Idaho Unit 1: 2026 general elk and deer seasons
Unit 1 is in Idaho's Panhandle elk zone and covers about 2,468 square miles, from about 1,800 to 6,500 feet. Towns in the unit: Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry, Clark Fork and Priest River. Nearest towns outside it: Oldtown (on the line), Sagle (3 mi) and Spirit Lake (13 mi).
General elk seasons in Unit 1
Unit 1 is in the Panhandle Zone (units 1, 2, 3, 4, 4A, 5, 6, 7, 9). An Idaho general elk tag is bought for one zone and is either an A tag or a B tag. These are the any-weapon seasons that tag holders can hunt here.
| Tag | Season | Days | What may be taken | Capped tags (zone) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panhandle B | Oct 10 to Oct 24 | 15 | Antlered elk | not capped |
| Panhandle A | Oct 25 to Oct 29 | 5 | Antlered elk | not capped |
A capped zone sells a set number of tags, first come, first served, for residents, nonresidents and outfitters together (brochure page 49, Note 2). Elk table: brochure page 37.
Other general elk seasons on these tags
The same zone tags also carry these seasons, which are for archery, muzzleloader or short-range weapons only, or open only on or near private land:
- A tag. Archery only: antlered only, Aug 30 - Sep 30
- A tag. Archery only: any elk, on or within 1 mile of private land in Units 1, 2, 3, 4A, 5 and 6, Sep 15 - Sep 21
- A tag. Muzzleloader only: antlerless only, on or within 1 mile of private land in Units 1, 2, 3, 4A and 5, Dec 2 - Dec 8
- A tag. Archery only: antlered only, Dec 10 - Dec 16
- B tag. Archery only: antlered only, Sep 6 - Sep 12
- B tag. Muzzleloader only: antlerless only, on or within 1 mile of private land in Units 1, 2, 3, 4A and 5, Dec 2 - Dec 8
General deer seasons in Unit 1
The regular deer tag is good for mule deer or white-tailed deer unless the season says otherwise. These are its general any-weapon seasons in Unit 1 (the brochure prints them for units 1, 2, 3, 4A, 5 and 6 together).
| Season | Days | What may be taken |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 10 to Oct 31 | 22 | Antlered, white-tailed deer only |
| Oct 10 to Dec 1 | 53 | Antlerless, white-tailed deer only |
| Nov 1 to Nov 14 | 14 | Antlered, mule deer or white-tailed deer |
| Nov 15 to Dec 1 | 17 | Antlered, white-tailed deer only |
Farragut State Park and Farragut Wildlife Management Area are closed (deer page 11, Note 1).
Deer table: brochure page 11. The white-tailed deer tag, archery, muzzleloader and controlled deer hunts are separate and not listed here.
Rules that apply in Unit 1
- Hunting hours. Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset (page 95).
- Scouting technology. From August 30 to December 31 Idaho law forbids thermal imaging, night vision, drones, and transmitting trail cameras on public land for hunting or scouting big game (House Bill 939 of 2026; brochure page 96).
- Private land. Idaho requires written or other lawful permission to enter private land (pages 7 and 97).
Public land in Unit 1
Measured inside IDFG's unit boundary from the BLM's national surface management data. Idaho endowment (state) land and wildlife management areas are not counted, so the land open to the public is often a little more than this. Elevation: USGS 3DEP, the 1st to 99th percentile inside the unit. Towns: OpenStreetMap.
Nonresidents: since the 2026 season, Idaho's nonresident general deer and elk tags are issued by a random draw. The application period for 2027 tags is December 5 to 15, 2026 (IDFG).
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Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 4A Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit 9 All general elk units All general deer units Idaho seasons and tags
Seasons: Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules (July 2026 to June 2027), with its corrections page of July 2026, which changes no deer or elk season. IDFG can change a season during the year: check idfg.idaho.gov/rules/big-game before you go.