Snake River elk zone, Idaho: tags, units and elk harvest
The Snake River Zone covers units 63 and 63A. Its tags are not capped for residents. General-season hunters took 4 elk in its units in 2025, by IDFG's unit harvest figures. In the 2026 nonresident draw, 7 of 28 first-choice applicants drew an A 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 Snake River Zone elk hunt
| Units | 63, 63A |
|---|---|
| Tags | A tag |
| General-season elk harvest, 2025 | 4 (all weapons, sum of IDFG's unit figures) |
| Controlled elk hunts, 2026 | 5 |
| Wildlife management areas | Mud Lake, Cartier Slough, Deer Parks Wildlife Mitigation Units, Market Lake |
When are the Snake River Zone elk seasons in 2026?
The Snake River Zone sells an A 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 | Short range weapons only: any elk, Unit 63A only: Aug 1 - Aug 31 | ||
| A | Short range weapons only: antlerless only, Unit 63A only: Sep 1 - Nov 30 |
Seasons: IDFG, Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules, zone table on page 47; 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 Snake River Zone tags are there?
Residents buy Snake River 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 | 7 | 0 | not capped | not capped | 7 of 28 (25%) |
| B tag | No B tags in this zone | ||||
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 Snake River 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 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| 2020 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Unit | Elk harvested, 2025 | Hunters, 2025 | Success | Bulls with 6+ points | Elk harvested, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 1 | 18 | 6% | 0 | |
| 63A | 3 | 57 | 5% | 0% | 0 |
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 Snake River Zone?
| Hunt | Area | Take and weapon | Season 2026 | Tags | First-choice applicants | 2025 success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2100 | 63 | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Sep 1 to Dec 31 | unlimited (891 issued) | 289 | 20% |
| 2119 | 63 | Antlered or antlerless elk, any weapon | Aug 1 to Aug 30 | unlimited (666 issued) | 246 | 40% |
| 2120 | 63 | Antlered or antlerless elk, any weapon | Aug 31 to Nov 30 | 100 | 837 | 65% |
| 2169 | 63X | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Aug 1 to Oct 31 | 100 | 370 | 35% |
| 2170 | 63X | Antlerless elk, any weapon | Nov 1 to Dec 31 | 100 | 481 | 18% |
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 Snake River elk zone capped?
No. The Snake River Zone's tags are not capped for residents in 2026. Nonresidents get general elk tags through the nonresident draw, with 7 A tags for nonresidents and outfitter tags set aside.
Which units are in the Snake River elk zone?
Units 63 and 63A. 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 Snake River Zone?
IDFG's unit figures add up to 4 elk taken in general seasons in units 63 and 63A in 2025, against 0 in 2024. Controlled elk hunts in the zone added 407 in 2025.
How hard is it for a nonresident to draw an elk tag in the Snake River Zone?
In IDFG's 2026 nonresident draw, 7 of 28 first-choice applicants drew an A tag for the zone (25%). 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 47.
- 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.
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