Palouse elk zone, Idaho: tags, units and elk harvest
The Palouse Zone covers units 8, 8A and 11A. Its tags are not capped for residents. General-season hunters took 955 elk in its units in 2025, by IDFG's unit harvest figures. In the 2026 nonresident draw, 109 of 214 first-choice applicants drew an A tag and 182 of 352 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 Palouse Zone elk hunt
| Units | 8, 8A, 11A |
|---|---|
| Tags | A tag and B tag |
| General-season elk harvest, 2025 | 955 (all weapons, sum of IDFG's unit figures) |
| Controlled elk hunts, 2026 | 3 |
When are the Palouse Zone elk seasons in 2026?
The Palouse 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 | Any weapon: antlerless only, Aug 1 - Sep 15, on or within 1 mile of private agricultural lands | ||
| A | Archery only: any elk, Aug 30 - Sep 30 | ||
| A | Muzzleloader only: Unit 8A only, spike or antlerless Dec 2 - Dec 5, spike only Dec 6 - Dec 14 | ||
| A | Muzzleloader only: antlerless only, Units 8 and 11A only, Dec 2 - Dec 14, on or within 1 mile of private agricultural lands | ||
| B | Oct 10 to Oct 24 | 15 | Any weapon: antlered elk |
Seasons: IDFG, Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, zone table on page 37; 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 Palouse Zone tags are there?
Residents buy Palouse Zone tags over the counter without a cap. Nonresidents apply in the December draw, and some tags are set aside for outfitted hunters.
| Tag | Nonresident tags | Outfitter tags | Resident tags | Total cap | Nonresident draw: first choices who drew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | 109 | 14 | not capped | not capped | 109 of 214 (51%) |
| B tag | 182 | 22 | not capped | not capped | 182 of 352 (52%) |
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 Palouse 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 | 955 | 736 | 152 | 69 |
| 2024 | 863 | 623 | 197 | 43 |
| 2023 | 722 | 565 | 130 | 28 |
| 2022 | 603 | 426 | 131 | 45 |
| 2021 | 706 | 519 | 109 | 77 |
| 2020 | 638 | 508 | 87 | 43 |
| 2019 | 585 | 481 | 78 | 25 |
| Unit | Elk harvested, 2025 | Hunters, 2025 | Success | Bulls with 6+ points | Elk harvested, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 284 | 1,149 | 25% | 25% | 260 |
| 8A | 580 | 2,899 | 20% | 13% | 541 |
| 11A | 91 | 320 | 28% | 26% | 62 |
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 Palouse Zone?
| Hunt | Area | Take and weapon | Season 2026 | Tags | First-choice applicants | 2025 success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2050 | 8-1 | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Oct 20 to Dec 1 | 25 | 209 | 40% |
| 2051 | 8-2 | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Oct 20 to Dec 1 | 100 | 368 | 38% |
| 2053 | 11A | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Oct 20 to Dec 31 | 150 | 153 | 26% |
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 Palouse elk zone capped?
No. The Palouse Zone's tags are not capped for residents in 2026. Nonresidents get general elk tags through the nonresident draw, with 109 A tags and 182 B tags for nonresidents and outfitter tags set aside.
Which units are in the Palouse elk zone?
Units 8, 8A and 11A. 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 Palouse Zone?
IDFG's unit figures add up to 955 elk taken in general seasons in units 8, 8A and 11A in 2025, against 863 in 2024. Controlled elk hunts in the zone added 73 in 2025.
How hard is it for a nonresident to draw an elk tag in the Palouse Zone?
In IDFG's 2026 nonresident draw, 109 of 214 first-choice applicants drew an A tag for the zone (51%), and 182 of 352 drew a B tag (52%). 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 37.
- 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 8 Unit 8A Unit 11A Idaho elk draw results General elk units