Salmon elk zone, Idaho: tags, units and elk harvest
The Salmon Zone covers units 21, 21A, 28 and 36B. It is a capped zone: 2,507 B tags for 2026, shared among residents, nonresidents and outfitters. General-season hunters took 784 elk in its units in 2025, by IDFG's unit harvest figures. In the 2026 nonresident draw, 54 of 445 first-choice applicants drew an A tag and 627 of 3,488 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 Salmon Zone elk hunt
| Units | 21, 21A, 28, 36B |
|---|---|
| Tags | A tag and B tag |
| 2026 cap | B: 2,507 (residents 1,792, nonresidents 627, outfitters 88) |
| Resident capped tags left | B: Sold Out (IDFG, 10/08/2026 11:50 am MDT) |
| General-season elk harvest, 2025 | 784 (all weapons, sum of IDFG's unit figures) |
| Controlled elk hunts, 2026 | 2 |
When are the Salmon Zone elk seasons in 2026?
The Salmon 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 21, 21A and 36B only, Aug 30 - Sep 30 | ||
| A | Archery only: any elk, Unit 28 only, Dec 1 - Dec 31 | ||
| A | Any weapon: antlerless only, Unit 21A only, Aug 1 - Oct 31, on private irrigated agricultural lands | ||
| B | Oct 15 to Nov 8 | 25 | Any weapon: antlered elk |
Seasons: IDFG, Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, zone table on page 40; 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 Salmon 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 | 54 | 44 | not capped | not capped | 54 of 445 (12%) |
| B tag | 627 | 88 | 1,792 | 2,507 | 627 of 3,488 (18%) |
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 Salmon 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 | 784 | 712 | 74 | 0 |
| 2024 | 746 | 680 | 67 | 0 |
| 2023 | 542 | 495 | 46 | 0 |
| 2022 | 731 | 673 | 58 | 0 |
| 2021 | 797 | 741 | 56 | 0 |
| 2020 | 671 | 593 | 77 | 0 |
| 2019 | 832 | 746 | 86 | 0 |
| Unit | Elk harvested, 2025 | Hunters, 2025 | Success | Bulls with 6+ points | Elk harvested, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 129 | 566 | 23% | 33% | 117 |
| 21A | 182 | 584 | 31% | 8% | 224 |
| 28 | 312 | 1,015 | 31% | 18% | 259 |
| 36B | 161 | 677 | 24% | 23% | 146 |
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 Salmon Zone?
| Hunt | Area | Take and weapon | Season 2026 | Tags | First-choice applicants | 2025 success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2059 | 21A | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Nov 15 to Dec 15 | 75 | 199 | 62% |
| 2077 | 36B-1 | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Nov 1 to Dec 31 | 100 | 107 | 53% |
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 Salmon elk zone capped?
Yes. For 2026 IDFG caps the zone at 2,507 B tags. The cap is split: B tag 1,792 resident, 627 nonresident and 88 outfitter tags. Resident capped tags went on sale July 8, 2026.
Which units are in the Salmon elk zone?
Units 21, 21A, 28 and 36B. 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 Salmon Zone?
IDFG's unit figures add up to 784 elk taken in general seasons in units 21, 21A, 28 and 36B in 2025, against 746 in 2024. Controlled elk hunts in the zone added 80 in 2025.
How hard is it for a nonresident to draw an elk tag in the Salmon Zone?
In IDFG's 2026 nonresident draw, 54 of 445 first-choice applicants drew an A tag for the zone (12%), and 627 of 3,488 drew a B tag (18%). 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 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 21 Unit 21A Unit 28 Unit 36B Idaho elk draw results General elk units