Idaho Unit 48: 2026 general deer seasons
Unit 48 is in Idaho's Smoky - Bennett elk zone and covers about 608 square miles, from about 4,900 to 10,200 feet. Towns in the unit: Hailey, Bellevue, Clarendon Hot Springs and Easley Hot Springs. Nearest towns outside it: Ketchum (on the line), Sun Valley (on the line) and Fairfield (13 mi).
Elk in Unit 48
Unit 48 is in the Smoky - Bennett 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 48
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 48 (the brochure prints them for units 48 and 49 together).
| Season | Days | What may be taken |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 10 to Oct 31 | 22 | Antlered, mule deer or white-tailed deer |
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 48
- 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 48
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 43 Unit 44 Unit 45 Unit 52 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.