Big Desert elk zone, Idaho: tags, units and elk harvest
The Big Desert Zone covers units 52A, 53, 68 and 68A. It is a capped zone: 350 B tags for 2026, shared among residents, nonresidents and outfitters. General-season hunters took 316 elk in its units in 2025, by IDFG's unit harvest figures. In the 2026 nonresident draw, 57 of 129 first-choice applicants drew an A tag and 3 of 69 a B tag.
Data updated October 2026. Seasons: IDFG's 2026 big game brochure. Tags: IDFG's 2026 nonresident supplement and capped-zone sale page. Harvest: IDFG harvest statistics, 2019 to 2025.
Check your Big Desert Zone elk hunt
| Units | 52A, 53, 68, 68A |
|---|---|
| Tags | A tag and B tag |
| 2026 cap | B: 350 (residents 347, nonresidents 3, outfitters 0) |
| Resident capped tags left | B: Sold Out (IDFG, 10/08/2026 11:50 am MDT) |
| General-season elk harvest, 2025 | 316 (all weapons, sum of IDFG's unit figures) |
| Controlled elk hunts, 2026 | 2 |
| Wildlife management areas | Carey Lake, Billingsley Creek, Hagerman, Niagara Springs, Sterling |
When are the Big Desert Zone elk seasons in 2026?
The Big Desert Zone sells an A tag and a B tag. The brochure puts it simply: in general, A tags give more archery and muzzleloader seasons, and B tags more rifle seasons.
| Tag | Dates | Days | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Archery only: any elk, Units 52A and 68 only: Aug 30 - Sep 30 | ||
| A | Archery only: any elk, Unit 68 only: Aug 1 - Aug 30 | ||
| A | Short range weapons only: any elk, Unit 53 only: Aug 1 - Dec 31 | ||
| A | Archery only: any elk, Unit 68A only: Aug 1 - Dec 31 | ||
| B | Nov 1 to Dec 31 | 61 | Any weapon: antlerless elk (units 52A and 68 only) |
Seasons: IDFG, Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, zone table on page 46; the archery, muzzleloader and private-land seasons are printed with their dates in IDFG's words. Check IDFG's rules page for changes.
How many Big Desert Zone tags are there?
Tags in a capped zone are sold first come, first served for residents and drawn for nonresidents, out of one cap per tag. On 10/08/2026 11:50 am MDT, IDFG's sale page showed resident B tags sold out.
| Tag | Nonresident tags | Outfitter tags | Resident tags | Total cap | Nonresident draw: first choices who drew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | 57 | 0 | not capped | not capped | 57 of 129 (44%) |
| B tag | 3 | 0 | 347 | 350 | 3 of 69 (4%) |
Tag numbers: IDFG, 2026 Nonresident General Tags and Tags Allocated to Outfitters, pages 22 and 23 (in a capped zone the cap is shared among the three groups). Nonresident draw: IDFG, 2026 nonresident general season deer and elk tag draw, table 1, first choice; the nonresident tag numbers in that report leave out outfitter tags.
How many elk are taken in the Big Desert Zone?
IDFG publishes general-season elk harvest by unit, not by zone. These are the zone's units added together, all weapons and each weapon's general seasons; controlled hunts are counted separately below.
| Year | Elk harvested, all general seasons | Any weapon | Archery | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 316 | 198 | 112 | 5 |
| 2024 | 246 | 159 | 74 | 13 |
| 2023 | 222 | 117 | 92 | 12 |
| 2022 | 286 | 197 | 64 | 26 |
| 2021 | 185 | 112 | 43 | 30 |
| 2020 | 252 | 157 | 59 | 36 |
| 2019 | 212 | 137 | 52 | 22 |
| Unit | Elk harvested, 2025 | Hunters, 2025 | Success | Bulls with 6+ points | Elk harvested, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52A | 136 | 472 | 29% | 63% | 87 |
| 53 | 34 | 298 | 11% | 47% | 34 |
| 68 | 122 | 448 | 27% | 34% | 125 |
| 68A | 24 | 91 | 26% | 23% | 0 |
Source: IDFG harvest statistics, general elk seasons, 2019 to 2025, from mandatory hunter reports. Hunter numbers are per unit; a hunter who hunted two units is counted in both, so they are not added up.
Which controlled elk hunts are in the Big Desert Zone?
| Hunt | Area | Take and weapon | Season 2026 | Tags | First-choice applicants | 2025 success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2034 | 52A-1 | Antlered elk, any weapon | Oct 1 to Nov 30 | 100 | 1,610 | 59% |
| 2106 | 68 | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Oct 15 to Oct 31 | 125 | 151 | 32% |
Elk controlled hunts whose whole area lies in the zone's units. Source: IDFG 2026 elk drawing odds and 2025 controlled hunt harvest statistics.
Questions hunters ask
Is the Big Desert elk zone capped?
Yes. For 2026 IDFG caps the zone at 350 B tags. The cap is split: B tag 347 resident, 3 nonresident and 0 outfitter tags. Resident capped tags went on sale July 8, 2026.
Which units are in the Big Desert elk zone?
Units 52A, 53, 68 and 68A. An Idaho general elk tag is bought for one zone and is good in every unit of it, on that tag's seasons.
How many elk are harvested in the Big Desert Zone?
IDFG's unit figures add up to 316 elk taken in general seasons in units 52A, 53, 68 and 68A in 2025, against 246 in 2024. Controlled elk hunts in the zone added 92 in 2025.
How hard is it for a nonresident to draw an elk tag in the Big Desert Zone?
In IDFG's 2026 nonresident draw, 57 of 129 first-choice applicants drew an A tag for the zone (44%), and 3 of 69 drew a B tag (4%). The next draw's first application period is December 5 to 15, 2026.
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Where these numbers come from
- Seasons and zone units: IDFG, Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, page 46.
- Tag caps: IDFG, 2026 Nonresident General Tags and Tags Allocated to Outfitters; capped tags left: IDFG, Resident Capped Elk Zones.
- Nonresident draw: IDFG, 2026 nonresident draw data. Harvest: IDFG harvest statistics.
FilledTag is not part of Idaho Fish and Game.
All Idaho elk zones Unit 52A Unit 68 Idaho elk draw results General elk units