Idaho Bighorn Sheep · Unit 51
Idaho Unit 51 covers 502,602 acres and lies 67 miles north-west of Rigby. 93% of it is public land, mostly national forest (47%) and BLM (39%). In 2025, 2 people hunted rocky mountain bighorn here and took 2 (sum of published weapon rows). Its most applied-for hunt, 5020, put up 2 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 36 nonresident first-choice applicants.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
1 license · NR capped at 10%
first choice, NR
not published
47% Forest Service
502,602 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in Unit 51
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 5020 | Rams Only Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, any weapon, Hunt Area 51 | 0% (small sample) |
First-choice nonresident odds, 2026 draw. No points in this draw: every applicant has the same chance.
Draw results: IDFG 2026 Hunt Planner drawing odds, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
If you draw (2026 nonresident fees): $2,857.50 ($2,857.50 to apply). Open Apr 1 – Apr 30, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Harvest
| Year | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 (summed) | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| 2024 (summed) | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| 2023 (summed) | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| 2022 (summed) | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| 2021 (summed) | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| 2020 (summed) | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| 2019 (summed) | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky mountain bighorn | 2 | 2 | 100% |
2025 split: firearm 2 (100%)
What Idaho Department of Fish and Game publishes after each season, for everyone who hunted the area: harvest statistics, not draw odds. Idaho Department of Fish and Game publishes no whole-unit line for 2025; a year's total is the sum of published weapon rows, added only where the lines do not overlap. Idaho's figures are counts from mandatory hunter reports and check stations rather than survey estimates, so they behave differently from the survey states. Source: IDFG 2025 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics; IDFG 2024 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics; IDFG 2023 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics.
The Ground
| National Forest | 237,158 ac | 47% |
| BLM | 193,991 ac | 39% |
| Private | 34,821 ac | 7% |
| Other public | 29,602 ac | 6% |
| State land | 7,029 ac | 1% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Office 2026 BLM Surface Management Agency.
What the Agency Says About the Area
That portion of Unit 51 that lies north and east of the Little Lost Highway/Summit Creek Road/Pahsimeroi Road and that portion of Unit 58 that lies south and west of State Highway 28.
▸ Sources 11
- IDFG 2026 Hunt Planner drawing odds draw results, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- IDFG 2026 License, Tag, and Permit Costs fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- IDFG 2025 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics harvest, area description, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- IDFG 2024 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- IDFG 2023 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- IDFG 2022 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- IDFG 2021 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- IDFG 2020 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- IDFG 2019 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- IDFG 2025 Controlled hunt area boundaries boundary, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Office 2026 BLM Surface Management Agency land ownership, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
About These Numbers
Odds are from the 2026 draw, the latest on file, computed from Idaho Department of Fish and Game's published results. They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward. How we compute these.
Report an error on this page
We don't take applications: check Idaho Department of Fish and Game's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from Idaho Department of Fish and Game's results, not a forecast · Methodology · All Idaho bighorn sheep hunts