Idaho Elk — Unit 29

Idaho Unit 29 covers 452,684 acres and lies 30 miles south-east of Salmon and 83 miles north-east of Ketchum. 80% of it is public land, mostly national forest (51%) and BLM (27%). In 2025, 745 people hunted elk here and took 131 — 18% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 180 tags here for 313 first-choice applicants.

Tags (2026):240 Nonresident share:capped at 10% Applicants:321 Hunter success (2025):18% Public land:80% Size:452,684 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every elk license type on offer in Unit 29, 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

2005 Antlered elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 29 180 tags · 313 applicants

6% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
2071 Antlerless elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 29 35 tags · 4 applicants

25% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
2154 Antlerless elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 29 (youth only) 25 tags · 4 applicants

50% Real chance 5% as 2nd choice

Hunt	Your odds	As 2nd choice	Points needed	Tags / applicants	Season
2005 ↗ Antlered elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 29	6% Long shot	0%	—	180 / 313	Oct 1–31, 2026
2071 ↗ Antlerless elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 29	25% Long shot	0%	—	35 / 4	Nov 1–20, 2026
2154 ↗ Antlerless elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 29 (youth only)	50% Real chance	5%	—	25 / 4	Oct 1 – Nov 20, 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	$854.75

Application window: opens May 1, closes Jun 5, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.

The country

Unit 29 within Idaho

Unit 29 and its neighbours

Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.

Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.

Who owns the ground

National Forest 229,002 ac · 51%
BLM 121,915 ac · 27%
Private 89,198 ac · 20%
State land 11,934 ac · 3%
Other public 633 ac · 0%

Source: BLM Idaho Surface Management Agency (land ownership / SMA)

Nearby areas

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.