Selway elk zone, Idaho: tags, units and elk harvest
The Selway Zone covers units 16A, 17, 19 and 20. It is a capped zone: 647 A tags and 1,067 B tags for 2026, shared among residents, nonresidents and outfitters. General-season hunters took 234 elk in its units in 2025, by IDFG's unit harvest figures. In the 2026 nonresident draw, 109 of 109 first-choice applicants drew an A tag and 284 of 442 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 Selway Zone elk hunt
| Units | 16A, 17, 19, 20 |
|---|---|
| Tags | A tag and B tag |
| 2026 cap | A: 647 (residents 179, nonresidents 254, outfitters 214) B: 1,067 (residents 480, nonresidents 284, outfitters 303) |
| Resident capped tags left | A: Sold Out, B: Sold Out (IDFG, 10/08/2026 11:50 am MDT) |
| General-season elk harvest, 2025 | 234 (all weapons, sum of IDFG's unit figures) |
| Controlled elk hunts, 2026 | None inside the zone |
When are the Selway Zone elk seasons in 2026?
The Selway 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 |
| B | Sep 15 to Sep 30 | 16 | Any weapon: antlered elk |
| B | Nov 1 to Nov 11 | 11 | Any weapon: antlered elk |
Seasons: IDFG, Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, zone table on page 39. Check IDFG's rules page for changes.
How many Selway 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 | 254 | 214 | 179 | 647 | 109 of 109 (100%) |
| B tag | 284 | 303 | 480 | 1,067 | 284 of 442 (64%) |
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 Selway 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 | 234 | 234 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 215 | 213 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 199 | 198 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 210 | 210 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 198 | 198 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 245 | 243 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | 257 | 257 | 0 | 0 |
| Unit | Elk harvested, 2025 | Hunters, 2025 | Success | Bulls with 6+ points | Elk harvested, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16A | 24 | 208 | 12% | 45% | 16 |
| 17 | 82 | 518 | 16% | 53% | 78 |
| 19 | 85 | 445 | 19% | 21% | 61 |
| 20 | 43 | 315 | 14% | 59% | 60 |
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 Selway elk zone capped?
Yes. For 2026 IDFG caps the zone at 647 A tags and 1,067 B tags. The cap is split: A tag 179 resident, 254 nonresident and 214 outfitter tags; B tag 480 resident, 284 nonresident and 303 outfitter tags. Resident capped tags went on sale July 8, 2026.
Which units are in the Selway elk zone?
Units 16A, 17, 19 and 20. 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 Selway Zone?
IDFG's unit figures add up to 234 elk taken in general seasons in units 16A, 17, 19 and 20 in 2025, against 215 in 2024.
How hard is it for a nonresident to draw an elk tag in the Selway Zone?
In IDFG's 2026 nonresident draw, 109 of 109 first-choice applicants drew an A tag for the zone (100%), and 284 of 442 drew a B tag (64%). 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 39.
- 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 16A Unit 17 Unit 19 Unit 20 Idaho elk draw results General elk units