Idaho Deer — Unit 28-1
Idaho Unit 28-1 covers 44,874 acres and lies 4 miles west of Salmon. 81% of it is public land, mostly national forest (71%) and BLM (8%). In 2025, 15 people hunted deer here and took 5 — 33% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 15 tags here for 5 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Unit 28-1, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
1101 Antlerless or Antlered deer (mule or white-tailed), any weapon, Hunt Area 28-1 (youth only) 15 tags · 5 applicants0% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1101 ↗ Antlerless or Antlered deer (mule or white-tailed), any weapon, Hunt Area 28-1 (youth only) | 0% Long shot | 0% | — | 15 / 5 | Sep 15 – Oct 31, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- As 2nd choice —
- Idaho lets you name more than one hunt on the application. Miss on your first choice and you go into the pot for whatever tags are left, alongside everyone else's second choices. Points never help a lower choice, so this number is the same whatever you have banked — it is usually worth naming a hunt that goes undersubscribed.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per application | $203 | $203 | $554.75 |
Application window: opens May 1, closes Jun 5, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest 31,789 ac · 71%
- Private 8,510 ac · 19%
- BLM 3,434 ac · 8%
- State land 779 ac · 2%
- Other public 359 ac · 1%
Source: BLM Idaho Surface Management Agency (land ownership / SMA)
How the hunting has gone
What Idaho Department of Fish and Game publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Idaho Department of Fish and Game publishes these per hunt rather than per unit; the rows below add its own figures together, since a hunter holds one tag for the species in a season. Idaho's figures are counts from mandatory hunter reports and check stations rather than survey estimates, so they behave differently from the survey states.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | 5 | 33% |
| 2024 | 10 | 7 | 70% |
| 2023 | 13 | 9 | 69% |
| 2022 | 19 | 3 | 16% |
| 2021 | 62 | 32 | 52% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Firearm 5 · 100% · 15 hunters, 33% success
What the agency says about the area
That portion of Unit 28 within the following boundary: beginning on Williams Creek Road (Forest Road 21) at Shoup Bridge, then west on Forest Road 21 to Perreau Creek Road (Forest Road 27), then west on Forest Road 27 to Trail 6077, then west and north on Trail 6077 to its junction with Forest Road 26, then north and west on Forest Road 26 to Forest Road 020, then north on Forest Road 020 to Stormy Peak Road (Forest Road 023), then southeast on Forest Road 023 to U.S. Highway 93, then north on U.S. Highway 93 to the Salmon River, then south along the west bank of the Salmon River to the point of beginning.
Source: Idaho Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, deer 2025 (general + controlled hunt tables)
Boundary: Controlled Hunts - All Species, BigGame='Deer' AND Year=2025 (hunt-area boundaries)
Harvest: Idaho Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, deer 2025 (general + controlled hunt tables)
Harvest: Idaho Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, deer 2024 (general + controlled hunt tables)
Harvest: Idaho Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, deer 2023 (general + controlled hunt tables)