Idaho Unit 40: 2026 general deer seasons
Unit 40 is in Idaho's Owyhee elk zone and covers about 2,257 square miles, from about 2,300 to 7,100 feet. Towns in the unit: Homedale, Marsing, Murphy and Slacks Corner. Nearest towns outside it: Grand View (on the line), Wilder (3 mi) and Parma (8 mi).
Elk in Unit 40
Unit 40 is in the Owyhee elk zone, which has no general any-weapon elk season open to the public in this unit in 2026. Archery, muzzleloader, private-land and controlled hunts are in the brochure.
General deer seasons in Unit 40
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 40 (the brochure prints them for units 40, 41 and 42 together).
| Season | Days | What may be taken |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 10 to Oct 24 | 15 | Antlered, mule deer or white-tailed deer, 2-point deer only |
Short range weapons only on C.J. Strike, Chester Wetlands, Payette River, and Montour Wildlife Management Areas, and Pahsimeroi Access Area (deer page 13, Note 2).
Much of Owyhee County is designated wilderness, where motorized access is forbidden by law; check wilderness boundaries with the BLM (pages 13 and 105).
Deer table: brochure page 12. The white-tailed deer tag, archery, muzzleloader and controlled deer hunts are separate and not listed here.
Rules that apply in Unit 40
- 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 40
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).
Idaho plans are coming
FilledTag is building hunt plans for Idaho's general elk and deer seasons. They are not on sale yet. Leave your email and you get one email, the day Idaho opens. The first 50 Idaho plans are free.
Unit 41 Unit 42 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.