Idaho elk zones, 2026: tag caps, draw and harvest
Idaho sells general elk tags by zone: 28 zones, each with an A tag, a B tag or both, and 2 with controlled hunts only. 13 zones cap at least one tag in 2026, splitting the cap among residents, nonresidents and outfitters. Nonresidents drew 32.15% of the time in the 2026 nonresident draw, but the share differed widely from zone to zone.
Data updated October 2026. IDFG's 2026 nonresident supplement, nonresident draw report and harvest statistics.
| Units | A tag cap | B tag cap | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panhandle | 1, 2, 3, 4, 4A, 5, 6, 7, 9 | not capped | not capped | 657 of 965 (68%) | 1,092 of 1,430 (76%) | 2,381 | 11 |
| Palouse | 8, 8A, 11A | not capped | not capped | 109 of 214 (51%) | 182 of 352 (52%) | 955 | 3 |
| Lolo | 10, 12 | 404 | 1,088 | 153 of 153 (100%) | 144 of 144 (100%) | 117 | 0 |
| Dworshak | 10A | 1,171 | 2,380 | 148 of 252 (59%) | 215 of 489 (44%) | 428 | 2 |
| Hells Canyon | 11, 13, 18 | 6 | |||||
| Elk City | 14, 15, 16 | 628 | 1,432 | 77 of 119 (65%) | 261 of 704 (37%) | 405 | 1 |
| Selway | 16A, 17, 19, 20 | 647 | 1,067 | 109 of 109 (100%) | 284 of 442 (64%) | 234 | 0 |
| Middle Fork | 20A, 26, 27 | 1,551 | 1,636 | 174 of 217 (80%) | 267 of 331 (81%) | 321 | 0 |
| Salmon | 21, 21A, 28, 36B | not capped | 2,507 | 54 of 445 (12%) | 627 of 3,488 (18%) | 784 | 2 |
| Weiser River | 22, 32, 32A | not capped | not capped | 274 of 468 (59%) | 318 of 943 (34%) | 1,275 | 9 |
| McCall | 19A, 23, 24, 25 | not capped | not capped | 312 of 699 (45%) | 307 of 711 (43%) | 875 | 13 |
| Lemhi | 29, 37, 37A, 51 | not capped | no tag | 55 of 790 (7%) | 385 | 15 | |
| Beaverhead | 30, 30A, 58, 59, 59A | not capped | no tag | 263 of 1,200 (22%) | 407 | 9 | |
| Brownlee | 31 | not capped | not capped | 47 of 210 (22%) | 39 of 112 (35%) | 228 | 7 |
| Sawtooth | 33, 34, 35, 36 | 1,000 | 1,800 | 77 of 459 (17%) | 197 of 1,423 (14%) | 620 | 3 |
| Pioneer | 36A, 49, 50 | not capped | 500 | 155 of 1,116 (14%) | 2 of 166 (1%) | 565 | 10 |
| Owyhee | 40, 41, 42 | 10 | |||||
| Boise River | 38, 39 | not capped | not capped | 26 of 34 (76%) | 354 of 838 (42%) | 588 | 5 |
| Smoky-Bennett | 43, 44, 45, 48, 52 | not capped | 600 | 180 of 640 (28%) | 5 of 320 (2%) | 231 | 17 |
| South Hills | 46, 47, 54, 55, 56, 57 | not capped | 500 | 60 of 440 (14%) | 10 of 265 (4%) | 140 | 13 |
| Big Desert | 52A, 53, 68, 68A | not capped | 350 | 57 of 129 (44%) | 3 of 69 (4%) | 316 | 2 |
| Island Park | 60, 60A, 61, 62, 62A | not capped | no tag | 216 of 914 (24%) | 420 | 10 | |
| Snake River | 63, 63A | not capped | no tag | 7 of 28 (25%) | 4 | 5 | |
| Palisades | 64, 65, 67 | not capped | not capped | 21 of 104 (20%) | 40 of 197 (20%) | 102 | 3 |
| Tex Creek | 66, 69 | not capped | not capped | 102 of 350 (29%) | 154 of 559 (28%) | 677 | 4 |
| Bannock | 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A, 74 | not capped | no tag | 186 of 442 (42%) | 371 | 5 | |
| Bear River | 75, 77, 78 | not capped | 550 | 103 of 278 (37%) | 55 of 478 (12%) | 313 | 1 |
| Diamond Creek | 66A, 76 | 1,836 | 150 | 459 of 3,222 (14%) | 15 of 346 (4%) | 386 | 8 |
Caps: IDFG 2026 nonresident supplement, pages 22 and 23. Nonresident draw: IDFG 2026 nonresident draw data, first choices. Harvest: sum of IDFG's general-season unit figures, all weapons (harvest statistics).
Questions hunters ask
How many elk zones does Idaho have?
28. A general elk tag is bought for one zone and is either an A tag or a B tag; 2 zones (Hells Canyon and Owyhee) have controlled hunts only.
Which Idaho elk zones are capped?
Lolo (A and B), Dworshak (A and B), Elk City (A and B), Selway (A and B), Middle Fork (A and B), Salmon (B), Sawtooth (A and B), Pioneer (B), Smoky-Bennett (B), South Hills (B), Big Desert (B), Bear River (B) and Diamond Creek (A and B), for 2026 (IDFG's nonresident supplement).
How do nonresidents get an Idaho elk tag?
By random draw since 2026. In the 2026 draw, 27,804 nonresident first choices were made across all zone tags; 32.15% of applicants drew, with a statewide limit of 12,815 nonresident elk tags including outfitter tags. Applications for 2027 tags run December 5 to 15, 2026.
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