Idaho Elk · Unit 3
Idaho Unit 3 covers 354,305 acres and lies 9 miles south-east of Dalton Gardens. 58% of it is public land, mostly national forest (52%) and state land (3%). In 2025, 2,982 people hunted elk here and took 275, a 9% success rate. Its most applied-for hunt, 2148, put up 25 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 0 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
2025, all licenses
52% Forest Service
354,305 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in Unit 3
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2148 · youth | Antlerless elk, any weapon/archery, Hunt Area 3 (youth only) | 100% (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): $854.75 ($203 to apply). Open May 1 – Jun 5, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Harvest
| Year | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,982 | 275 | 9% |
| 2024 | 3,131 | 272 | 9% |
| 2023 | 3,261 | 340 | 10% |
| 2022 | 2,845 | 353 | 12% |
| 2021 | 3,180 | 321 | 10% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2148 | 23 | 14 | 61% |
2025 split: firearm 150 (55%) from 1,772 hunters, 8%, archery 73 (27%) from 751 hunters, 10%, muzzleloader 51 (19%) from 460 hunters, 11%
What Idaho Department of Fish and Game publishes after each season, for everyone who hunted the area: harvest statistics, not draw odds. 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, elk; IDFG 2024 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, elk; IDFG 2023 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, elk.
The Ground
| National Forest | 183,960 ac | 52% |
| Private | 149,653 ac | 42% |
| State land | 9,241 ac | 3% |
| Other public | 8,761 ac | 2% |
| BLM | 2,688 ac | <1% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Office 2026 BLM Surface Management Agency.
What the Agency Says About the Area
All of Unit 3.
▸ Sources 9
- 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, elk harvest, area description, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- IDFG 2024 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, elk harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- IDFG 2023 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, elk harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- IDFG 2022 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, elk harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- IDFG 2021 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, elk harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- IDFG 2025 Controlled hunt area boundaries boundary, retrieved Aug 31, 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 elk hunts