Idaho Unit 38: 2026 general elk seasons
Unit 38 is in Idaho's Boise River elk zone and covers about 2,002 square miles, from about 2,200 to 3,300 feet. Towns in the unit: Boise, Meridian, Nampa and Caldwell. Nearest towns outside it: Mountain Home (on the line), Payette (on the line) and Emmett (on the line).
General elk seasons in Unit 38
Unit 38 is in the Boise River Zone (units 38, 39). 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise River B | Aug 1 to Sep 30 | 61 | Any elk | not capped |
| Boise River B | Oct 1 to Dec 31 | 92 | Antlerless or spike elk only | 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 45.
Unit 38 elk: the brochure says "Most elk in Unit 38 are on private property associated with agricultural production. Consider securing private access prior to purchasing a tag to hunt in Unit 38. Very limited access." (page 45, Note C)
Deer in Unit 38
The 2026 brochure prints no general any-weapon season of the regular deer tag for Unit 38. Look in the brochure for the white-tailed deer tag, archery, muzzleloader, short-range weapon and controlled deer hunts.
Rules that apply in Unit 38
- 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 38
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 39 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.