Idaho Deer — Unit 30
Idaho Unit 30 covers 257,063 acres and lies 21 miles south-east of Salmon and 98 miles north-east of Ketchum. 80% of it is public land, mostly BLM (47%) and national forest (30%). In 2025, 827 people hunted deer here and took 288 — 35% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 5 tags here for 44 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Unit 30, 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-
2% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1020 ↗ Antlered deer (mule or white-tailed), any weapon, Hunt Area 30 | 2% Long shot | 0% | — | 5 / 44 | Oct 10 – Nov 30, 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
- BLM 120,005 ac · 47%
- National Forest 76,835 ac · 30%
- Private 52,327 ac · 20%
- State land 7,413 ac · 3%
- Other public 117 ac · 0%
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'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 | 827 | 288 | 35% |
| 2024 | 890 | 405 | 46% |
| 2023 | 760 | 191 | 25% |
| 2022 | 869 | 289 | 33% |
| 2021 | 954 | 346 | 36% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Firearm 268 · 92% · 729 hunters, 37% success
- Archery 10 · 3% · 89 hunters, 11% success
- Muzzleloader 13 · 4% · 14 hunters, 93% success
What the agency says about the area
All of Unit 30.
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)