Sawtooth elk zone, Idaho: tags, units and elk harvest
The Sawtooth Zone covers units 33, 34, 35 and 36. It is a capped zone: 1,000 A tags and 1,800 B tags for 2026, shared among residents, nonresidents and outfitters. General-season hunters took 620 elk in its units in 2025, by IDFG's unit harvest figures. In the 2026 nonresident draw, 77 of 459 first-choice applicants drew an A tag and 197 of 1,423 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 Sawtooth Zone elk hunt
| Units | 33, 34, 35, 36 |
|---|---|
| Tags | A tag and B tag |
| 2026 cap | A: 1,000 (residents 875, nonresidents 77, outfitters 48) B: 1,800 (residents 1,522, nonresidents 197, outfitters 81) |
| Resident capped tags left | A: Sold Out, B: Sold Out (IDFG, 10/08/2026 11:50 am MDT) |
| General-season elk harvest, 2025 | 620 (all weapons, sum of IDFG's unit figures) |
| Controlled elk hunts, 2026 | 3 |
When are the Sawtooth Zone elk seasons in 2026?
The Sawtooth 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, Aug 30 - Sep 30 | ||
| B | Oct 15 to Nov 8 | 25 | Any weapon: antlered elk |
Seasons: IDFG, Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, zone table on page 43; 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 Sawtooth 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 A tags sold out and resident B tags sold out.
| Tag | Nonresident tags | Outfitter tags | Resident tags | Total cap | Nonresident draw: first choices who drew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | 77 | 48 | 875 | 1,000 | 77 of 459 (17%) |
| B tag | 197 | 81 | 1,522 | 1,800 | 197 of 1,423 (14%) |
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 Sawtooth 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 | 620 | 450 | 171 | 0 |
| 2024 | 601 | 458 | 144 | 0 |
| 2023 | 482 | 323 | 159 | 0 |
| 2022 | 497 | 321 | 175 | 1 |
| 2021 | 503 | 361 | 145 | 0 |
| 2020 | 564 | 364 | 200 | 0 |
| 2019 | 560 | 381 | 178 | 0 |
| Unit | Elk harvested, 2025 | Hunters, 2025 | Success | Bulls with 6+ points | Elk harvested, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 184 | 894 | 21% | 19% | 230 |
| 34 | 112 | 593 | 19% | 12% | 64 |
| 35 | 95 | 344 | 28% | 22% | 60 |
| 36 | 229 | 913 | 25% | 14% | 247 |
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 Sawtooth Zone?
| Hunt | Area | Take and weapon | Season 2026 | Tags | First-choice applicants | 2025 success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2076 | 36-1 | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 9 | 100 | 112 | 30% |
| 2131 | 33-1 | Antlerless elk, muzzleloader only | Nov 10 to Nov 30 | 25 | 164 | 24% |
| 2132 | 33-2 | Antlered elk, muzzleloader only | Nov 10 to Nov 30 | 50 | 76 | 27% |
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 Sawtooth elk zone capped?
Yes. For 2026 IDFG caps the zone at 1,000 A tags and 1,800 B tags. The cap is split: A tag 875 resident, 77 nonresident and 48 outfitter tags; B tag 1,522 resident, 197 nonresident and 81 outfitter tags. Resident capped tags went on sale July 10, 2026.
Which units are in the Sawtooth elk zone?
Units 33, 34, 35 and 36. 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 Sawtooth Zone?
IDFG's unit figures add up to 620 elk taken in general seasons in units 33, 34, 35 and 36 in 2025, against 601 in 2024. Controlled elk hunts in the zone added 43 in 2025.
How hard is it for a nonresident to draw an elk tag in the Sawtooth Zone?
In IDFG's 2026 nonresident draw, 77 of 459 first-choice applicants drew an A tag for the zone (17%), and 197 of 1,423 drew a B tag (14%). 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 43.
- 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 33 Unit 34 Unit 35 Unit 36 Idaho elk draw results General elk units