Carey Lake Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and rules

Carey Lake Wildlife Management Area is 750 acres in Blaine County, in Idaho Fish and Game's Magic Valley Region, inside game management units 52A and 49, established in 1949. A shallow natural lake and wetland less than a mile east of Carey.

Data updated October 2026. Area facts: IDFG's page for Carey Lake WMA, read October 18, 2026. Outline: PAD-US. Harvest: IDFG harvest statistics, 2025.

Carey Lake WMA at a glance
Size	750 acres (IDFG)
County	Blaine County
Established	1949
IDFG region	Magic Valley
Game management units	52A, 49
Elk zones	Big Desert, Pioneer
Primary purpose (IDFG)	Provide high quality wetlands for waterfowl production and migration.
Habitat (IDFG)	Emergent wetland, woodland, shrubland, grassland
Camping	IDFG lists no camping on the WMA

Map of Carey Lake Wildlife Management Area in Idaho, the land Idaho Fish and Game manages there shaded green, with game management units, highways and nearby towns — Green: land managed by Idaho Fish and Game in this WMA, from PAD-US (439 acres mapped; IDFG's own figure for the whole WMA is 750 acres, which can include land other agencies own). Dashed lines: unit boundaries. Highways and towns: OpenStreetMap contributors.

What is Carey Lake WMA?

A shallow natural lake and wetland less than a mile east of Carey. 400 of the lake's 700 acres are inside the WMA, with 350 acres of cropland, shrub-steppe and lava uplands; a hot spring keeps an acre or two open in winter. IDFG stepped in after an irrigation reservoir plan for the lake failed, and manages it for nesting and migrating waterfowl.

What can you hunt on Carey Lake WMA?

Early-season waterfowl hunters are the main hunting use. Fishing for largemouth bass and bluegill is the WMA's biggest draw.

IDFG lists these uses for the area: hunting, fishing and wildlife watching.

How do you get onto Carey Lake WMA, and when is it closed?

A parking lot and an outhouse.

How many elk and deer are taken in the surrounding units?

IDFG counts harvest by unit, not by WMA. These are the whole units Carey Lake WMA lies in, for 2025:

Unit	Elk harvested	Elk success	Deer harvested	Deer success
52A	136	29%	207	15%
49	168	21%	722	31%

General seasons, all weapons. Source: IDFG harvest statistics.

IDFG's maps and rules for Carey Lake WMA

Questions hunters ask

What can you hunt on Carey Lake WMA?

Early-season waterfowl hunters are the main hunting use. Fishing for largemouth bass and bluegill is the WMA's biggest draw. Seasons and tags follow the regulations for Units 52A and 49.

Can you camp on Carey Lake WMA?

IDFG's page lists no camping on Carey Lake WMA.

How do you get onto Carey Lake WMA?

A parking lot and an outhouse.

Which hunting unit is Carey Lake WMA in?

Units 52A and 49 (Big Desert elk zone, Pioneer elk zone), measured from IDFG's unit boundaries.

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Where these facts come from

Area description, rules, access, camping and uses: IDFG, Carey Lake WMA, written up by FilledTag in its own words.
Outline: USGS Protected Areas Database (PAD-US), land managed by Idaho Fish and Game. Units: IDFG's unit boundaries.
Harvest: IDFG harvest statistics.

FilledTag is not part of Idaho Fish and Game. WMA rules change: check IDFG's page and its posted rules before you go.

All Idaho WMAs Unit 52A Unit 49 Big Desert Zone Pioneer Zone