk out of the highest conifer country and toward lower sagebrush and mixed timber where forage remains accessible. Hunters should concentrate effort on that mid-to-lower elevation transition ground, using the terrain's gentler slopes to cover country efficiently as animals shift with the season. Access across the unit's public and private mix still requires care, since movement toward lower ground can put elk on parcels that need permission to hunt.
A tag · Muzzleloader · December 1 – December 31
December's muzzleloader season falls entirely within the Winter Range phase, with heavy snowfall averaging around 26.3 inches for the month and lows near 13°F driving elk down to whatever lower-elevation range remains open and accessible. This tag is antlerless only, so the practical approach is locating cow and calf groups that have settled into wintering areas, likely in the sagebrush-dominated lower elevations where forage is still exposed. Deep snow at this point makes travel slower and access harder, and hunters should expect the terrain's moderate slopes to still demand real effort under winter conditions. Concentrating on lower-elevation public ground where elk are wintering is the most realistic strategy this late in the year.
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 78 is valid only in its own hunt area.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk | Resident draw | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled hunt 75-1 · Any weapon Motorized Hunting Rule Applies | October 1 – October 14 | Antlered only | Long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
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 75-1 · Any weapon · October 1 – October 14
Falling in the first two weeks of October, Controlled hunt 75-1 lands squarely in the Late Rut and Early Post-Rut phase, when bull activity is easing off from its peak but animals haven't yet settled into deep post-rut patterns. The hunt is antlered-only and any weapon, and the motorized hunting rule applies, which shapes how far into the unit's public ground a hunter can push by vehicle versus on foot. Light snowfall around 1.8 inches and lows near 30°F during this window can start nudging elk out of the highest timber. Tags for this hunt are limited and the resident first-choice draw runs long odds, so it's not a season to count on drawing, but it offers a rifle opportunity timed to the tail end of rutting behavior for those who do.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,900–9,600 ft, typically around 7,400 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 40% gentle · 50% moderate · 10% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~177 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
- Sagebrush65%
- Other cover18%
- Conifer10%
- Riparian4%
- Aspen3%
Mid elevations
- Conifer50%
- Sagebrush27%
- Aspen21%
- Other cover2%
Higher elevations
- Conifer56%
- Sagebrush25%
- Aspen15%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Other cover2%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 72% of Unit 78 is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and Idaho state endowment land.
- National Forest68%
- BLM3%
- Idaho state endowment land1%
- Private28%
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 76°F, lows around 48°F
- September — highs around 66°F, lows around 40°F
- October — highs around 52°F, lows around 30°F, about 1.8 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 39°F, lows around 20°F, about 14.2 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 30°F, lows around 13°F, about 26.3 in of snowfall
Unit 78 elk hunting FAQ
Can a resident buy an elk tag for Unit 78 over the counter?
Yes. Residents can buy either the A tag or B tag general elk tag for the Bear River Elk Zone over the counter, with no application or draw required. The choice between the two tags depends on which season and weapon a hunter wants, since the A and B seasons differ in dates, weapons, and legal animals.
How do nonresidents get a general elk tag valid in Unit 78?
Nonresidents go through a random draw for the Bear River Elk Zone's general tags, and when applying they choose the specific A tag or B tag they want rather than picking one after the draw. The tag chosen at the time of application determines the season and legal animal a nonresident hunter ends up with in Unit 78.
How hard is it to draw Controlled hunt 75-1 in Unit 78?
Controlled hunt 75-1 is a pure random draw with a limited number of tags, and residents applying as their first choice face long odds. There are no points involved in Idaho's elk draws, so every year's applicants are drawn fresh regardless of past application history.
Which elk zone and tags cover Unit 78?
Unit 78 falls in the Bear River Elk Zone along with Units 75 and 77, and general elk tags are sold by zone rather than by individual unit. The zone offers an A tag and a B tag, each with its own season, weapon, and legal-animal restrictions, and a hunter selects one or the other.
Which Unit 78 elk seasons fall during the rut?
The B tag archery season and the A tag archery season both fall during the September rut period, spanning the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, and Primary Rut phases. The later any-weapon and muzzleloader seasons, along with Controlled hunt 75-1, all occur after the rut has passed its peak.
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.