Smoky-Bennett elk zone, Idaho: tags, units and elk harvest
The Smoky-Bennett Zone covers units 43, 44, 45, 48 and 52. It is a capped zone: 600 B tags for 2026, shared among residents, nonresidents and outfitters. General-season hunters took 231 elk in its units in 2025, by IDFG's unit harvest figures. In the 2026 nonresident draw, 180 of 640 first-choice applicants drew an A tag and 5 of 320 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 Smoky-Bennett Zone elk hunt
| Units | 43, 44, 45, 48, 52 |
|---|---|
| Tags | A tag and B tag |
| 2026 cap | B: 600 (residents 593, nonresidents 5, outfitters 2) |
| Resident capped tags left | B: Sold Out (IDFG, 10/08/2026 11:50 am MDT) |
| General-season elk harvest, 2025 | 231 (all weapons, sum of IDFG's unit figures) |
| Controlled elk hunts, 2026 | 17 |
| Wildlife management areas | Camas Prairie - Centennial Marsh, C.J. Strike |
When are the Smoky-Bennett Zone elk seasons in 2026?
The Smoky-Bennett 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 43 and 48 only: Aug 30 - Sep 30 | ||
| B | Nov 10 to Nov 24 | 15 | Any weapon: antlerless elk (units 44, 45 and 52 only) |
Seasons: IDFG, Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, zone table on page 45; 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 Smoky-Bennett 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 | 180 | 26 | not capped | not capped | 180 of 640 (28%) |
| B tag | 5 | 2 | 593 | 600 | 5 of 320 (2%) |
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 Smoky-Bennett 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 | 231 | 117 | 114 | 0 |
| 2024 | 360 | 184 | 176 | 0 |
| 2023 | 281 | 105 | 176 | 0 |
| 2022 | 403 | 233 | 170 | 0 |
| 2021 | 289 | 125 | 164 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1,086 | 879 | 207 | 0 |
| 2019 | 547 | 370 | 177 | 0 |
| Unit | Elk harvested, 2025 | Hunters, 2025 | Success | Bulls with 6+ points | Elk harvested, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 64 | 920 | 7% | 46% | 88 |
| 44 | 77 | 337 | 23% | 52 | |
| 45 | 34 | 326 | 10% | 0% | 127 |
| 48 | 52 | 497 | 10% | 39% | 82 |
| 52 | 4 | 116 | 3% | 11 |
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 Smoky-Bennett Zone?
| Hunt | Area | Take and weapon | Season 2026 | Tags | First-choice applicants | 2025 success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 43 | Antlered elk, any weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 14 | 20 | 403 | 48% |
| 2020 | 43 | Antlered elk, any weapon | Oct 15 to Nov 10 | 125 | 1,382 | 46% |
| 2021 | 44 | Antlered elk, any weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 14 | 20 | 872 | 75% |
| 2022 | 44 | Antlered elk, any weapon | Oct 15 to Nov 10 | 200 | 2,361 | 54% |
| 2023 | 45 | Antlered elk, any weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 31 | 125 | 1,224 | 52% |
| 2026 | 48 | Antlered elk, any weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 14 | 20 | 263 | 42% |
| 2027 | 48 | Antlered elk, any weapon | Oct 15 to Nov 10 | 150 | 918 | 38% |
| 2033 | 52 | Antlered elk, any weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 31 | 50 | 316 | 50% |
| 2085 | 43-1 | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Oct 15 to Nov 10 | 100 | 338 | 27% |
| 2087 | 48-1 | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Oct 15 to Nov 14 | 175 | 279 | 31% |
| 2088 | 48-2 | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Oct 15 to Nov 14 | 150 | 206 | 32% |
| 2089 | 48-3 | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Aug 1 to Aug 29 | 25 | 31 | 35% |
| 2115 | 52 | Antlered or antlerless elk, any weapon | Dec 1 to Dec 31 | 25 | 371 | 36% |
| 2124 | 44 | Antlered elk, archery only | Aug 30 to Sep 30 | 25 | 467 | 40% |
| 2125 | 45-1 | Antlered elk, archery only | Aug 30 to Sep 30 | 25 | 169 | 21% |
| 2137 | 48 | Antlered or antlerless elk, muzzleloader only | Nov 15 to Nov 30 | 75 | 51 | 17% |
| 2158 | 44 | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Oct 15 to Oct 31 | 50 | 129 | 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 Smoky-Bennett elk zone capped?
Yes. For 2026 IDFG caps the zone at 600 B tags. The cap is split: B tag 593 resident, 5 nonresident and 2 outfitter tags. Resident capped tags went on sale July 8, 2026.
Which units are in the Smoky-Bennett elk zone?
Units 43, 44, 45, 48 and 52. 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 Smoky-Bennett Zone?
IDFG's unit figures add up to 231 elk taken in general seasons in units 43, 44, 45, 48 and 52 in 2025, against 360 in 2024. Controlled elk hunts in the zone added 488 in 2025.
How hard is it for a nonresident to draw an elk tag in the Smoky-Bennett Zone?
In IDFG's 2026 nonresident draw, 180 of 640 first-choice applicants drew an A tag for the zone (28%), and 5 of 320 drew a B tag (2%). 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 45.
- 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 43 Unit 44 Unit 45 Unit 48 Unit 52 Idaho elk draw results General elk units