Idaho Elk · Unit 36A
Idaho Unit 36A covers 494,285 acres and lies 31 miles north of Ketchum and 43 miles north of Hailey. 97% of it is public land, mostly national forest (51%) and BLM (42%). In 2025, 907 people hunted elk here and took 198, a 22% success rate (sum of published weapon rows).
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
0 licenses · NR capped at 10%
first choice, NR
2025, all licenses
52% Forest Service
494,285 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Licenses
Idaho Department of Fish and Game has not offered an elk license in Unit 36A in any draw we hold. It has a page because the agency still publishes harvest for it; the Idaho elk hunts that are on offer are drawn elsewhere.
Harvest
| Year | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 (summed) | 907 | 198 | 22% |
| 2024 | 777 | 150 | 19% |
| 2023 | 746 | 130 | 18% |
| 2022 | 1,137 | 375 | 33% |
| 2021 | 1,003 | 302 | 30% |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2133 | 208 | 57 | 27% |
| 2182 | 3 | 3 | 100% |
2025 split: firearm 81 (41%) from 302 hunters, 27%, archery 56 (28%) from 356 hunters, 16%, muzzleloader 61 (31%) from 249 hunters, 24%
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, elk; IDFG 2024 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, elk; IDFG 2023 Hunt Planner Harvest Statistics, elk.
The Ground
| National Forest | 254,342 ac | 51% |
| BLM | 209,430 ac | 42% |
| State land | 16,168 ac | 3% |
| Private | 13,856 ac | 3% |
| Other public | 488 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 36A.
▸ Sources 7
- 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
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.
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 · All Idaho elk hunts