Middle Fork elk zone, Idaho: tags, units and elk harvest
The Middle Fork Zone covers units 20A, 26 and 27. It is a capped zone: 1,551 A tags and 1,636 B tags for 2026, shared among residents, nonresidents and outfitters. General-season hunters took 321 elk in its units in 2025, by IDFG's unit harvest figures. In the 2026 nonresident draw, 174 of 217 first-choice applicants drew an A tag and 267 of 331 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 Middle Fork Zone elk hunt
| Units | 20A, 26, 27 |
|---|---|
| Tags | A tag and B tag |
| 2026 cap | A: 1,551 (residents 1,168, nonresidents 174, outfitters 209) B: 1,636 (residents 925, nonresidents 267, outfitters 444) |
| Resident capped tags left | A: 943, B: 308 (IDFG, 10/08/2026 11:50 am MDT) |
| General-season elk harvest, 2025 | 321 (all weapons, sum of IDFG's unit figures) |
| Controlled elk hunts, 2026 | None inside the zone |
When are the Middle Fork Zone elk seasons in 2026?
The Middle Fork 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 | Oct 1 to Oct 31 | 31 | Any weapon: antlered elk (units 20A and 26 only) |
| A | Oct 1 to Oct 31 | 31 | Any weapon: brow-tined bulls (unit 27 only) |
| B | Sep 15 to Sep 30 | 16 | Any weapon: antlered elk (units 20A and 26 only) |
| B | Sep 15 to Sep 30 | 16 | Any weapon: brow-tined bulls (unit 27 only) |
| B | Nov 1 to Nov 18 | 18 | Any weapon: antlered elk (units 20A and 26 only) |
| B | Nov 1 to Nov 18 | 18 | Any weapon: brow-tined bulls (unit 27 only) |
Seasons: IDFG, Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, zone table on page 40. Check IDFG's rules page for changes.
How many Middle Fork 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 943 resident A tags left and 308 resident B tags left.
| Tag | Nonresident tags | Outfitter tags | Resident tags | Total cap | Nonresident draw: first choices who drew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | 174 | 209 | 1,168 | 1,551 | 174 of 217 (80%) |
| B tag | 267 | 444 | 925 | 1,636 | 267 of 331 (81%) |
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 Middle Fork 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 | 321 | 320 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | 253 | 251 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | 220 | 214 | 6 | 0 |
| 2022 | 269 | 267 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 236 | 235 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 205 | 205 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 246 | 246 | 0 | 0 |
| Unit | Elk harvested, 2025 | Hunters, 2025 | Success | Bulls with 6+ points | Elk harvested, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20A | 73 | 301 | 24% | 30% | 62 |
| 26 | 39 | 227 | 17% | 10% | 35 |
| 27 | 209 | 1,086 | 19% | 17% | 156 |
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.
Questions hunters ask
Is the Middle Fork elk zone capped?
Yes. For 2026 IDFG caps the zone at 1,551 A tags and 1,636 B tags. The cap is split: A tag 1,168 resident, 174 nonresident and 209 outfitter tags; B tag 925 resident, 267 nonresident and 444 outfitter tags. Resident capped tags went on sale July 8, 2026.
Which units are in the Middle Fork elk zone?
Units 20A, 26 and 27. 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 Middle Fork Zone?
IDFG's unit figures add up to 321 elk taken in general seasons in units 20A, 26 and 27 in 2025, against 253 in 2024.
How hard is it for a nonresident to draw an elk tag in the Middle Fork Zone?
In IDFG's 2026 nonresident draw, 174 of 217 first-choice applicants drew an A tag for the zone (80%), and 267 of 331 drew a B tag (81%). The next draw's first application period is December 5 to 15, 2026.
Get your free Idaho plan
FilledTag plans Idaho's general elk and deer seasons: a specific, legal place to park, camp and sit for your tag and your dates, with the walks between them, checked against land records. The first 50 Idaho plans are free, one per hunter, for hunters who hold or will hold an Idaho general elk or deer tag. Every Idaho plan is looked over by a person before it is sent.
Get your free Idaho plan for unit 20A See a real plan
Not ready to order yet? Leave your email and you get one email when paid Idaho plans open, if the free ones have gone by then.
Where these numbers come from
- Seasons and zone units: IDFG, Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, page 40.
- 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 20A Unit 26 Unit 27 Idaho elk draw results General elk units